The Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue, photographed in September 2014. The Oaks was for decades an anchor tenant for the avenue, but it has sat empty for nearly five years. Photo: Mary Flaherty By Gill South When French-style bakery La Farine abruptly closed up shop on Berkeley’s Solano Avenue this summer, there was an outcry from […]
Local 123
Posted inBusiness
Zoning Board approves new 7-Eleven, but not 24-hours
7-Eleven had hoped to open a 24-hour store at 2000 San Pablo Ave., on the corner with University, but Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board ruled on Thursday that it could not be open through the night. Photo: Kaia Diringer 7-Eleven had hoped to open a 24-hour store at 2000 San Pablo Ave., on the corner with […]
Posted inNosh
Local 123 finds its feet in West Berkeley and beyond
Three years on, Local 123, a popular cafe in west Berkeley, has created a community — and expanded its borders beyond its San Pablo Avenue location.
Posted inBusiness
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
MORE TO DRINK IN THE DRINKS DISTRICT The San Francisco Chronicle named Chris Brockway A Winemaker to Watch in January and named his 2009 Broc Cellars Vine Star California Red one of the top wines of 2011. Now Brockway is opening a tasting room at Broc Cellars at 805 Camelia St. on weekends from noon to […]
Posted inNosh
Poulet: Serving the Gourmet Ghetto for 33 years
Poulet, an anchor deli in the Gourmet Ghetto for 33 years, has a new chef with fresh ideas.
Posted inArts
In new Local 123 show, nature brushes against civilization
One of Susan Felter's "post-natural” digital montages Two local artists are bringing a touch of wilderness to the urban landscape with a new show of their works at Local 123 on San Pablo Avenue. Susan Felter and Mimi Plumb both explore natural beauty and its interaction with the manmade environment. Oakland-born Felter, who was an associate […]
Posted inNosh
Pop-up restaurants are popping up around town
Top left: Chef Nigel Jones plates at the pop-up Kingston 11 (courtesy Guerilla Cafe), Top right: Finishing touches for main meals at dine@ at Local 123 (courtesy of dine@), Bottom left: Pop-up diners at Local 123 (courtesy dine@), Bottom right: Pop-up chef Suzanne Drexhage chats with a guest (courtesy: Skyla Olds). Listen up locavores in […]
Posted inNosh
Jam maker turns hobby into thriving local business
Dafna Kory at Berkeley’s Local 123 Café. Photo: Sarah Henry. Dafna Kory at Berkeley’s Local 123 Café. Photo: Sarah Henry. Dafna Kory discovered the delights of jalapeňo jam during pre-dinner nibbles at a Thanksgiving gathering. She went out to buy a jar, couldn’t find the mighty spicy condiment anywhere, so she began experimenting with making […]
Posted inNosh
Berkeley Bites: Berkeley Student Food Collective
It seems unthinkable that the People’s Republic of Berkeley has existed without a food co-operative for more than two decades. Well, try not to choke on your non-GMO, organic, fair trade, soymilk chai latte, but the co-op is coming back to Berkeley. The Consumer’s Cooperative of Berkeley was the place to shop for the politically correct […]
Posted inNosh
In West Berkeley a café opens, a community blossoms
Opened a year ago on San Pablo Avenue, Local 123 has met a need. Photo: Janet Delaney. Photographer Janet Delaney has lived in West Berkeley for 22 years and she has watched the character of the neighborhood change, mostly for the better. Recently, she says, it took a great leap forward when Cafe Local 123 opened […]
Posted inNosh
Grow your own food, in pots, on porches, wherever
Planting Justice is holding a hands-on workshop for local residents to learn how to grow food and other plants at home or work — no matter how tight your space may be. The workshop takes place on Thursday July 1 from 6pm-7.30pm on the back patio of cafe Local 123 at 2049 San Pablo Avenue (pictured […]
Posted inNosh
Berkeley Bites: Amy Murray, Venus and now Revival
Amy Murray moved to Berkeley and opened Venus Restaurant on Shattuck Avenue in 2000. The restaurant began serving up seasonable, organic, sustainable California cuisine with worldly accents — which was something of a novelty back then. A nice nod early on by Kim Severson, then a restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, now at the New […]