Brache is a junior at North Central High School. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her parents and little brother. She enjoys writing, reading, and finding cool new music. She usually can be found in a big sweatshirt with a pen in her hand.
Fans party before a recent Saturday game: from left: Chris Woodcoff, Logan Anderson, Connor Koresky, Conor Thompson, Dee Delarosa, Jessica Park, Pamela Balmath, Mindy Lee, Thine Aang. Photo by Brache James
OAKLAND, Calif. —The Oakland A’s still sit on top of the American League West standing, and no one is more ecstatic than their fans. Many were camped out in the parking lot way before the game started on a recent Saturday when they took on the Tampa Bay Rays.
“The thrill of being under the lights, the crowd cheering, and the excitement for your team…nothing beats that,” Shanna Ratliff said. “That’s why we come out for the games.”
Also outside the Oakland Coliseum were members of the Kona Club, having a staff outing before the game. What did they think of the possibility of building a new stadium?
“Just put in some new bleachers or something,” Conor Thompson said. “I would rather the Raiders leave.”
“As far as commerce, Oakland needs the team,” Dee Delarosa added.
“It’s about the colors, not the players.” Thompson said about his dedication to the team. “So the stadium is not the best. No slides, no Build-a-Bear, no sushi … you come to watch baseball.”
Pamela Balmath said supporting the team — and being a part of their continued success — is good for the entire city. “It’s a sense of pride,” she said. “Especially for the people who have been with us for a long time.”
Crowds wander among the more than 60 vendors at the farmers’ market. Photo by Brache James
BERKELEY, Calif. — This city has many exciting places to explore, and one of its most treasured is the weekly Farmers’ Market, held on Saturdays at the corner of Milivia and Center streets and in other locations during the week.
Think this is just about fresh veggies and fruit? True to Berkeley’s unique style, there’s so much more. One of the market’s most popular tents is Three Twins Ice Cream. Simon and Maxine Gottlieb greet visitors and sell on Saturdays. “My son actually started Three Twins,” Gottlieb said. “He made ice cream in the morning, sold it in the afternoon and did the books in the evening.”
Eventually, his son hired a catering staffer and recruited his dad to help him deliver the ice cream, and the business took off. The local supermarket took four pints first, and then after the success there, the tiny crew opened up a factory. In 2010, though, money became tight and they had to cut back. They found investors and continued to pursue their dreams. “Now we can be found in all Whole Foods across the country, 65 Safeways, nine or 10 Costcos, all over the East and West Coast, and overseas,” Gottlieb said.
And the name? “I have twin boys, and one of them married twins,” he said. “It’s very interesting, but creative.”
Alan Lipton performs at the farmers’ market. Photo by Brache James
Not everyone at the market is a vendor. Alan Lipton provides the shoppers with what he describes as “original acoustic progressive rock.”
“It is my art,” he said. He visits the farmers’ market two to three Saturdays a month, but can also be found at other areas for open mic nights. He found his passion for music after realizing he was happiest “singing a song, not punching the clock.”
“I tend to be a storyteller,” Lipton said, after being asked the inspiration behind his song lyrics. “I can write or sing about a political element with a surrealist approach,” he said.
Lipton expresses himself on many different platforms. He’s a “fictioneer,” scriptwriter and content developer. He also works with [mostly] the acoustic guitar, bass guitar, baglama (a present from his daughter’s trip to Greece) and a mountain dulcimer.
Not only is the farmers’ market home to performers like Lipton, but it is also one of the best places to sell food such as beef and dairy, sellers said. Katie Coffman with True Grass Farms said people in Berkeley appreciate their organic, 100 percent, grass-fed beef. True Grass Farms recently won the Environmental Stewardship Award for its region for the care of the cows they butcher.
Every day, the cows are moved to a new pasture so that they won’t eat around their own feces. Their beef is 100 percent grass fed and finished. This means that the cows eat grass from the time they are calves to the time the die.
Another company benefiting from the farmers’ market is Saint Benoit Creamery. The owner, Benoit de Korsak, began the company at a farmers’ market in San Francisco 10 years ago. Zoe Wadkins, representative of the creamery, said loyal customers have been coming to them for yogurt, milk and cheese ever since.
BERKELEY, Calif. — University of California students have scores of retail stores surrounding the campus from which to choose, but what exactly is the fashion sense here?
On a recent Friday morning, two reporters asked passersby what they saw as trends.
“The style is pretty laid back and casual,” Montse Jungers said. “Not really,” her friend Edin Golome retorted. “It’s a little more than casual. … like semi-formal and comfortable.”
They said that Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are too expensive for college students. But Golome said, “You can find affordable clothes in boutiques around campus.”
The men on campus may not be so observant or aware of the clothes around them. “I really don’t know…I haven’t shopped around in years,” Carl Kumbire said, laughing. “I don’t shop around campus. But I’ve noticed that people throughout Berkeley do whatever [they want] more than in other cities.”
Build Pizzeria is on the corner of Shattuck and Bancroft not far from the UC-Berkeley campus. Photo by Brache James
BERKELEY, Calif. —The popular restaurant BUILD, on the corner of Shattuck and Bancroft streets here, reopened its doors this past Saturday.
Customers wouldn’t have been able to tell anything had happened. Its bold design, with black and yellow in the signage and interior, complements hardwood floors and chrome and stainless steel. It also features black and white photos from the 1960s that fill entire walls — and the delivery boxes.
The design is the brainchild of Lisa Holt and David Shapiro, the owners, who were inspired by their trips to Italy. Jonathan Popenuck (sous chef) and Jonathan Martinez (general manager) said in a recent interview that a small kitchen fire the previous week meant they had to close; but no one was injured, and a week of cleanup and installation of new appliances meant the kitchen was back in business.
“We could feel the impact of the fire,” Martinez said. “But when we opened again it was like a traditional Friday night.”
The owners chose to open in Berkeley because of its history with food and outstanding restaurants. And under the “build” concept, customers can choose from six sauces, 42 toppings and seven cheeses.
