Author: Alexa Rose

BERKELEY, Calif. —With more than 42 different toppings, Build Pizzeria takes the Italian food tradition to new heights. Customers are able to create a custom pizza from a combination of two types of crusts, seven kinds of cheese, six sauces and endless combinations. General Manager Jonatan Martinez said, “Our motto is ‘find your inner pizza’ but you really find your inner self.” Build Pizzeria opened in spring 2013 on the corner of Bancroft and Shattuck streets close to the University of California’s campus here. Sous Chef Jonathan Popenuck said, “We are our own biggest competitor. There are lots of imitation restaurants but nothing like what we do here.”

Popenuck was back in the kitchen this week after a small kitchen fire last Saturday night. The fire broke out around 1 a.m. and an assistant manager who was still in the building was able to put the fire out; no one was injured. Despite the closing, the restaurant was able to reopen a week later — with new appliances.  Popenuck said, “It built up anticipation to walk back in the door.” When asked who comes in the door, Martinez said, “In true Berkeley fashion, a lot of everything.” Kids, students and families, every age group, he said. To attract students, BUILD occasionally holds a special night. On these days a discounted menu is offered to anyone with a student ID. Students are able to test out the restaurant at a affordable price. BUILD strives to buy the best ingredients possible for its costumers, Martinez said. “They (the owners) don’t ever want to sacrifice quality or the taste or the flavor to save a couple bucks in the long run,” he added. Many of their ingredients are locally bought. Martinez said, “It’s all about supporting and giving back to the community itself.”

BERKELEY, Calif. — Every Saturday, farmers fill Center Street with fresh produce and hopes of a profitable day. From pastries, vegetables, fruit, meats, fish, flowers and bread, almost anything organic can be bought at the Farmers’ Market. Along with farmers, street entertainers seek the attention of market-goers. The market is run by the Ecology Center, an organization “committed to supporting small-scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture,” according to its website.

Vendors who go by Lucky and Shadow have been at the market for three weeks. “We do well here,” Lucky said. Lucky is a disabled student at Berkeley Community College trying to make money for tuition.

She and her boyfriend sell handmade jewelry and charms at the market. Along with her merchandise, Lucky also provides Tarot readings, fortune-telling using cards, something her mother taught her as a child.

In addition to her boyfriend, Shadow, Lucky brings along her cat, Sativia, on a leash. “You have to really train them to do it,” she says.

One longtime regular at the market is New Jersey native Dozo the Clown, who said, “I came to San Francisco as a cultural refugee.”

She attended New College, which is now closed, and graduated after writing a thesis on clowns and their impact on society through American history.

Dozo offers balloon animals to children every Saturday for an average tip of $2 per balloon animal — or she accepts a joke in exchange. Dozo said, “I love it, I get paid to have fun with kids and all the vendors are super friendly.”