The Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley

We decided to leave town this weekend and head to Berkeley to explore the north side of Shattuck Ave, also known as the gourmet ghetto (home to Chez Panisse and lots of other lovely restaurants and food shops). One of the places that I wanted to go this time was the Cheeseboard. This shop sells a wide variety of cheeses, bread and pizza. I grabbed the last loaf of pumpernickel, which we will enjoy this week, toasted, at breakfast and along side my butternut squash soup. The Cheeseboard is a co-op, entirely owned by its members.

We also stopped into the Love at First Bite cupcakery, which is one of my favorite places. Lots of little cakes line the window, in a variety of flavors including green tea, red velvet, and coconut. We chose chocolate with peanut butter icing, and ate them at an outside table in the sun.

One of our last stops was Cafe Gratitude, which specializes in RAW foods and drinks. We tried drinks with kale, celery and ginger...very healthy.

We ended the day at the Berkely Bowl, which is a huge food co-op on the other end of Shattuck Ave. The selection of bulk foods and produce was astounding, and we wandered in and out of the aisles before heading home.