Oakland’s seventh annual EAT REAL FESTIVAL returns to Jack London Square from Friday September 18th to Sunday September 20th. The festival, from the Food Craft Institute, is free to attend and features street food from local purveyors and restaurants, all for $8 or less. There are chef demonstrations, including a celebration of global fast food on Fast Food Friday, with chefs Preeti Mistry (Juhu Beach Club), Dominica Rice-Cisneros (Cosecha), and Rick Hackett (Bocanova), as well as Anya Fernald (Belcampo Meat Co.), where they’ll be talking about street food and quick snacks from all over the world.
Butchers from Belcampo Meat Co. will also be on hand with butchery demonstrations, and then on Sunday you won’t want to miss the Flying Knives Butchery competition, where local butchers will compete to break down a whole hog as fast as they can. And of course, there are the food vendors, including Baia Pasta, KoJa Kitchen, Bok Ssam, Bombzies BBQ, and Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement. Check out all the vendors here.
There are lots of special events to check out, too, and of course opportunities to imbibe. The Drink Real portion for the festival offers wine, beer, cocktails, and lots of nonalcoholic options like coffee from America’s Best, House Kombucha, and Hidden Star Orchards. There is also a new cider saloon with offerings from the likes of Two Rivers Cider Co. and Sonoma Cider. As for wine, look for pours from Dashe Cellars and Lacuna Wines, to name just a few, along with beer from more than 25 local breweries and local spirits like Hangar One and Darjeeling Gin. Here’s a full list of the beverage vendors. Festival hours are Fri 1pm-9pm, Sat 10:30am-9pm, and Sun 10:30am-5pm. Free to attend. Jack London Square, Broadway and 1st St., Oakland.
On Sunday September 13th, Maria Capdevielle will be teaching a class on homemade Italian pastas in Berkeley, including pumpkin ravioli and spinach pappardelle. The class is almost sold out (two tickets are still available), and tickets are $80 per person including instruction and food. Then next month, she’ll be offering another class on Saturday October 10th on the fall cooking of Piemonte. Tickets are $80 per person or $150 for a pair. Both classes take place at the Playing Life Academy/Footfire Soccer Center, 1645 4th St. at Virginia, Berkeley.
Street food at the Eat Real Festival in 2014. Photo by Linc Chu courtesy of Eat Real Festival.
Event Info
Friday Sep 18, 2015 – Sunday Sep 20, 2015 Fri 1pm-9pm, Sat 10:30am-9pm, Sun 10:30am-5pm Free to attend, all food less than $8 Information Jack London Square Broadway and 1st St., Oakland
