Market rate
CELIA AND JOE CATALINO • Of All Places
WORK • Wednesday Routine
CELIA AND JOE CATALINO • owners • Of All Places
Neighborhood you live in: Albany
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Wednesdays are pretty active for us. We start the day by picking up our bread order from Acme. From there, we head straight to the shop to set up for the day, vacuum, and start sandwich prep. Doors open at 11a.
What’s on the agenda for today?
After a year of requests, we built a kitchenette in the back of the shop so that we could start offering sandwiches. Our sandwich program officially launched earlier this fall, and it’s been such a great addition to our little shop. We offer three different grab-and-go bodega-style sandwiches, which we start preparing as soon as we open. Once they’re ready to go, we head straight into checking emails, receiving new product, and placing orders for low-stock items. If we have time, we’ll start researching new products to bring into the shop. And of course, there’s the never-ending social media grind. We try to post on Instagram most days of the week to keep customers updated about pop-ups and new products.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
We’re always down to share a pizza at Rose Pizzeria, and love their wine list. They also recently opened a little cafe, Cafe Brusco, that we’re equally obsessed with. A few other favorite spots include Soba Ichi, Daytrip Counter, Good To Eat Dumplings, and Las Guerreras.
How about a little leisure or culture?
We typically head to the Gilman Wine Block Party for First Fridays, hosted by some of our favorite local Berkeley wineries (Hammerling, Donkey & Goat, Tessier, Broc Cellars). The selection of pop-ups is unbeatable. Bolita Masa, Dos Raicez, Daruma Kiosk, Picnic, Good Luck Bakery, the list goes on.
Any weekend getaways?
We like to head down to Los Angeles whenever we have a couple days off. We’re excited to check out Holbox, a Mexican seafood counter near downtown.
What was your last great vacation?
A short vacation over the summer to Mexico City. For us, it’s an easy trip because we know the language, are familiar with the neighborhoods, and know what we like to do there. This time, our main goal was to eat at spots we hadn’t tried yet. A few places that stood out were Maizajo, Expendio de Maíz, and Panaderia Gala.
What store or service do you always recommend?
We’re obsessed with a new service in our neighborhood called Meal Kitty. It’s a monthly prepared meal pickup run by Carlo Espinas of Linger Longer fame. We work an absurd number of hours, so having access to beautifully and thoughtfully prepared meals that we can easily warm up at home is such a gift. We always order the entire menu, and it feeds our family of three two full dinners. You can also add on a pack of Xulo Tortillas and a loaf of Good Luck Bakery’s Oat Porridge Sourdough to enjoy throughout the week. It’s been a total game-changer for us.