This Long-Running Sacramento Brewery Could Face Eviction

Though the federal COVID-19 emergency declaration ended in May, one Sacramento brewery is reminding customers that the impacts of the pandemic continue to rock the food and beverage industry. According to the Sacramento Bee, New Helvetia Brewing Company says it’s facing the “very real prospect of eviction and closure” due to the lingering impacts of the pandemic. The brewery took to Instagram to make the announcement, writing that the business has fallen behind on rent payments in part because of “the escalating costs and diminishing revenues in the aftermath of the pandemic.” The brewery is now serving food alongside its lineup of beers and urges customers to come in for a pint and a bite.

Quirky Mission District restaurant isn’t closing after all

Following an Instagram announcement earlier this month stating that Chome, the tiny but mightily quirky Mission District restaurant near the corner of 18th and Mission streets, would take a two-month hiatus starting at the end of August comes a new update: the restaurant will continue operations through September and October. The Instagram post, however, encourages customers to check the restaurant’s Yelp page for updates on hours.

There’s a new coffee pop-up in North Beach

San Francisco’s Little Italy might not need more options for a cup of coffee but nevertheless, Vigilance Coffee has installed itself inside Belle Cora restaurant on Green Street just east of Columbus Avenue. The pop-up is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hoodline reports, and serves coffee from local roaster Graffeo.

The chef behind Luka’s Taproom is back in the kitchen

Luka’s Taproom & Lounge closed its doors in January 2022 after 18 years in the East Bay but chef Willie Mendez now finds himself back in the kitchen — this time at Binny’s Cocktail Bar and Restaurant in Old Oakland. Mendez is renting the kitchen space and serving a menu that includes “his take on steak frites, his impressive burger and double-cooked French fries ... and falling-off-the-bone BBQ pork ribs,” East Bay Nosh reports.

An East Bay brewery’s future is up in the air

After design plans for an upcoming location of Lazy Dog Brewery were approved — but with some stipulations — the future of a Brentwood location is up in the air, Mercury News reports. Councilwoman Jovita Mendoza is asking the City Council to take another look at the Planning Commission’s decision, but a representative for the national chain tells the paper it’s “unfortunate that our plans did not receive approval as proposed, and therefore we cannot move forward at this time.”

California restaurant community rallies behind prominent food photographer

San Francisco-based food photographer Aubrie Pick, whose work has been featured by Food & Wine, Williams Sonoma, Bon Appetit, and on this site, took to Instagram to share personal news: the prominent photographer has an “aggressive form of lymphoma” and will be undergoing treatment that makes it impossible to work at this time. A GoFundMe has been launched to raise money to support Pick and her family.