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WORK • Friday Routine
Cafe society
SARA RAMINIAN • co-owner • Evergreen Cafe
Neighborhood you live in: North Berkeley
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My day starts at Evergreen at 6a. For the first hour it’s just my co-owner, Stacie Frederick, and me refreshing supplies, baking scones and cookies, and updating our prep list for the day. By 7a, with the arrival of our lead barista Kyara Argueta and cook Diego Gamarra, our prep’s in full swing. Kyara sets up the coffee station and front of house; Stacie makes grab-and-go sandwiches on sweet rustic baguettes, still warm from neighboring Acme Bread; and Diego and I prepare herbs, veggies, jammy eggs, and more for the rest of our menu items.
By 8a the rest of our team has arrived in time to greet our first customers. Friday mornings start a little slower than other weekdays, but, typically, by 830 the cafe is hopping, with regulars coming in for their usual grab-and-go order and others ordering breakfast to savor while visiting with a friend or getting into their workflow. Recently, a customer came in and fueled on three cups of coffee over four hours, producing pages and pages of comic book art and writing.
What’s on the agenda for today?
As I handle the rush of food orders, Diego will be preparing special items for a private birthday party we are hosting on Saturday night: housemade tzatziki, our pepper trio hummus, a farro golden beet salad, and much more. This is my favorite part of owning a scratch-kitchen cafe: In these moments, we’re are at our creative best. We exchange ideas, taste, discuss flavor and texture, and present final samples to the rest of the team for input, bringing our combined experience together to create something that we hope will wow and delight the group who has entrusted their special occasion to us.
In the midst of all of this, I will slip away for a couple hours to attend the Berkeley Public Schools Fund Spring Luncheon. I’m deeply involved with the Food Equity program at Berkeley High School, where my kids went, and am excited to attend the return of this luncheon.
By 130p I’m back at the cafe so Stacie can make her red-eye flight to Italy for a 10-day family vacation. Not every day at Evergreen is this action-packed, but I like to be busy so this isn’t totally atypical.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I love comfort food, and pizza or pasta are always at the top of my walk-to-someplace-local list. Two of my favorite spots are family-run, which makes them extra special to me. If my husband and I are craving pizza, we often go to Lucia’s. We love Lo Coco’s for the pasta and my husband’s favorite, the Palermo-style steak. My three favorite pasta dishes are spaghetti with clams Provencal, rigatoni alla Norma, and tortelli alla campagnola.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m a huge Berkeley Rep fan and have already ordered my season tickets for next year. I’m especially excited to see the world premiere of The Interestings with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles.
Any weekend getaways?
Most recently I spent one night at the Estate Yountville celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday at The French Laundry, where we got to walk through the kitchen and wine cellar before dining in their private dining room. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime magical experience. A few weeks before that we stayed at the Archer Hotel in Napa with my cousins and close friends to celebrate my husband’s birthday at the rooftop restaurant and bar.
What was your last great vacation?
I just got back from visiting my daughter, who is studying abroad, in Bordeaux, France. It was one of the best vacations of my life. This was my first trip to Bordeaux and the Dordogne region, and now I want to go back every April because it is a place of fairytale beauty. The spring blooms clinging to medieval structures were extravagantly beautiful. We drove past fields of mustard greens and just-budding grapevines, fragrant blooming wisteria and lilac, flashy red bud trees, and bearded irises. We spent six days traveling to Saint-Emilion and Bergerac by train and then rented a car to drive to Sarlat-la-Caneda.
The highlight of our trip was visiting the 29,000-year-old cave paintings at Grotte de Pech Merle and then finding a South American French fusion restaurant on our way back. We also had a uniquely flavorful Vietnamese-French fusion meal in Saint-Emilion at Café Saigon (above) and really enjoyed more time travel exploring the monolithic church there.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I just bought some large ceramic pots and plants from Berkeley Horticulture. I love adding pops of color and new planting surfaces to my garden.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I’m on a journey toward zero waste and no plastics so I highly recommend any of the refill stores that have popped up. My favorite is The Filling Station on Vine Street.
Where are you donating your time or money?
I donate my time as a board member to the UC Berkeley College of Letters & Sciences, where I also fund the American Democracy Fund. I also support Cityside.org’s nonprofit local news as a board member and donor.
GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: Furniture retailer Article opening first US store in SF’s Design District • Oakland’s only Gap will close this summer • LVMH sells Marc Jacobs to brand management firm • Confidence is an overrated style attribute • Men’s fashion has always been obsessed with muscles • The decor of the manosphere is the ultimate blank canvas.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three for-sale properties that came to market in San Francisco in the last 30 days.
→ 48 Sussex St (Glen Park) • 3BR/1.1BA • 1196 SF • Ask: $1.598M • fixer-upper w/ 2-car garage • Days on market: 8 • Agent: Fernando Acosta, Luxe Places.
→ 71 Blake St (Jordan Park) • 3BR/3BA • 2008 SF • Ask: $1.998M • 2026 to-the-studs reno of 1924 build on oversize lot • Days on market: 8 • Agent: Karen Kovacs, Keller Williams.
→ 2880 Vallejo St (Pacific Heights, above) • 6BR/7.2BA • 7413 SF • Ask: $25M • fully rebuilt 1902 home w/ skydeck, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz views • Days on market: 8 • Agent: Steven Sangiacomo, BarbCo.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: $7M Cow Hollow mansion overbid sets new record • Warnings sound around SF’s luxury housing boom • Presidio Bay in talks to buy historic 301 Battery St building.
GETAWAYS • Napa County
Country life
Arriving at Auberge du Soleil, I kept rolling its very French name on my tongue, wondering how the exclusive property lived up to its stated premise of bringing Provence to Napa. Turning off the main road onto the path leading to the hotel, my vehicle was enveloped in lush greenery, a preview of what awaited once I checked into the room. I’ve never been to the French countryside, but standing on the suite balcony, seeing nothing but trees and rolling hills in front of me, birds chirping and the sun shining, I became a believer.
Auberge du Soleil excels at cultivating this feeling of a small, immersive universe. It’s built on a hill in tiered clusters, allowing for maximum views at all times, a rarity for the area, and a relaxation amplifier. Decidedly French rustic chic, my suite was outfitted with wicker touches, neutral-on-neutral palette and a massive bathtub and plush living room. It was cozy enough to want to linger, but lavish enough to justify the hotel’s status in the area.
The pool, too — its turquoise water blending with the horizon, music quietly playing, staff in cute striped outfits, evoked longing for a European getaway. At the restaurant which sits atop of the pool, enjoying white asparagus and French wine, I experienced similar bliss.
While it’s easy to be seduced by the sunny pool and complete privacy of the rooms, the spa at Auberge du Soleil is a reason to leave both. There’s no need to book a treatment to enjoy the plunging pools, cold and hot. The spa’s steam room and views paired well with the relaxing sound of a fountain. After the soak, I strolled through the art garden, enjoying various sculptures and installations (curated with the help of Napa Valley-based gallery ÆRENA), a unique offering that makes a stay here leave a deeper impression beyond the simple R&R effects of a stay like this.
This month, the property is launching its very on-brand, annual Rosé All May programming. There’s not much of the month left, and yet I can’t wait to be back. –Flora Tsapovsky
→ Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford, CA) • 180 Rutherford Hill Rd • Summer rooms from $1855/night.
GETAWAYS LINKS: In Tomales Bay, Bayside Bar, Lounge & Restaurant opens • Cables return to Yosemite’s Half Dome • Driving to the End Of The World, Joshua Tree? Maybe not the best idea • Four Seasons Maui debuts club floor • The truth about Delta 360°.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Dining, Cole Valley
FOUND’s 9 favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. See also: Nopa, Hayes Valley, Marina, Chinatown, Castro, Inner Sunset, Noe Valley, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond.
The Ice Cream Bar (Cole St, above), indulgent sundaes, sandwiches, pastries, boozy and faux-medicinal remedies, everything made in-house, walk-ins only