Berkeley Business Association Will Remove ‘Gourmet Ghetto’ Nickname

Gourmet Ghetto no more

After a major brouhaha surrounding a local nickname for a wealthy, well-fed neighborhood in North Berkeley, Berkeleyside reports that a local neighborhood association will take down its banners along North Shattuck Avenue that declare the area Berkeley’s “Gourmet Ghetto.” The group will also drop the ironic moniker, coined in the ’70s, from its promotional materials. The vote last night (which was not without pushback from longtime neighbors still fond of the name) followed objections to the nickname voiced by owners of a new neighborhood coffee shop, originally to Berkeleyside, who pointed to the the racially charged connotations of the word ghetto. More neighborhood leaders, like Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, also lent their support to the name’s removal.

Fieldwork adding yet another taproom

Prolific Berkeley-based brewery Fieldwork is expanding again, opening what will be its seventh taproom in Town Center Corte Madera. The 2,400-square-foot indoor-outdoor space will feature 18 beers on tap and a full food menu when it arrives in 2020.

Woodside Deli dips out

A classic Redwood City dining establishment, Woodside Deli, is saying goodbye to customers after 60 years in business. The last day for its oversized subs and other foodstuffs is September 30. Owner Kyle Vogel, who took over the business in 2017, writes that his landlord has proposed a 52 percent rent increase, and “combined with ever-rising healthcare costs (Woodside Deli has provided insurance coverage to full-time staff for years) and shrinking availability of staff ... the numbers just don’t pan out.”

Ella’s American Kitchen closes Polk Street spinoff

Long-running Presidio Heights restaurant Ella’s is scrapping its Polk Street spinoff after just one year in business. Hoodline reported the move, but didn’t cite a reason for the closure. The original location of Ella’s, thankfully for longtime customers, isn’t going anywhere.