"gourmet ghetto" news and stories

Anyone who has spent a fair amount of time in Berkeley and has eaten more than two meals there knows the Cheese Board. Owned and operated by the workers, in true Berkeley style, it is a fantastic cheese shop and bakery, with a pizza place next door that has lines down the block at lunch and dinner. The Cheese Board is the kind of place that locals go to on a near-daily basis and others take trips out of their way to stop in.

But stopping in isn't an option, particularly if you live nowhere near the SF Bay Area. If you want to try your hand at some of their products at home, The Cheese Board: Collective Works is definitely the book to get. It has recipes for some of their most popular items, including currant scones, bran muffins and lots of their famous breads. The quick pastry items, such as the scones, are much easier and less time-intensive than the bread recipes, but their instructions are comprehensive and you will achieve good results if you put in the time it takes to work through the recipes. Aside from the breads, the book also has a cheese guide and a history of the co-op, which was founded in 1967 and has become a Bay Area institution in the time since then.

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TurnHere is a media company that has videos that try to capture the real essence of their subjects, which range from "insider" tours of neighborhoods around the country and the world and tips on activities and restaurants. Basically, they're short films on where to go, what to do and why you would want to do it.

The restaurant and food videos are particularly interesting (of course) because video review/tour of a restaurant can show you so much more than just a photo or written review can. Many of the restaurant videos include interviews with customers, chefs and shop owners. Some of the videos are sponsored and some are not, but even the sponsored ones seem much more "real" than anything you'd see on the Food Network. For a preview, check out a guide to the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley, a look at Canter's Deli in Los Angeles and the all-dessert restaurant ChikaLicious in New York.

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