Kids jumping the fires at the Persian Center in 2012. Photo: courtesy Persian Center For more than 3,000 years, people have been leaping over fires to bid farewell to winter, burn away negativity and welcome with an open heart the New Year that begins on the first day of Spring. The ancient festival of fire, […]
Anna Mindess
Anna Mindess is a freelance writer and sign language interpreter who lives in Berkeley.
Posted inNosh
Sunhui Chang’s Korean cooking makes sparks fly
Sunhui Chang “fell in love” when he first tasted green mango pickles. At FuseBOX, his pickles and new take on Korean cooking are drawing rave notices.
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Raj Raja creates community, great food at Café Raj
Raj Raj, owner of Café Raj, lived in France, and he has incorporated elements of French cooking into the menu at his popular Albany restaurant.
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Persian community celebrates longest night of year
Pomegranates and watermelon, as well as a hearty bean and noodle soup, are part of the Persian community’s Yalda celebrations this week.
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UC Berkeley’s Edible Education: Stories, revelations
Last week saw the end of the 15-week Edible Education class at UC Berkeley orchestrated by Michael Pollan. Anna Mindess found the storytelling focus to be the most powerful ingredient in the mix.
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In Berkeley, slide the door for homey Japanese food
Noriko Taniguchi’s under-the-radar Berkeley restaurant serves the food Japanese mothers put a lot of effort into cooking to nourish their children.
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‘America is Food Heaven’: A Danish immigrant’s story
Kim Aronson in his Berkeley kitchen Kim Aronson’s life changed twice. First, when he met and fell in love with Rosy, a vivacious American woman on sojourn in Denmark, second, when he visited her large, Jewish family who introduced him to the delights of American dining in Chicago. Kim and I are sitting in his […]
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‘Food makes friends’: Cooking Turkish in Berkeley
Hatice Seflek, who lives in Berkeley, makes delicious food from her homeland, Turkey. All photos: Anna Mindess Hatice Seflek plunges her right hand into the bowl of raw ground beef, pepper sauce, rice, chopped tomatoes and onions and squishes the ingredients together. She smiles, shrugging, “This is the best way to mix it.” I am […]
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From Ecuador, via war-torn Iran, to melting-pot Berkeley
Jeannette Jafarzadeh with one of the many flatbreads she bakes at Berkeley’s Middle East Market. Photos: Anna Mindess Jeannette Jafarzadeh with one of the many flatbreads she bakes at Berkeley’s Middle East Market. Photos: Anna Mindess In a little shop that carries a medley of middle eastern foodstuffs on San Pablo Avenue, Jeannette Jafarzadeh hands […]
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Away at college, pining for Thai Temple’s Sunday brunch
Lila eating at the Thai Temple, Berkeley. After her first three and a half months away at college in Canada, our daughter Lila was thrilled to be home on break. Besides seeing us and hanging out with her friends, Lila had a definite agenda: work her way through a bucket list of Berkeley eateries. During […]
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Sake secrets spilled at Takara Museum in Berkeley
You’re sitting at your favorite sushi restaurant when the waitress brings your sake on a tray. The petite porcelain bottle is so hot you can barely grasp it long enough to pour a tiny cupful. When the fiery liquid scorches your throat, you probably shrug and think, “That must be Japanese culture.” Wrong! That’s what […]
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An authentic taste of Morocco in a Berkeley setting
Mostafa Raiss El Fenni The haunting strains of North African music float from the strings of an Algerian mandol and the soulful voice of acclaimed musician, Maestro Omar Mokhtari. As I enter a sun-dappled garden ringed by tents draped with colorful carpets, I head straight for the blue-and-white tile tables set with bowls of olives, […]