Best of the East Bay
I know it’s spring when I get the urge to plant things. Don’t mistake me - I’m no gardener, but I do like to put a flower or two in the ground. Last weekend, I headed up to Oakland’s most beautiful plant store, Thornhill Nursery, which has been nestled in the hills since 1950. I bought some strawberry starts and some hard-to-kill succulents. We’ll see how it grows…
6250 thornhill dr.
510.339.1311
9-5:30, monday through sunday
Vegetarian personal chef and caterer Phiip Gelb hosts a cooking class Saturday in his West Oakland loft. For $40, you’ll learn skills and recipes; how to make your own coconut milk and dumpling dough, and how to make spicy lemongrass coconut soup with tofu and wild mushrooms, tangerine spinach salad with ginger dressing, and steamed or fried wontons with peanut mint sauce,
The class takes place Saturday, March 22 at noon. To register, contact Phil at 510.393.6096 or through his MySpace page.
And stay turned to that page for info on more classes and details on dining at his underground restaurant.
image from enbphotos.com
The Second Annual Oakland Indie Awards are coming up in May, so now’s the time to nominate your favorite business at OaklandUnwrapped. The Indie Awards recognize the small businesses and longtime favorites that make our community stronger. Nominations close March 30. 2007’s event was really fun, so after you nominate your favorites, grab some tickets to this year’s soiree - they’re discounted until April 15.
image from flickr
According to an article in today’s Trib, 80-year-old Neldam’s Bakery may close at the end of summer. In case you are unfamiliar, Neldam’s is the home of the world’s best German chocolate cake. I hear they make some other stuff, too.
I recommend making it a point of your weekend to stop by for some cookies, pastries, rolls, or whatever carbs strike your fancy, whether for the nostalgia factor or to help a business in need. I’d hate to think that, delicious though they aare, those Costco sheet cakes you’ve been ordering are killing our local institutions.
neldam’s bakery
3101 telegraph ave
510.658.7967
Okay, third Friday’s not a thing. But Oakland artist Jemal Diamond is using this friday to showcase his tiny ink on canvas abstracts in advance of a big show up in Sac’to. Stop by his studio to have a look around and have a glass of wine. If you miss this, he’ll be open again for the East Bay Open Studios later in the spring.
The part that’s the most fun: Diamond invites art lovers to help him title his pieces, so tell him what you see in all those squiggly lines.
march 21, 8-11 p.m.
jemal diamond’s studio
3012 harrison st.
In response to a question about jumping from SF to the East Bay, Apartment Therapy SF has a nice post about Oakland. There are a lot of great comments at the end.
Image from Apartment Therapy SF
Artists of Invention: A Century of CCA closes this weekend, and the exhibit is going out with a big bash they’ve dubbed Night School. Party like an art school student with DJs from Amoeba, beer from Lagunitas, local music (including skeevy youngsters Hottub), and the Yelp photo booth. Oh, and it’s free to all, whether you’re a college student or just a student of life.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
7:30-10:30 p.m.
1000 Oak St.
*and stay tuned to OaklandGoods for more on what’s at the museum this spring*
Q and A:
What kind of donut costs $1.75? A vegan one.
Why? Because it’s made with natural organic grains and sugar, organic sprinkles, vegetable coloring, and no animal products.
Why would I want to pay for such a thing if I’m not vegan? Because it is delicious.
I’m not usually one to evangelize — I write stuff up and I let you make your choices. But I really think you should go search out Peoples Donuts and eat one. The moist cake donuts are hearty and wholesome (as wholesome as anything fried in oil can be, anyway). They’re glazed in flavors like vanilla, maple, lemon poppyseed, and blueberry. I liked the sugared variety and the lemon poppyseed, with its delicious citrus bite, the best.
And I like the story even better. They’re made out of a former Chinese dive in West Oakland (yes, it has been scoured) by a real estate agent turned donutpreneur named Josh, who was inspired by the vegan donuts he found in other cities. He launched a search to find a granary that would make him a flour mix without whey, and went full-steam into donut-making. Finding a place to make donuts is a big task — it requires a big kitchen hood that some facilities don’t have. But Josh found one, and he’s popping out the tasty pastries with his team of dedicated donut makers. The goods are as environmentally friendly as possible, and Josh hopes one day to deliver them by bike.
Until then, you can get Peoples Donuts at Mama Buzz, Peaberry’s, and a variety of other cafes and restaurants around town. Check the Web site for current locations and flavors.
