Sketching in the Gourmet Ghetto

Two drawings done on North Shattuck Avenue near Vine Street in Berkeley, sitting in front of the Cheese Board Pizzeria.  The first is looking across the street to the huge monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) towering over Chez Panisse restaurant, which is just barely visible behind the trunk.  The tree produces huge cones, which are prone to falling off so must be carefully pruned periodically. 
The second sketch shows part of the long line that forms at lunch and dinnertime of people waiting to buy the delicious vegetarian pizza.  Cheese Board Pizza is part of the Cheese Board store and bakery next door, which was founded in 1967, sold to its employees in 197l, and run as a 100% worker owned collective ever since.

Sketching Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto

Earthly Goods, Shattuck & Vine, Berkeley, ink & watercolor, 8x5"

 Back in the 1970s when Chez Panisse first opened, the neighboring area became known as Gourmet Ghetto, and it has continued in that tradition since then. The area is packed with wonderful foodie joints, fine restaurants and specialty food shops as well as boutiques like Earthly Goods (above).

The French Hotel has lost part of its neon sign. Ink & watercolor, 8x5"

The French Hotel (above) is in the same neighborhood and has a great espresso bar on the ground floor. A couple of doors down is the Cheese Board Collective, famous for their special pizzas that people line up for while being entertained by a jazz band and then eat, picnic style, on the center median strip of Shattuck, despite signs saying not to. (My previous post has funny video of people breaking that particular rule.)