EAT LIKE A CHEF presented by Tanya Holland

No one knows the culinary side of a city better than its best chef. So in search of the finest fare in six fabulous food towns, that’s exactly who we turned to. Hungry? Read on.

By Alison Miller  (Spirit Southwest Airlines Magazine)

OAKLAND
Tanya Holland leads you to Oaktown’s authentic global eats.

“A lot of entrepreneurial-minded people are discovering how open and diverse Oakland really is. They’re cooking the cuisine of their heritage here, and they’re doing it with super fresh, high-quality ingredients.”

Hawker Fare “James Syhabout, who was born in Thailand and has an amazing Michelin-starred restaurant in Oakland called Commis, opened this Asian street food café two years ago. I love the satay beef short ribs—they’re marinated in coconut milk and spices then covered in peanut sauce, so they’re sweet and savory.” 2300 Webster St.

Beauty’s Bagel Shop “It’s based on the Jewish bagel shops in Montreal, where the owner, Blake Joffe, has roots. The bagels are cooked in a wood-fired oven, and Blake and his girlfriend, Amy Remsen, mix their own cream cheese spreads. They also do this really great fried-chicken bagel sandwich with beet slaw.” 3838 Telegraph Ave.

Juhu Beach Club “This place just opened in March. The chef, Preeti Mistry, who was on Top Chef: Season 6, is East Indian. She makes this popcorn with ghee, nuts, toasted cumin, and red chili powder that’s just amazing. And she has these sliders called pavs. I like the lamb meatball one.” 5179 Telegraph Ave.

Cosecha “It’s a Mexican restaurant in Swan’s Market, a building in Old Oakland that’s kind of like the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Dominica Rice-Cisneros, who runs Cosecha, uses lots of local, seasonal ingredients. During lunch they do blue plate specials. Sometimes the special is fish tacos, which I love because they’re just so fresh. There are a number of Mexican restaurants around, but when you take the time to make the tortillas yourself, it makes a big difference. They also serve great frescas, or fruit drinks.” 907 Washington St.

Tanya Holland is the chef/owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ. This year she was named California Chef/Restaurateur of the Year by the California Travel Association.

To learn more about the burgeoning culinary scene, join us for
EBWIBR's Oakland Eats Panel August 2nd. RSVP Here: