I lost my heart to San Francisco many years ago, when a good friend of mine moved out there and then turned into a one-man hosting committee. The reasons that I fell hook, line, and sinker for this green-friendly city and its surrounding areas are almost too many to mention, but I’ll try to count them. One of the major reasons to love the Bay Area? The food, of course!
Behold…the Berkeley Bowl
One of the highlights of all my California trips, hands down was the wonder of the Berkeley Bowl. The first time I walked into the Berkeley Bowl and was confronted with the size of the original 40,000 square foot store on Oregon Street, I seriously considered going home only to put my house on the market. Some people move for love or for new careers, but it made perfect sense to me to at least consider packing all my worldly goods in order to experience this behemoth of a food store on a regular basis. It seemed everywhere I looked, I saw a tremendous range of locally grown or organic produce at rock-bottom prices. (However, if I moved, I’d miss South Florida’s farmer’s markets! So much good food, so little time!)
Greens
Whether you’re a vegetarian or just appreciate fantastic vegetarian cooking, the motherload is San Francisco’s Greens. This award-winning restaurant is known for its world-class cuisine. Plus, most of the wood inside the restaurant has been recycled or reused. For those who like their veggie dishes with a side order of spirituality, the San Francisco Zen Center founded this landmark restaurant in 1979; its Green Gulch Farm provides Greens with fresh produce all year. Green Gulch Farm is also where chef Annie Sumerville conducts her famous cooking workshops.
Rainbow Grocery
Also worth mentioning is the fantastic Rainbow Grocery, a worker-owned cooperative founded in 1975. The Folsom Street store in San Francisco offers a generous array of items (including organic produce and wheat-free goodies). Like Greens, Rainbow Grocery also has a basis in the spiritual community and was originally started by an ashram with a bulk food program. Over time, the ashram opened Rainbow Grocery which supports all manner of green living and is a member of the Bay Area Green Business Program. Plus, they always offer a 10% discount to members of the SF Bike Coalition (one more reason to leave the car at home and ride around gorgeous San Fran!) and a 15% discount for the entire month of February when you show a receipt from a participating co-op.
The Whole Shebang
As if the joys of vegetarian and vegan food weren’t enough, check out the rest of the veggie culture. For more information about California’s Bay Area, feast your eyes on this handy guide to all things vegetarian in the Bay Area, including vegetarian meet up groups, political activism information, and much more.
