East Bay Magazine-JUL-AUG-2023

All loans and credit products subject to program eligibility, collateral, underwriting approval and credit approval. Offer is for new lines of credit up to $100,000. Origination fee waived for the first year for lines of credit up to $100,000. Certain restrictions apply. Offer is effective as of 3/17/2023 and subject to change or cancellation without notice. See banker for details. Prime Rate is defined as “the Prime Rate as published daily in the Money Rates section of the Wall Street Journal.” Talk to a banker or visit https://www.wsj.com/market-data/bonds/moneyrates. MKT9316-0974/0623

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Karen Klaber EDITOR

Samantha Campos COPY EDITOR

Suzanne Michel CONTRIBUTORS

Sonya Bennett-Brandt

Jeffrey Edalatpour

Lou Fancher

Sydney Fishman

Michael Giotis

Janis Hashe

Sean George

SENIOR DESIGNER

Jackie Mujica

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Phaedra Strecher ADVERTISING DIRECTORS

Lori Lieneke

Lisa Santos

Danielle McCoy

Ben Grambergu

Mercedes Murolo

Lynda Rael

Dan Pulcrano

Better Than All the Rest

We all have our faves. Our go-to’s for takeout. The same special place we reserve for celebrations. The restaurant we return to when we’re sick of it all. Our usual spots to buy books or groceries or paint. Our preferred park to walk the dog. The venue where we’d see just about anything. The salon we trust most with our epidermis, or anything growing from it. The budtender who sells us our sleep aid.

JEFFREY EDALATPOUR’s writing about arts, food and culture has appeared in SF Weekly, Metro Silicon Valley, East Bay Express and KQED Arts.

The bartender who knows our drink. Often these tried-and-trues are in our neighborhood. In my case, not so much. I’ve lived in a few places throughout Oakland, and I have standbys in each area. A few years ago, I started taking “discovery” walks—to a different street or shopping district where I could explore the storefronts and expand my repertoire. I’ve always considered these annual “Best Of” issues to be a handier, more efficient version of my urban wandering. A chance to see what’s

LOU FANCHER has been published in the Diablo Magazine, the Oakland Tribune, InDance, San Francisco Classical Voice, SF Weekly, WIRED.com and elsewhere.

out there, in our abundantly beautiful, spectacularly complicated metropolis. This issue covers a lot of ground, from Richmond to San Leandro, Alameda to Concord. In other words, we have options. So many choices. Multiple chances to learn and delight and improve our lives. May this issue guide your curiosities and encourage further explorations of your own. There’s no limit on favorites, especially in the East Bay.

— Samantha Campos, Editor

SONYA BENNETTBRANDT writes about climate, conservation and the Bay Area.

SYDNEY FISHMAN has written for Berkeleyside and Oaklandside, and has worked as an audio producer for KALW Radio and KCBS Radio.

MICHAEL GIOTIS is a Bay Area based poet and author with a professional background in ecological entrepreneurship.

JANIS HASHE regularly contributes to the East Bay Express and other Bay Area publications.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA CAMPOS

COZY NOOKS Taking a break from a Piedmont Avenue stroll at Me & Jungle Cafe, my pick for Most Charming Seating (and Patio).

An expansive field guide to the East Bay

With our mission anchored in scholarship, diversity and citizenship, Head-Royce School has created a transformational educational experience since 1887.

Explore the ways Head-Royce instills a spirit of inquiry, innovation and lifelong learning at every stage of the K-12 journey.

headroyce.org

ARTS ´ CULTURE

OperaEdge From the

Scandal! Fairy tales! Mariachi! Not often can an opera season be touted that way—unless it’s one by groundbreaking West Edge Opera (WEO), truly an East Bay “BEST Of.” Back this year at Oakland’s glorious Scottish Rites Temple, WEO will present four mainstage productions, in addition to a special presentation of excerpts from one of its first commissions.

The Coronation of Poppea (July 22 and 30, Aug. 3, in Italian with English surtitles) follows the plots of the mistress of Emperor Nero to get rid of his

inconvenient current wife. According to director NJ Agwuna, “Poppea is full of characters that we love to hate... no one is immune to scandal.”

In Cruzar la Cara de la Luna/Mariachi Opera 2010 (July 23 and 28, Aug. 5, in Spanish and English with English surtitles), a dying man dreaming of life left behind in Mexico is gifted with a reunion. “Joyous, funny, touching and tragic,” WEO promises.

The double bill of The Nightingale (in Russian with English surtitles) and Erwartung (in German with English

West Edge Opera is an East Bay treasure

surtitles) gives audiences a look at Hans Christian Anderson’s prescient fairy tale, paired with an “ultra-expressionistic” early 20th-century one-woman piece. (July 29, Aug. 4 and 6).

On Aug. 13, in San Francisco, WEO presents the next phase in the development of Dolores, which explores a pivotal week in the life of American icon Dolores Huerta (in English with English surtitles).

For more information, and to book tickets, visit westedgeopera.org.

— Janis Hashe

DIVA DRAMA Soprano Shawnette Sulker as Poppea scandalizes in WEO’s ‘The Coronation of Poppea.’

Jones

BY Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell BASED ON THE BOOK BY John D’Agata and Jim Fingal DIRECTED BY Jessica Holt

BY Mary Kathryn Nagle | DIRECTED BY Shannon Davis

BY Liz Duffy Adams | DIRECTED BY Josh Costello

BY George Orwell |

BY Michael Gene Sullivan

BY Barbara Damashek

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LIVE LOVE Edgardo & Candela at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage, readers’ choice for Best Small Music Venue.

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OAK MUSE Oakland Museum of California is beloved for its exhibits (above) and free community programs, like Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid (below).

BEAUTY, HEALTH & WELLNESS Growth Mindset

Cultivating and connecting at Planting Justice

Recommendations from experts in multiple fields— medicine, science, academia, lifestyle, faith—consistently place social interaction and engagement at the top of the wellness list. While diet, activity level, genetics, connection to nature and advantages such as adequate income or access to health care play significant roles in determining individual physical and mental health, scientific research and anecdotal accounts ultimately tell one story. Long-term, stable well-being is experienced mainly by people who live within a circle of loving family members, close friends or even acquaintances with whom a shared passion or purpose is the unifying bond.

Is there one place where these social connections can be found or exercised that also scores extra points by offering multiple individual health-boosting factors? Based in Oakland and happily fitting the bill is Planting Justice.

Co-founded in 2009 by Haleh Zandi and Gavin Raders, the grassroots organization is dedicated to building permaculture community gardens and nurseries, and providing green jobs in the food justice movement to people transitioning from prison. The outgrowth of its operations offers dignified jobs, affordable food, safe environments, a food justice educational curriculum, and

active volunteerism aimed at healing communities and green spaces that might otherwise be neglected, overlooked, ignored or abandoned.

The opportunities to become involved—and thus, gain access to ongoing social interactions, outdoor experiences, physical activity, healthy organic food and more—are available to anyone willing to participate. Hosted volunteer work days are open to individuals, community groups, schools and businesses at three locations: the four-acre mother farm and the Good Table in El Sobrante, and at the East Oakland nursery on the border of San Leandro at 319 105th Ave.

Among the unique features of on-site

work days are weeding, tilling, planting seeds, transferring seedlings to the soil, light construction like fence repair or completing plant bed containers, retail sales, and general cleaning and maintenance.

Beyond the innate rewards of “playing” in the dirt, nurturing tiny seeds to become mature plants, supporting social justice and the environment, and learning about and practicing healthy nutrition, there is the primary benefit. In Planting Justice gardens, people grow not just plants, but beautiful relationships and personal health and wellness.

— Lou Fancher

PHOTO BY BIRHON M QUIZHPE

SEEDS OF LOVE Haleh Zandi and Gavin Raders’ grassroots organization builds community gardens and nurseries while providing green jobs to people transitioning from prison.

We Believe Superior Housekeeping Is Essential

And for almost 40 years, The Cooperative Cleaning Company has met this need for the East Bay and Southern Marin Counties’ most discerning clients. CCC delivers exceptional service with a highly reliable, steady staff of professionals whose compensation, platinum level health, dental and vision care, PTO, and 401K benefits exceeds anything offered to housekeepers in the Bay Area, if not the industry as a whole. Licensed. Bonded. Insured.

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CHIROPRACTIC

CLEAN BEAUTY Supple Skincare, a ‘modern apothecary and treatment sanctuary,’ is winner of Best Day Spa.

CLIMATECHANGER DANGER!

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NASA'sAstronomyPictureof theDayfromFebruary12, 2002,coloredthemethanein theEarth'satmospheregreen, andananimationshowedhowit spinstothepoles.NASAsaid, “Methane(CH4)issecondonly tocarbondioxide(CO2)in creatingawarminggreenhouse effect…. ThelargestabundancereleasedbytheUS…is createdwhen anaerobic bacteriabreakdowncarbon-based garbage inlandfills.” [Emphasisadded.]

water—eventually.These“sanitary” methodsoffillingtheland(hence“sanitary landfills”)alsoprovideforanaerobic decompositionof organicmaterials –whichmakes methane.

Landfillsare thelargest human-created sourceof methane.Inthe shortterm methaneis 80-100times morepowerfulthancarbondioxideto warmtheplanet.

Makinggarbagechangestheclimate!

Ifyou'renotforZeroWaste, howmuchwasteareyoufor?

UrbanOrehasbeensalvagingforreuseinBerkeley since1981.Wehave3acresofsecondhandgoods, open360daysayearuntil5:00PM,900MurraySt. near7thxAshby.Comeshop.

Place The

Happy

There is only one business where one can legally smoke cannabis in Oakland, and that is The Happy Lounge, owned and operated by the industrious Tucky Blunt, president and CEO of the adjacent dispensary, Blunts and Moore.

The outdoor lounge is a place to chill and talk, meet a friend, have coffee, play dominoes. No cannabis is on sale on the premises, but the Happy Store budtenders at Blunts and Moore are just steps away. There is often a burrito truck on site.

“I’m really trying to make it a place [to] commune and consume and chill and decompress,” said owner Alphonso Blunt Jr., aka Tucky Blunt.

This story started on the streets, as so many cannabis stories did. But Blunt attended Oaksterdam University to bring his own experience together with the technical and business knowledge available from the best in the industry. Blunt graduated from the university’s third class and went on to become the first equity dispensary owner in the country. A place to smoke was the next step. “In Oakland you got bars, and I can go drink and get in the Uber and leave,” Blunt said. “Why can’t I get my weed and smoke right here and leave? I should be able to do that as well.”

“The Happy Lounge commenced as somewhere to give people to commune

and consume safely,” he added.

The transition has been smooth. “My neighbors love me to death,” said Blunt, “and I only have three neighbors.”

It’s all meant to be an easy, safe and comfortable experience.

“You walk into the check-in area, show your ID, buy your weed and when you exit, you exit directly into the Happy Lounge,” explained Blunt. It certainly sounds like the right place to slow down, connect and “commune,” as Blunt likes to say.

Happy Lounge can be booked for parties too. With a party-sized purchase of cannabis next door, party throwers can get the space for free, along with DJ equipment and more.

— Michael Giotis

PHOTO BY MICHAEL GIOTIS

Tucky Blunt has Oakland’s first outdoor smoking lounge

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CANNA CUTIE A happy customer at Harborside, winner of Best Cannabis Pre-Order Pick-Up Service.

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ScreenTime

The New Parkway is the East Bay’s weirdest movie theater

The New Parkway, a colorful, mission-driven movie theater and pub in Oakland’s Uptown district, is deeply thoughtful about how it operates. The theater shares profits with its employees, highlights local businesses instead of selling pre-movie ads and donates to Bay Area nonprofits.

Its kitchen’s full menu of food is brought to patrons at their seats with allreusable dishware and napkins, making it, according to their website, “quite possibly the greenest movie theater in the world.” It’s also quite possibly the coziest— instead of filing into the usual monotony

of red cinema seats, the audience sprawls across squashy couches, loveseats and vintage chairs of every hue.

An eclectic line-up includes new releases, second-runs, cult classics and special events like trivia, bingo, karaoke and cartoons with all-you-can-eat cereal. In my experience, nearly any film is improved by the warmhearted weirdness of the New Parkway atmosphere, its local wine, beer and cider on-tap, and, most of all, the deep buckets of homestyle popcorn.

Do not go to the New Parkway without boldly traversing the toppings rack, which has every popcorn garnish one can imagine and a few one probably can’t. There are

over 40 options, which (no spoilers) I won’t list here.

The New Parkway’s homey vibe creates a real feeling of camaraderie among the audience, as if everyone is in a big ol’ living room together. Expect laughter, cheers and gasps. With an engaged, participatory audience, the dynamics of a film are heightened—tense scenes feel tighter, twists hit harder, victories are more satisfying.

During my last visit, one audience member burst into solo applause during a particularly joyful moment in John Wick: Chapter 4. The rest of us realized she had the right idea, and joined in.

— Sonya Bennett-Brandt

POPCORN HAVEN Even better than watching movies at home.

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FURRY FRIENDS Dogs and humans alike love Berkeley Humane’s Pints for Paws, winner of Best Charitable Event.

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FAMILY

Supporting Oakland Soul and Oakland Roots soccer teams is good for the family

Team Spirit

To create lasting memories while reverse-engineering the rapid departure of professional sports teams from Oakland—think Warriors, Raiders and soon, the A’s—sign up for a membership and purchase tickets to support the East Bay’s new Oakland Soul and Oakland Roots soccer teams.

There may be few outings as perfectly designed for family fun and intergenerational bonding as an outdoor athletic event. With guaranteed moments of high drama, heroic physical feats, thrilling competition, hometown spirit running rampant and an environment that invites talking, singing, dancing, cheering and even heckling if goodspirited, the soccer teams sweeten the pot with hot dogs, soda, beer, salty or sugary snacks, and swanky cool merch like

team logo-emblazoned shirts, hats and outerwear.

Top among the goals of the Oakland Roots and Soul Foundation of which the teams are an outward expression is using the power of athletic sport to achieve social good, racial justice and gender equity. Signing up for an Oakland Soul GA, Mosaic or Field Level membership or choosing to participate in one of Oakland Roots’ Club 510 levels are ways families can grow together while having fun and supporting teams with the same interests.

The Oakland Soul team is part of the USL W League invested in building women’s soccer in the United States. With 44 teams across 20 states in its inaugural 2024 season, the USL W League plans to bring elite women’s soccer to communities across the country and create more opportunities for women to

participate in a sport long dominated by men’s teams. While Oakland Soul and Oakland Roots currently play respectively at Laney College and CSU East Bay, the Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club have submitted an o cial proposal to enter into a 10-year lease to play at the Malibu Lot adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum.

Future plans and dreams are fine reasons for buy-in and to support keeping professional sports teams with deep investment and interest in the East Bay community going strong. But in the short term, families—and especially kids—seek immediate gratification. Priced at roughly $25 for general admission (special deals and memberships o er considerable value), adults can be sure their discretionary dollars are well spent.

— Lou Fancher

PHOTO COURTESY OF OAKLAND ROOTS AND SOUL FOUNDATION

LASSO APPROVED Local athletics can help achieve social good, racial justice and gender equity.

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BoldMoves

Preparing a fried chicken sandwich across the street from Bakesale Betty is a bold move. Having served them for the past 20 years, Betty’s still has customers flocking there to form long, lunchtime lines. But one would expect boldness from James Syhabout, the chef behind Commis and Hawking Bird, his casual dining restaurant in Temescal. During the pandemic, Hawking Bird shut down its dining room. The to-go model kept the restaurant going, but they’ve reopened for indoor dining in the last few weeks.

When I arrived at lunchtime, every table was empty, but I could hear a couple of cooks in the kitchen using fire and

Hawking Bird makes a fried chicken sandwich new again

metal to make meals. After I put in my order for a chicken sandwich ($12.50) and some firecracker shrimp ($18), customers and food delivery drivers came in, one after another, to pick up bagged orders to go. One couple did sit down nearby, but dinner might be the sit-down meal diners are returning for.

The décor in the dining room channels an urban barn chicness—grays, off-whites and wood grain finishes that Joanna Gaines would approve of. A dozen copies of the chef’s cookbook, Hawker Fare, line the bookshelves facing out at the entryway. It’s the clearest piece of evidence linking Syhabout’s Hawking Bird to the more refined dishes at Commis on Piedmont

Avenue. The chef’s Thai Isaan heritage is an influence on both menus.

Where Hawking Bird’s chicken sandwich differs from Bakesale Betty’s is, of course, in the delicious details. Along with mayo, the chef adds a homemade charred chili jam. The cabbage slaw is dressed with lime juice, fresh green chilies, mint and cilantro. The essential ingredients are the same, but Syhabout adjusts the flavor profiles to make a fried chicken sandwich new again.

Hawking Bird, open Tue-Sat 11:30am8:15pm and Sun 11:30am-7:45pm, 4901 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, 510.593.2376. Hawkingbird.com.

— Jeffrey Edalatpour

PHOTO BY KIM NIES

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CHEERS A spirited patron and her pet at Albany’s oldest running bar, Hotsy Totsy, voted Best Dive Bar.

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In a generation of anxiety-inducing media, where the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, war and police brutality can be seen all over screens, it’s important to find a space to feel calm within the storm. In the East Bay, two local businesspersons are ensuring that there are relaxing environments like this for Black folks who have been particularly traumatized by the ongoing racism and violence committed against Black communities.

Today, it’s more important than ever to have a place for people of color who are looking for this sense of tranquility. That’s what Kalkidan Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxannee set out to accomplish in August of 2020 when they opened up their plant shop, BLK Girls Green

Green Peace

BLK Girls Green House brings plants and tranquility to West Oakland

House, after their first meeting at the Black Joy Parade. BLK Girls Green House is a specialty home goods store and plant shop on Center Street in West Oakland, near the recently launched West Oakland Farmers Market.

“Whenever you’re in Oakland, we hope that you join us and find something you love, whether it’s a plant, a gift, a cup of coffee with a friend or to just catch a vibe,” Gebreyohannes and Roxanne state on their website, describing the calming ambiance that the space emits as soon as visitors walk in. BLK Girls Green House is the spot for anyone looking for a luscious monstera, a lively fern or who just wants to grab a candle or new kitchenware.

Open Friday-Sunday, the shop

also features a coffee kiosk by Blackowned Blythe Coffee and only contains merchandise from other Black-owned businesses. In a 2020 interview with Bon Apétit, Gebreyohannes said it’s been difficult finding nurseries and plant stores that are accommodating to Black folks. BLK Girls Green House is looking to change that by providing a shop that is solely dedicated to Black joy.

The BLK Girls Green House team has done a lovely job merchandising products for a sleek and modern household. For those who want to find a new staple for their home, or who’d like to attend one of their upcoming community events like scent workshops, follow their Instagram: @blkgirls_greenhouse.

— Sydney Fishman

BLACK JOY J’Maica Roxannee (left) and Kalkidan Gebreyohannes opened their plant and home goods shop in August of 2020.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLK GIRLS GREEN HOUSE

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Rock

Exploring the Bay’s explosive history in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve is surely the East Bay’s most unique park, with its open, rolling hills, rocky cli s and layered portrait of the Bay Area’s geological history. In the Miocene epoch, when the first apes were evolving into the first hominins, a volcano erupted here; in the 10 million years since, that volcano has been pushed, split and tipped onto its side by the movement of tectonic plates.

In the 1930s, a quarry sliced into the remnants of the volcano and revealed a cross-section of basaltic lava and compacted ash, the now-vertical strata still legible in the sides of the rubbly crags. In short, this

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volcano has been through a lot—but one can still stand on its tilted shoulder and look out along the beautiful Wildcat Fault, where pieces of the original volcanic vent and lava flows created the ridges and peaks on the horizon.

Geologists come to Sibley to study the innards of the extinct volcano, and interpretive signs walk amateurs through the most interesting geological features. Take a park map and go on a self-guided tour to learn about the basaltic dikes, tu -breccias, red-baked cinder piles, airfall tu s, amygdules and other volcanic relics strewn throughout the park by ancient eruptions.

And, for a look at a more recent artifact, see if the mysterious spiral labyrinths nestled in the valleys of Sibley can be found. The first was built by artist and professional psychic Helena Mazzariello in 1989 and allowed to remain by the East Bay Regional Parks District in an endearing breach of o cial policy.

Sibley’s hills aren’t too steep, and the park’s 928 acres are dog-friendly. The open terrain is good for spotting wildlife, so keep an eye out for black-tailed deer, gray foxes, coyotes, golden eagles and the gentle, grazing cows that like to gaze steadily back from the trailside.

— Sonya Bennett-Brandt

LAVA FLOW Geologists and the geologically curious come to Sibley for its volcanic relics.

Cool Old School

What romantic venue in the East Bay shouts brand-spanking new while crooning comfy nostalgia at the same time? Answer: The West Wind drive-in theater in Concord. With general admission tickets at $9, admission to the all-digital, first-run Hollywood movies won’t break the bank, allowing for love-inducing add-ons such as flowers, jewelry, electric lawn trimmers, lingerie for later or whatever sets the right mood. If the family van isn’t a loved one’s idea of a romantic ride, rent a classic car, dig up some vintage clothing from the

The West Wind drive-in theater for nostalgic romance with modern updates

1930s—the era when drive-ins began operations—and drive up in style.

But make sure to have a radio. Audio delivered through FM radios in vehicles or portable devices means no rolling the window down and having to cringe at poor sound delivered through overhead, refrigerator-size speakers. Movie goers can keep the windows zipped and snuggle under cover of darkness.

Movie times start close to 9pm, with a second show two-and-a-half hours later that most often features movies with adult (PG-13 and R) ratings. A 15-minute intermission between movies provides

time to jump in line at the snack bar.

For the Ph.D.-level romantic moviegoer, one remaining tool for stirring up the ooziest love chemistry dangles tantalizingly. With a minimal fee and two weeks’ notice, a wedding proposal, invitation to the prom, tribute to an anniversary or maybe even just a simple declaration of adoration can appear as big as a dinosaur on the massive, hi-def screen. At a drive-in, whether it’s old, new, big, bold, tender, forever, just-for-now or any other kind of love, one thing is certain: It’s romance.

— Lou Fancher

PHOTO BY BILLYBRUCE2000 /SHUTTERSTOCK

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Italian chef

Pasta Plus

BY Je rey Edalatpour

Whether it’s pillows of gnocchi, spaghetti strings or the twisted strands of casarecce, the homemade pasta dishes at Matt Solimano’s Sfizio make one forget that other Italian restaurants exist. Even though Solimano, whose heritage is Italian, claims his culinary approach isn’t solely defined by that boot-shaped country. While he was on a train to San Jose, the chef described his cuisine to me as, “Californian and Mediterranean.”

O ering evidence of other countries’ influences, he mentioned recent dishes that included a Mexican salsa and a Middle Eastern tahini.

CAL-ITAL Pasta is central to Sfizio’s menu, but chef Matt Solimano describes his cuisine as ‘Californian and Mediterranean.’

Matt Solimano’s popular Sfizio started on a whim

“It’s more about cooking the things that I like to do and not necessarily being beholden to Italian food, which is delicious but does have a very strong tradition,” Solimano explained. “One of the things I love about living in California, and eating here, is all the delicious produce and mixture of cultures.” Pasta is central to Sfizio’s menu, but the finished dishes aren’t repurposed from a cache of beloved family recipes. Except for that pesto sauce, which coats every nook and cranny of the casarecce and the perfectly blistered zucchini coins.

Growing up, Solimano recalled making “batches and batches” of pesto with his family every summer. “We would go down to the market, when you could buy bunches of basil for cheap, and we would spend two hours with the food processor making it,” he said. “So I’ve always loved pesto, and I don’t mess around with it.” This season he’s been able to source fresh basil at the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market. “We get 30 bunches a week, blend it with herbs, cheese, nuts, a little olive oil and salt and pepper.”

During the pandemic, the chef, who used to work at Pizzaiolo, started Sfizio as a pop-up with a friend. “I told him my dream about starting a pasta place,” Solimano said. “It’s been something I thought about for years. I just love making pasta, and cooking it is so much fun.” What began as a whim is now, three years later, situated on the busy corner of Claremont Avenue and 62nd Street, in one of Noodle Theory’s old locations.

Though not strictly vegetarian, his menu is filled with inventive approaches to making exquisitely cooked vegetables. The asparagus starter ($10) is grilled until it’s as juicy and tender as a seared

lamb chop. There’s a striking rich red dollop of romesco sauce on the plate, mined with crunchy black cracked peppercorns. Slivers of pecorino alight upon the plate. The combination of all three flavors initiates an umami high.

Sfizio just sent out an email announcing that gnocchi, Solimano’s “labor of love,” will only be served on Wednesdays. Last week, it was delivered with a heavenly pea purée, fresh snap peas and mint. “I learned to make gnocchi at the Heirloom Café in San Francisco,” he noted. Heirloom prepares it in a similar way. When a customer places an order for it, after it’s initially cooked, the chef pan fries the pasta. “I like that little bit of crispness on the outside,” he said.

Solimano likes to make sauces with complementary textural elements. “A couple of years ago, there was all this great spring produce, and I put a little of it [the pea purée] down on the bottom of the plate and it just came together,” he explained.

Before Sfizio opened, the chef took a trip to Italy. He brought a meaningful mission statement back home with him. “One of the things that was so beautiful about eating there, you go to all these restaurants and, often, they’re all serving the same thing,” he said. But each place makes its own variation on the same theme. “Food in Italy doesn’t feel stuffy—it’s all about the soul.”

In Italy, it doesn’t matter how the vegetables are cut or that everything has to look perfect on the plate. “It’s more that the food feels right, and that’s something that really appeals to me,” Solimano said. “I've worked in nicer restaurants and in food trucks and the really good ones have that soul.”

Sfizio, open Wed to Sat 5-10pm, Happy Hour (Kitchen closed) 3-4:30pm. 6099 Claremont Ave., Oakland. 510.229.8365 sfiziopasta.com.