Farmers Market News

This is the time of the year when the farmers who specialize in stone fruits and summer veggies take a winter sabbatical allowing the arts and crafts vendors to take up some of the slack in the weeks leading up to the end of the year holidays. Although corn, peaches and nectarines are but sweet memories, the greens are so lush they could easily double as table centerpieces and the cauliflower is so flawless and bright, I'm tempted to use it when setting the white balance on my sometimes temperamental Nikon.

Cafe Gratitude, which has been a welcome fixture in the Food Court is taking a few months off as well. This popular eatery figured prominently in a conversation I was party to at the market a couple of weeks ago. Scott Vermeire from Prather Ranch Meat Co. introduced me to Alexis Koefoed who owns Soul Food Farm in Vacaville. They're the source of the free-range chickens that are sold by Prather at the Grand Lake Market and they're also served at Camino as well as, Chez Panisse.

Alexis mentioned that her own farm is just down the road from Laura Trent's Tip Top Farms which was one of the earliest and most valued vendors at the Grand Lake Market. Laura's passing just over two years ago was memorialized by David Gans in a moving tribute published in the Grand Lake Guardian. Alexis's big news was that Tip Top was purchased by Cafe Gratitude which is carrying on Laura's commitment to creating organic produce of the very highest quality and the farm now accounts for 40% of the produce used in their restaurant and packaged goods.

Speaking of David Gans, he's scheduled to perform at this Saturday's market. In a sense, (on what has been the coldest, wettest week of the year) David is tempting fate. For a couple of years, he was like the character in Lil Abner, Joe Btfsplk, who always had a rain cloud over his head--but, in David's case, only when he came to the Saturday market with a guitar and amps in hand. Last year, his fortunes finally turned and he was regularly greeted by blue skies. If his run of good luck holds, make sure you stick around to hear him perform the title song from his new CD: "The Ones That Look the Weirdest Taste the Best" which was inspired by our own farmers market. If you miss him Saturday, the CD and more information is available on this link.

In the November newsletter, I wrote about the role that the farmers market plays in nurturing and supporting Oakland-based, independent businesses. One of the market's most popular vendors, Oaklandish, does much the same thing for local arts and social action groups. Every year, their Innovator's Award Program awards five $5,000 grants. Winners for 2007 were The Oakland Food Connection, Bay Area Video Coalition, Youth Spirit Art Works, People's Grocery and the Ella Baker Center.

Souley Vegan, which is also a hugely popular farmers market asset, was one of three soul food restaurants profiled in last month's Oakland Magazine. Read all about it on this link.

Kassenhoff Growers is yet another vendor taking a few months off during the winter. Helen Krayenhoff, half of that dynamic duo, has a second career as an extremely talented watercolorist. Her artwork is now available online at this link. This online marketplace is provided by Oakland Unwrapped, a non-profit agency helping promote locally based, independent businesses.

When I mentioned in my opening paragraph that my Nikon is sometimes a bit temperamental, I failed to mention the circumstances. Several weeks ago, I took some great shots of Brent Hennefer of Christmas Tree lot fame, but either the camera or the flash card malfunctioned and all was lost. When I expressed frustration to my son Adam, he reminded me that he carried this camera through tropical rain forests and northeast African deserts. It suffered through two years of rain, heat (118 degrees in Sudan) and dust storms and is obviously a bit the worse for it. On my return visit to the far more hospitable Christmas Tree Lot, the camera worked like a charm. If you look at the latest photos in the Splash Pad gallery, you'll find Brent and his grand-daughter posing in front of Santa. Last I checked, they still had a good selection of trees available.

Park It!

Parking issues at the Saturday market have not been fully resolved, but the crunch has eased somewhat thanks to the vendors who are utilizing the lot at Our Lady of Lourdes. Jim Fenton, the market manager, says that there are typically spaces available for customers in the Lakeview School parking lot even during peak market hours. In addition, it's now legal to park in the Kwik Way lot--but be sure to feed the meters. If not, you'll come back to your car and find a $30 ticket under your wipers. Also, note that the meters operate 7 days a week and cars parked after 10 PM will be towed. These modifications to the Kwik Way lot were mandated by Oakland's Hearing Officer as a way of addressing noise complaints from neighbors in the adjacent apartment buildings.

Grand-Lakeshore Merchant News

Juniper Tree at 3303 Lakeshore likely has one of the finest collections of Christmas decorations in the East Bay and this year's display is particularly spectacular. Some of the other Lakeshore shops have also decorated for the holidays with a bit of assistance from yours truly. The large mechanical Santa in the window of Adventure Toys and the matching Santa across the street at Silver Lining are both on loan--part of a large collection of antiques and collectibles I gathered as a long-time antiques dealer. Unless I hear howls of protest, I'll be using this venue next year to help publicize my own going out of business sale.

I've just exchanged emails with the owner of Petpourri at 3600 Grand Avenue who noted that he prides himself on his low prices with bagged pet foods cheaper than PetCo, PetSmart or Pet Food Express. Save yourself a trip to the mall and check it out.

Micio Mambo is celebrating the holidays this Saturday with wine, snacks and a 15% discount off your purchase (not including sale, skincare and cosmetics). Micio is located at 474 Santa Clara just a few doors down from the Mimosa Cafe. If you're heading that way, continue up the street and around the corner and give a big welcome to Chinere Davis, owner of the new Green Boutique clothing shop.

Camino was also the subject of a glowing review in Oakland Magazine in November. This is what their reviewer said in part: "Dining at Camino can feel like attending a well-managed retreat, but it need not be approached--nor cynically dismissed--as a religious experience, even if the exquisitely tender grilled and roasted duck ($24) I savored on our first visit did almost have me speaking in tongues."

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