Organic peaches, pumpkin painting, artisan pulled pork sandwiches and pomegranate jam. There are so many things I love about the small neighborhood in Oakland I call home, and Sunday’s street festival showcased the best of everything.
It was an unusually hot day in the East Bay, and I was still recuperating from the nonstop action at the BlogHer food conference from the day before. Staying in bed all day crossed my mind, more than once, but plans were made and I was sticking to them. And I’m so glad I did.
This festival was all about the food. There was music and four-square and even a fashion show, but there’s no denying that people came to sample gourmet treats from their favorite College Avenue restaurants. Pulled pork sandwiches from The Pasta Shop, nachos and grilled corn from Cactus Taqueria, porchetta sandwiches from Oliveto and pastries from À Côté – definitely not your standard street fare.
There was olive oil tasting, organic fruit, incredible jam from Blue Chair and freshly popped kettle corn. And it’s all local. This was one of the first street festivals I’ve been to where the local businesses were the stars of the show, instead of cotton candy and funnel cake from who-knows-where.
We could have landed anywhere when we left New York, and I can’t believe we found this incredible little place in the world. I was hoping to make this a much more informative post about the joys of living in Rockridge, but the cold I’ve been fighting has finally won, and I just don’t have it in me. So for now, enjoy the pretty pictures of the place we call home.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree! Rockridge is totally rockin’! So much good food in one little part of the city.
How fun! Another place I need to add to my must visit list:)
I love that you just picked up and moved across the country. I’m looking for my perfect little neighborhood like that! Sounds like the street fair was amazing and that pork sounds like it was worth EVERY calorie!
I love that you just picked up and moved across the country. I’m looking for my perfect little neighborhood like that! Sounds like the street fair was amazing and that pork sounds like it was worth EVERY calorie!
What cool pictures!!!
All the food looks amazingly delicious!
I wish I could have joined you for that festival! I am so thrilled to have met you and hope this is the beginning of a long friendship. I also hope that I am able to show you our sweet little neighborhood sometime soon!
I hope you tried the porchetta-it was delicious. Better than last year, I think.
Oh, that looks fun. To elaborate for you, the joys of living in Rockridge include a fried chicken sandwich from the Pasta Shop (which actively encourages sampling, which is a joy in and of itself), used books from Pegasus and Pendragon, and very overpriced but charming home furnishings from that little home decor store. (I spent Friday afternoon in Rockridge). So glad to have met you this weekend! And I didn’t get affirmatively sick but I swear I’m still recovering!