Immigrant Kids Tell the Story of California’s Cambodian-Owned Doughnut Shops

A Berkeley project delves into stories of doughnuts and immigration

For more than a year now, a group of researchers and documentarians based in Berkeley have been sharing the stories of California’s so-called “donut kids” — mostly the children of the Cambodian immigrants who run the lion’s share of the state’s independent doughnut shops. According to the site’s mission statement of sorts, these first-person Pink Box Stories — named after those immediately recognizable doughnut shop boxes — aim to explore questions like, “How can we preserve the legacy of the Cambodian donut community in California? What can we learn from these stories?” The ongoing oral history project is now expanding to include photographic portraits thanks to a recent collaboration with the PhotoVoice documentary project, Berkeleyside reports.

Hot off the presses: Dinner is served at the Lede

The Lede, former Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell’s ambitious journalism-focused restaurant will launch dinner service tomorrow, October 17. Previously the Oakland restaurant had only been open for breakfast and lunch. On the docket for dinner will be dishes like arancini, duck-leg confit with hot and sweet cabbage, and an autumn vegetable minestrone. Check out this week’s full menu below.

Lucca Ravioli is officially out of the Mission

The owners of the now-closed Italian-American mainstay Lucca Ravioli have sold their three buildings at the corner of 22nd and Valencia streets, marking the official end of an era, Mission Local reports. Owner Michael Feno told Mission Local that closing the business was partly motivated by a desire not to have to raise prices: “What am I gonna do — charge $40 a box for raviolis?” Feno said.

Giant pumpkin alert

In other news, a Napa Valley pumpkin hobbyist has set a new record with a 2,175-pound behemoth — the largest pumpkin ever to have been grown in California, KRON4 reports. No word on how many pumpkin-spiced creations the giant squash will produce.