Oakland’s Eat Real Fest, Citing Pandemic-Related Profit Loss, Is Cancelled

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• Oakland’s Eat Real Fest has canceled its annual food festival that takes place in Jack London Square. The festival usually takes place during Bay Area summer (aka September), with stages of culinary demonstrations, food trucks and stands, and beer and cocktails. They let fans know of the cancellation via email (below), with plans for a 2022 festival.

After much consideration, we have decided not to move forwards with Eat Real Fest this year. We are excited to see the Bay Area opening up again and to once again share food, drinks and hugs with the people we love, and we hope that this means that festivals will return again too. However, as a small business we feel it is just too risky to try to host Eat Real Fest this year. Even if we are allowed to do it within local, state and federal regulations, we don’t feel secure about being able to make a profit this year. Financially, losing money on the festival after the past year of losing money due to the pandemic is not something we can take on.

• A wine influencer who was recently featured in an article in the SF Chronicle has been accused of throwing a pig’s head and blood on the house of a former Santa Rosa cop, Barry Brodd, who testified as a defense witness in the trial of Derek Chauvin (Brodd no longer lives at that address). Amber Lucas was arrested with two other suspects after the April 17 incident; Lucas says she’s been falsely accused. SFist breaks down the saga in detail, including the Chron’s coverage. [SFist]
• The Palace Hotel is reopening on Thursday for the first time in 14 months. During that time it underwent extensive renovations through, from the meeting rooms and lobby to the guest rooms themselves. As for changes to dining, its famed tea service won’t be immediately available (but it’s on the way), and the Garden Court buffet service is gone forever, replaced by GC2GO, a grab-and-go offering of food. [SFBizJournal]
• A new Monterey bakery is serving breads, pastries, and pizzas with toppings like pea tendrils, burrata, and nasturtium pesto. Alta Bakery and Cafe comes from chef Ben Spungin, who’s spent time at the French Laundry and Post Ranch Inn, nestled into one of the spaces at the historic Cooper Molera Adoba. He’s planning a neighborhood restaurant on the property too, called Cella. Stay tuned for more on that. [7x7]
• Esquire’s Best New Bars list is out, and four Bay Area spots made the cut: Kona’s Street Market in SoMa, Viridian in Oakland, Phone Booth in the Mission, and Valley Bar + Bottle in Sonoma. Check out the full list here. [Esquire]