Homeroom Turns 2; Launches Brunch, Cookbook

Wade and Arevalo at Homeroom. [Photo: Danielle Tsi/Beyond the Plate]

Homeroom, the Oakland mac-and-cheese spot from Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade, turns two years old today, but it's showing no signs of slowing down. Arevalo sent us a note to announce that the restaurant will be launching brunch starting tomorrow, with build-your-own omelets served with garlic-roasted potatoes, French toast, and a "breakfast mac" with bacon and a fried egg on top. (If you've had a particularly rough Friday night, you can also get any of the normal macs for brunch.) Brunch hours are 11-3 Saturday and Sunday; here's the full menu. Also available this week is a special second-anniversary mac, featuring gorgonzola, caramelized pears, onions, and walnuts.

In other exciting Homeroom news, Arevalo and Wade will be releasing a cookbook, The Mac and Cheese Cookbook, with Ten Speed Press on August 20. The cookbook will include 50 recipes spanning the restaurant's most popular mac-and-cheeses, as well as new variations like patatas bravas mac and shepherd's pie mac and a handful of sides and desserts. You can pre-order the book now at Amazon.

Finally, if you want to help Homeroom celebrate the big changes, mark your calendar for their All-Star Anniversary Party on April 22. They'll be bringing back some of their most popular retired mac variations for the night, like cacio e pepe, blue cheese, and pesto mac, and attendees will get to vote to decide which will come out of retirement and back into the menu rotation. The $25 admission includes all the pasta you can eat, as well as live music.

· So much to celebrate at Homeroom! [Homeroom blog]
· Inside Oakland's Playful Mac & Cheese Joint, Homeroom [~ ESF ~]
· All Homeroom coverage [~ ESF ~]