Grand Avenue Merchant News – June 2022
by Ken Katz – In the April edition of the Merchant News, we mentioned that when the office building at 3645 Grand was sold, everyone was advised that it would be repurposed for residential housing but that’s not what eventually happened. A couple of weeks ago, at an Open House for prospective tenants we found out why, when Don McBirney (the Commercial Broker from Collier’s International) introduced us to the property owner, Sid Lakireddy. Asked about the change in plans, Mr. Lakireddy said that their original intention was, in fact, to convert the three-story building into live/work spaces but the stumbling block came from state and local regulations that made the transformation prohibitively expensive. Continue Reading
Lakeshore BID – June 2022 Highlights
by Kira Pascoe – Lakeshore always has an amazing array of incredible and creative food and May was no exception. Just a few examples are the Rico Rico Taco’s family’s favorite ceviche for Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day specials such as Shakewell’s Chocolate-almond bread pudding with strawberries, cream and buttermilk syrup or Arizmendi’s edible flowers placed on top of sourdough cruffins (croissant muffins) filled with lemon curd & whipped cream. Bardo Chef Amol’s newest entree is chicken and grits with mascarpone, fresh peas, asparagus, confit Pearl onions, mushroom sauce, and Anson Mills grits. Arizmendi features community artisan breads, morning pastries and a different gourmet pizza. Continue Reading
I Said “ADEY-os” to Ethiopia and “Selam” to Oakland
by Adey Hagos – My name is Adey Hagos. In 1982, I was born in Mekelle, the largest city in the Tigray Region of what is now the northernmost part of Ethiopia. One of six children (three boys and three girls), we had a comfortable upbringing as my father was a contractor who built houses as well as farmed. After finishing high school, I came to the US in September of 2001 because there are so many more opportunities available here. I picked Oakland because my uncle, Tesfaye Gesese and his wife are Oakland residents and they said it was the best place to live. I enrolled in the Job Corps program on Treasure Island … Continue Reading
Farmers Market Updates – June 2022
by Dan Foster – Our Grand Lake Farmers Market webpage has just been significantly updated and as you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you’ll find an interactive map on which you can:
- Change the date to view the vendors expected to attend on that given date (or who attended on a past date) – please note, the map is updated as new information comes in, so if you look at upcoming weeks, it might not be totally accurate.
- Type in the search bar to find specific vendors or products
- Click on a vendor’s location to view their public profile (this includes dates of planned attendance, contact info, pictures, and more)
Charles Farriér’s Crumble & Whisk is opening a brick and mortar location in Oakland… Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: We just received two last-minute Farmers Market updates from AIM CEO, Andy Naja-Riese:
- AIM is observing and celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Month with a 10-minute film highlighting the history of Mume Farm which is now operated by second generation farmers, Kiyo Usugi and Ron Sakamoto, who sell their umeboshi and baked goods every Saturday at the Grand Lake Farmers Market.
- AIM’s Diggin’ on the Farm program turns the farm into a classroom. On our Diggin’ farm tours, students learn about local food systems through touch, sight, smell, and building memories together. A total of $5,000 in Diggin’ Education scholarships, will allow us to bring twenty low-resource school groups to the farm this year! These funds pay farmers for their time and cover related program expenses. You can sponsor one field trip by making a gift of $250 or make a donation in any amount by clicking on this link.
Splash Pad Park Update – June 2022
We are hoping to recruit a few additional volunteers for this month’s 4th Sunday work day on June 26 from 9 to Noon in Splash Pad Park’s California Native Plant Garden. The volunteer team is led by Mary Jo Sutton, a fount of all knowledge pertaining to California plant and wildlife, who was dubbed the “Plant Whisperer” by Sarah Van Roo in this 2017 Splash Pad News article. In addition to weeding and litter pick-up, another buckwheat has a spot reserved in the garden and, if requested, Mary Jo will also gladly demonstrate how she especially enjoys weeding and composting in-place.
June 2022 Calendar
by Sheila McCormick
This month’s picks:
- Lakeside Chat #19 – Youth Take on Environmental Monitoring with EBAYS
- SF Library/Museum of African Diaspora. Bryant Terry leads a discussion with Bay Area Black Farmers
- Waterwise Community Center: California Native Garden Design – Online Workshop
- Ashby Village: Caregiving: Challenges and Lessons Learned: A Conversation with Dave Iverson
For the full calendar, please click on this link.
CALENDAR OF THE MONTH
Editor’s Note: In addition to Sheila’s picks, I’d recommend the June 15 Grand Lake Neighbors meeting during which Councilmember Bas will be discussing the Progressive Tax proposal that could help Oakland address critical issues including homelessness, public safety and understaffing in the Public Works Department.
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