Slow Food East Bay is bringing it with some pretty exciting classes in the coming months. On Sunday August 4th from 2pm-5pm, join them at Brundo Ethiopian Culinary Studio for a class on Ethiopian food from founder and author Fetlework Tefferi. You’ll learn all about the different spice blends that are used in Ethiopian food, with a particular emphasis on berbere. She’ll sample several recipes, which you’ll be able to try too. Tickets are $60, and $5 goes to Slow Food East Bay. 1960 Mandela Pkwy. at 20th St., Oakland, 510-601-7999.
Then, on Monday September 9th, catch a class on Nigerian cooking from Florence Anadu of the market Man Must Wak. The class will be held at the Finnish Hall of Berkeley; more details are coming soon. 1970 Chestnut St. at Hearst, Berkeley.
Diablo Dish reports that another San Francisco spot has made the trip east. This time it’s THE BARREL ROOM wine bar from sommeliers Sarah Trubnick and Carolyn Johnson. They’re planning to have small, boutique wines available, like at the San Francisco location, but this time around they’re also planning to offer a more substantial food menu, with entrées as well as smaller dishes. Look for a September opening. 5330 College Ave. at Bryant.
James Syhabout’s HAWKER FARE suffered from vandalism on Friday night, according to a tweet from Syhabout and a follow-up from Scoop. Security cameras caught three masked vandals setting a blaze that melted the restaurant’s electrical system, and they are now closed indefinitely. It’s not clear that the incident is related to the vandalism and violence of last week, though it does appear that the city of Oakland is expediting the building process and they’ve already got new meters up. Tweets from Christin Ayers, a reporter at KPIX, mention Hawker Fare may reopen this week, and she also posted a photo of the suspects. 2300 Webster St. at 23rd St., Oakland, 510-832-8896.
Learn to identify the spices at Brundo Ethiopian Culinary Studio. Photo from Facebook.
