Immigrant-Focused Coffee Shop Wins Starbucks Grant To Train More Refugee Baristas

1951 Coffee awarded grant to expand training program

Berkeley’s mission-driven coffee shop and barista training program 1951 Coffee (named for the year that UN refugee guidelines were set) just won an Opportunity for All grant of $63,000 from the Starbucks Foundation. The funds will let 1951 provide more refugees, asylees, and Special Immigrant Visa holders with free job training in the coffee industry — 1951 expects to graduate 85 more people from its training program in Oakland next year. They’ll also expand their refugee training efforts to more major coffee cities, starting with San Diego.

Lawsuit threatens Caffe Trieste

Prominent North Beach coffee shop Caffe Trieste, a Legacy Business that “brought espresso to San Francisco” in 1956, is at the center of a family feud that could destroy it. After the death of owner and patriarch Giovanni Giotta, his son Fabio Giotta has filed a lawsuit insisting the business and brand be dissolved. Fabio Giotta claims that it is “no longer possible for the current shareholders to work amicably toward a mutually beneficial goal” and seeks damages from shareholders and family members like his niece Ida Zoubi, Caffe Trieste’s general manager, and even his sister, Sonia Pantaleo. The lawsuit comes after recent changes to the business structure of the company, including the promotion of Ida Zoubi to president of Caffe Trieste, Incorporated.

Black Sands is gussying up their home brew shop

One of the coolest aspects of Lower Haight brewpub Black Sands is its home brew supply shop in a garage space next door, and the team there is currently giving it a few touch ups. They’ll be closed for the moment and reopen “in a few weeks.”

Absinthe is closed for a remodel

After recently flipping their nearby restaurant Boxing Room into Barcino, it’s time for the Absinthe Group’s flagship Absinthe Brasserie & Bar to get an update of its own. The space is closed for a remodel from now until September 7th, when the green fairy returns.

The Cheese Board does Indian pizza

Beloved Berkeley dairy collective and pizza shop The Cheese Board is belatedly celebrating Indian and Pakistani Independence days on Saturday, August 19. Expect specialty curried potato pizza and buffalo milk soft-serve in saffron and cardamom flavors.

Japanese hot dogs shack up at The Lodge

Abura-ya, the Japanese fried chicken pop-up, is getting into the Japanese hot dog game with “build-your-own Kamikaze Dogs” served at The Lodge on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland on Tuesdays through Friday. Toppings include kimchi, teriyaki sauce, and pickled ginger, and Abura-ya’s wings and other Japanese-inspired bar snacks are on The Lodge’s special menu.