Food
Oakland-based chef, author and activist Bryant Terry has a way with food. In his newest cookbook, “The Inspired Vegan,” he continues a longtime quest to bring flavor-intense but nutritionally rich eats to a larger audience, and to have a little fun while he’s at it.
Is a bar worthy of historical landmark status primarily because of the people who have been going there for years? That’s the crux of the argument that the owners and a group of regular customers at the Kingfish Pub and Café made in a presentation to the Oakland Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board on Monday night at City Hall.
While Oakland’s Uptown residents search for a place to pretend to do work while chain-smoking and listening to obscure punk, John Mardikian is busy scrubbing, painting, fixing plumbing, and doing general repairs on the space where Mama Buzz—and before that, Papa Buzz—had been in some form or another for over a decade.
Purists, novices and everyone in between now have an option when deciding between “chili” or “chile” powder, or any of the other dozens of spices on hand at Oaktown Spice Shop, which opened the week before Christmas.
The bell rings— a prolonged buzzing signaling the end of class. Attention students: lunch is being served in the cafeteria, announces a female voice over the intercom. Lunch is being served in the cafeteria. There’s chicken wings and fries, pizza and fries, and salad bar. Within moments, hordes of students come rushing into the Oakland Tech cafeteria, sidling up in line in front of the kitchen and dropping their backpacks and jackets off at one of the circular red tables….
In the heart of Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood is Yasai Market, a small, independently-owned produce store. The shop is located on College Avenue, directly across the street from a Safeway grocery store, but owner Bo Pak is not afraid of having a chain supermarket as her neighbor.
Oasis Food Market in Oakland is one of the largest halal (Islam-compliant) markets in the East Bay. The store sells a range of goods, from meat and produce to candy. There are a strict set of rules for slaughter that make meat halal in Islam. The animal must be facing downward and toward Mecca while a blessing is said, as dictated by the Koran. Then, a knife is drawn across the throat in one swift motion. These rituals are designed to give the animal the most humane death possible.
Oakland’s Children’s Hospital & Research Center is attempting to inspire parents and kids to create nutritious meals together with their recently launched “Mix & Match Brown Bag” healthy lunch plan.
In a lengthy meeting Tuesday, the Oakland City Council approved a pilot program to give more of a preference for city contracts to local and small local businesses and another one to establish mobile food pod sites. The council also appointed Victor Uno to the Board of Port Commissioners.