#035 - Today we are speaking with Natalie Brown from Natty Cakes - a locally sourced bakery.  Natalie specializes in buttercream cakes perfect for all milestone events.  Weddings are her entry point, but then she becomes entrenched in her clients' lives.“So it's amazing. I get to be a part of people's lives, usually starting at the wedding, which is so cool and so grand.  And typically there's a bond that's formed over that. And then I get to celebrate when it's their partner's birthday, when they have a baby. And so it's definitely a lot more personal than I would've ever imagined running a business would be”.Natalie always wanted to be a baker - her first job was at a bakery. Instead of going to culinary school, she studied business at SF State and baked wedding cakes on the side.  She started Natty Cakes fresh out of college 10 years ago though she did not envision what it would become.She thought she wanted a regular local corporate clientele and she was on her way to doing just that, but then the pandemic hit.  She was pregnant and she needed to scale back a little bit and she started to see a different vision for the business.  Now, she runs the business out of a live/work space in Emeryville with a certified kitchen.  Her husband works a 9-5, but dives into the business on nights and weekends.“…so moving the business into my home kind of changed a lot. It really allowed me to focus back on the aspects that I have a lot of passion for.”“There is something really special about re-centering myself around the business and making sure that it's headed in the direction that I want versus a direction that it's just being pulled.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to hear about Natalie’s appearance on a TV baking competition show.

#033- Today we are speaking with Erin Coburn from Minimo Wine Bar and Shop in Jack London.  Minimo focuses on small production, natural wines and ciders. You may have the same questions we had - what is natural wine?“And natural wine for us means that the farming side has to be organic or biodynamically farmed, so no chemicals in the vineyards at all. And then on the winemaking side, no unnecessary additions or subtraction and the key component there is the fermentation has to be native or wild fermentation. There can't be cultured yeast and there is minimal amounts of sulfur or none at all. Whereas just by comparison, most conventional wines can have probably up to 40 to 50 different things that you can put in the winemaking process.”The wines you find at Minimo are not your usual suspects. In fact, Erin thinks there is not a single Merlot or a Zinfandel in the shop.  It’s a lot of off the beaten path vineyards and regions and grapes and varietals.  There are wines from Morocco, the Canary Islands, Slovenia and Serbia. The California wines come from Contra Costa, Lodi, and Mendocino.“if you came to us looking for a Napa Valley Chardonnay, you would probably walk out with a ferment from Hungary. So it's really to get people to explore new things.”There is no signage on purpose.  You have to start a conversation, which allows them to find out what you like or what you don't like, and then they make recommendations.Since Minimo is classified as a grocery business, it did not have to shut down during the pandemic.  The business survived by delivering wine and hosting virtual events.  Erin loves being an Oakland business and is grateful for the support from the local community.“My gratitude goes to the tremendous support, not only of our customers, but of Oakland and other small businesses. I mean, it's an amazing network of people who champion one another and share resources freely and are really about making sure that we all succeed together.”Be sure to listen to the whole interview to find out why Minimo sells cider and NOT beer.

#033- Today we speak with Thomas Lee from First Place For Youth.  First Place For Youth, headquartered in downtown Oakland, serves transition age foster youth - ages 16-25 in five Bay Area Counties, plus Los Angeles County.  First Place for Youth provides vocational and life skills so these youth can problem solve and live through the seasons of life.  The organization’s goal is to….“change the child welfare system into a child well being system where we are making sure in the most simplest terms that every young person who is aging out of foster care has a fighting chance to be able to go out and achieve their own hopes and dreams.”  The organization was founded in 1993 by Amy Lemley and Deanne Pearn, 2 graduate students attending Cal’s Goldman School of Public Policy.  They were struck by how many foster youth found themselves in poverty and homeless after aging out. Each youth receives a team of 3 dedicated professionals that wrap themselves around them.Thomas tells us there are 3 things we miss when it comes to foster youth:#1 Foster youth experience foster care through no fault of their own;#2 Majority of youth who experience foster care do so because of neglect, not abuse; AND#3 California has the most foster youth in the countryOn the importance of First Place For Youth in Oakland, Thomas says…"Our office is right there on 17th and Broadway.  Oakland is the hub for all of our work…”“….as we continue to be one of the most innovative cutting edge organizations, there is no better place than in Oakland.  That is alway where some of the best innovative ideas that come out of California start, they begin there.  This helps us stay really connected to the heartbeat and essence of what California is and how to make change in a substantive way across, so it benefits everyone throughout the state.”Be sure to stick around ‘til the end to hear Thomas discuss how social and support networks lower the need for social systems.

#032- Today we speak with Ari Takata-Vasquez with Viscera Studio.  Viscera Studio is an Oakland based full service design and photography studio.  Ari works with entrepreneurs to create all the visual things they might need - branding and identity to website and strategy to product photography to videography.Viscera Studio started by accident - it sprung out of Ari’s brick and mortar shop (Viscera), launched 2014.  Viscera designs 3D printed jewelry and curates a collection of USA-made clothing, accessories, and home goods.People kept complimenting her creative work and inquired who did it.  The answer was always “ME”!  So, she started doing freelance work in 2017.  What started as a part time hustle for her full time hustle became its own thriving business. I asked Ari why it is important for her to be an Oakland based business:“I love Oakland.  It is a place that is rich with creativity.  We are a relationship first business.  That is my personality and partly the way things work in Oakland.  It is The Town, right?  You know a lot of other people.  Your ability to move in the city is really based on relationships and people vouching for you.  It is such a tightly networked place.  It is such a great fit for the way we do business.”Once the pandemic hit, more people decided they wanted and needed to start their own business. Plus, people who already had their own business decided they needed more of an online presence.  Her business took off.Be sure to stick around ‘til the end to hear Ari’s advice on assembling a great team!

#031- Today we speak with Kathryn Tomajan and Robin Sloan from Fat Gold Olive Oil.  Launched in 2017, Fat Gold is an Oakland based small batch producer of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  They source really interesting olives from all over the state, turning them into unique special olive oils.“We like to think of it as an urban olive oil company, tying agriculture to the cities was a really important part of our origin story”.After working in the food industry for a while, Kathryn went to Italy to attend a masters program focused on food production in 2011 - she calls it the “Hogwarts of Food”.  That is where she fell in love and obsessed with olive oil.“I remember very vividly tasting olive oil with a very well known high end and fancy producer in Tuscany Italy and he was teaching my masters degree class about olive oil and the first one he had us try - we all kind of shook our heads and said - yeah that tastes like the olive oil I know.  He’s like ‘that’s rancid.  It’s completely spoiled.  Let’s teach you about olive oil.’  I thought of myself as a Foodie.  I thought I knew my stuff.  I learned I knew absolutely nothing about this product.” They remain inspired by the food production in West Oakland, Emeryville, and West Berkeley.  Instead of pretending to be in Italy or Napa, Robin says they embrace the industrial, practical and straightforward sensibilities of Oakland and the East Bay.  They like to invite people in and remain accessible.Be sure to listen to the whole interview - Kathryn and Robin tell us how to identify real extra virgin olive oil that is grown, harvested, and produced in California on our grocery shelves.

#030 - Today we speak with David Peters from the award winning Black Liberation Walking Tour.  Dave leads guests on a 2 hour 10 stop walking tour through the Hoover-Foster West Oakland neighborhood along the San Pablo corridor.  Audio has been recorded by longtime residents so you get a first hand history.   The tour has been recognized by Conde Nast as one of the “6 Standout Black History Tours in the U.S., From California to Charleston”.The idea came to life when neighborhood elders were telling stories that captivated both longtime residents and newcomers alike.  Dave knew he had to not only capture and preserve this rich history, but find a way to share it with others.  He says the tour…."celebrates artistic, cultural, and heritage sites in this neighborhood that spans over 100 years- things, people, and events that Black folks did right here." The tour highlights the neighborhood’s rich history, which served as one of the early stops for African Americans escaping the Jim Crow South to find better opportunities in the west.  In the early 1960s it birthed The Black Panther Party and the tour includes the Panther's first breakfast program site.  It also includes the home of Delilah Beasley, the first African-American woman to be published regularly in a major American metropolitan newspaper. Out of his own nostalgia, Dave wanted to create a sense of community and belonging."I wanted to create belonging in my neighborhood, particularly for longtime residents.  What if we start to think about and celebrate 100 years of Black history in this neighborhood as a way to encourage people to stay here?  There is a place for us where we could have stories and a culture and places that reflect who we are and who we want to be and what we’ve done." He does guided tours once per month.  You can find the schedule by clicking on the Eventbrite link below.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear how Dave thinks the Oakland A’s Howard Terminal project can help the neighborhood and serve as a model for future projects in similar communities across the country.

#029 - Today we speak with Carolyn Johnson from the Black Cultural Zone.  The Black Cultural Zone represents a geographic area that runs from High Street in East Oakland to the San Leandro border and from the hills to the water.  It is a collaboration of Black led and Black owned businesses and organizations.Since 2014, the East Oakland Black Cultural Zone Collaborative Partners has worked with a coalition of residents, government agencies, churches, and grassroots organizing and community groups to help keep Black folks in East Oakland.It operates the Black Cultural Zone Hubs which include Liberation Park, which is located at the intersection of 73rd Ave, MacArthur Blvd, and Foothill Blvd (Eastmont Mall).  They have turned an underutilized city owned vacant lot where people used to fight dogs and roosters into a thriving community asset that includes:Akoma Market - Certified Farmers Market on 1st and 3rd SundaysSlamming Sunday Skate - the only outdoor wooden skating rink in Northern CaliforniaOutdoor movies - Friday nights in the summerFo’Show Friday - Food Trucks and skating “It has been abandoned and owned by the city for over 15 years.”“This is a 1.2 acre space. It was available.  We went to the city to license it and to operate and create a cultural hub there, which is temporary.  We’re also going to be doing affordable housing and building a permanent market hall there in about 2 years.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about the displacement of small Black owned businesses in East Oakland and how the Black Cultural Zone is  responding.

#028 - Today’s episode is the second in a 2 part series on home solar. I went solar with a back-up battery in 2021 and am SO GLAD I did.  I got a small check back from PG&E after my 1st year.  I want to introduce you to 2 of the solar professionals I met on my journey - Mark Lauer and Joe Molale.If you’re starting from ground zero like I was, it probably feels a little overwhelming.  I get asked a lot about my panels and my experience.  I want to share with you the guys that educated me the most.  We focus on many of the questions I had plus the ones I saw on Nextdoor.  My hope is to save you time in your process by sharing the issues that I found most important on my journey.Both Mark and Joe were extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient.  Most importantly, they continued to work with me and educate me with no certainty of a sale.Today’s discussion is with Joe.  Joe works for West Coast Solar.  I actually bought my system from him.  Joe says the top 5 reasons his customers go solar are:1 Save Money2 Helps the Environment3 Rising PG&E rates4 Increase the value of your home5 Taking control of your future energy costsWith respect to picking a company, Joe says,“I tell people with solar, it's not like cable television, you can't just switch companies.  You are stuck with them for, for life. If the panels go out and they're outta business, guess what, you're on your own….”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how buying solar from Joe helps build water wells in India and Africa.

#027 - Today’s episode is the first in a 2 part series on home solar. I went solar with a back-up battery in 2021 and am SO GLAD I did.  I got a small check back from PG&E after my 1st year.  I want to introduce you to 2 of the solar professionals I met on my journey - Mark Lauer and Joe Molale.If you’re starting from ground zero like I was, it probably feels a little overwhelming.  I get asked a lot about my panels and my experience.  I want to share with you the guys that educated me the most.  We focus on many of the questions I had plus the ones I saw on Nextdoor.  My hope is to save you time in your process by sharing the issues that I found most important on my journey.Both Mark and Joe were extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient.  Most importantly, they continued to work with me and educate me with no certainty of a sale. Today’s discussion is with Mark.  Mark’s company is Solar by Mark.  He is a solar consultant and represents a few solar contractors. Mark says the top 5 reasons his customers go solar are:1 Save Money2 Save the Environment3 Energy Independence4 Energy Expansion in the Future5 Increasing Property ValueWith respect to cost savings, Mark says,“… the way to think about that is, is not what their utility bill is on any given month, but it's what does electricity costs add up to over years that they're living in the home….”“I look at what are they gonna spend over six or seven years on electricity from the utility.  Well, normally they're gonna spend about the same amount of money they would spend to buy solar. So after that point, they're saving money every month, they've eliminated their bill.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how the Pandemic has impacted the demand for solar.

#026 - Today we talk with Nik Dehejia, CEO of the Oakland Zoo, which is celebrating its Centennial Anniversary in 2022.  The zoo started in June of 1922 at the corner of 19th and Harrison at what is today called Snow Park.“Imagine in 1922, two lions being brought back into the City of Oakland and out there.  Henry Snow was the founder of the Oakland Zoo and established a museum and a zoo in 1922.”The location moved to Joaquin Miller Park in the 1920s and to its current location in the 500 acre Knowland Park in the 1930s.  The 100 acre zoo campus is home to over 850 species. What sets the Oakland Zoo apart from other zoos is that they really value that the animals have enough space to live in a natural habitat.  They need to live their best life in this space.  They will have less species so they can have more space.“Animals need to have adequate space.  Their habitats have to be complex.  They have to be large.  They have to have choice & control on how they move around.” The Oakland Zoo gets over 1 million visitors every year from all over Northern California.  Their robust school programs account for about 25% of that.  Their educational programs include camps for kids, small ambassador animals that go out to schools, and field trips where school groups come into the zoo.  They even purchased a bus that brings school groups to the zoo.Nik shares with us the diverse backgrounds of the zoo employees and that the zoo is proud to be one of the largest employers of local youth.“Many young adults are getting their first or second job at the Oakland Zoo.”Be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how the zoo’ community really stepped up to help the zoo emerge from the Pandemic shutdown bigger and stronger than ever.