OFF THE GRID The Southside Berkeley Off the Grid site will be relatively quiet for the rest of the summer, as the food trucks will be taking a month-long break from the area after Thursday, July 25. They will reopen at their spot at Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 26, when they will kick off the new season with live music. Once they return, loyal truck-goers can expect to find a rotating set of vendors there every Monday until 9 p.m. (Hat-tip: Alina.)
186 CAFE A sign in the window of the former Green Earth Café, which closed in April, indicates that a new business called 186 Café has applied for a change of ownership for the space at 2124 Center St. According to the sign, 186 Café has applied for licenses to sell both food and alcoholic beverages. The space was extensively remodeled to include a full kitchen — complete with two pizza ovens — by the owners of Green Earth Café, who opened their eatery in 2012, but they were forced to close for personal reasons.
LES ARTS AT CELERY SPACE Les Arts at Celery Space, an art gallery specializing in modern and contemporary Latin American art, recently opened at 1718 San Pablo Ave. (between Delaware and Virginia). Its debut group exhibition, extended through August 27, features the remarkable drawings of Colombian-born, New York-based artist Paola Andrea Ochoa. Gallery owners Leslye Russell Larson and John Larson are longtime collectors with enormous expertise and passion for the high-quality work they show. Les Arts is a welcome addition to Berkeley’s cultural environment. The gallery is open 1-6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and by appointment.
Shop Talk is our regular column in which we post updates on Berkeley businesses — openings, closings, new directions, relaunches, relocations. If you’re a Berkeley business with news, or a Berkeleysider who has spotted a change in your neighborhood or on your travels, shoot us an email with the details. Read previous Shop Talk columns. Check out also our weekly Bites column, which provides food news for the whole East Bay.
