Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

As you scour the Internet for deals on Cyber Monday and generally partake in the holiday shopping rush, its worth remembering that local small businesses could use your support and some may even have items in stock that you cant find online or trust will arrive on time. So when youre making your list and checking it twice, keep in mind that San Franciscos go-to knife destination Bernal Cutlery has added a pantry to the Valencia Street store, and its stocked with gift ideas for the food and drink lovers in your life from purveyors including Queens, Queer Wave Coffee, Corn Mafia, and Diaspora Spices.

The idea for the pantry, which has taken over the stores tiled lobby space, came from co-owner Kelly Kozak, who describes the project a light at the end of the tunnel that is the pandemic. Kozak recently earned a Masters Degree in Food Studies from University of the Pacific and says shes sourcing products that reflect sustainability. And though the pantry features both locally made items and ones from international names like Iio Jozos brown rice vinegar, its also serves as a way to support the San Francisco food community. Were still a small business but we have a little bit more of a platform and stability than other folks, Kozak says. To that end, one dollar from every transaction will also be donated to Zero Foodprint, the SF-based nonprofit aimed at funding renewable farming practices to fight climate change and founded by Mission Chinese Foods Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz.

The shelves of the new pantry are stocked with books, spices, coffee, and other non-perishables all from brands Kozak is genuinely excited about. Im not a fangirl of very many people but Im definitely a fangirl of Michael Twitty, Kozak says, explaining that she worked hard to get some of the culinary historians West African spice blend made with Spice Tribe. The pantry also has a limited selection of Corn Mafias masa (It completely blew my mind, Kozak says); several varieties of Rancho Gordo beans, corn, and chiles; and both red and green chile sauce from Shed in Santa Fe.

Bernal Cutlery is also the very first wholesale account for Queens, the Inner Sunset Korean market, which means you can pick up a jar of their sweet-spicy gochugaru flakes, plus sesame oil made in Los Angeles, gochujang made in Apple Valley, and gamtae salt made from hand-harvested seaweed. You can stock up on trans- and Indigenous-run Queer Wave Coffee, and Kozak is proud to be the only place selling Atomic Workshops Anchovy Salt, created by State Bird Provisions chef Stuart Brioza. Its tiny, Kozak admits about the space. But dont let that fool you into thinking there wont be anything worth discovering inside: We still have a lot of stuff in our back pocket, she says.

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This Valencia Shop's Pantry Is a Trove of Hard-to-Find Food Gifts for the Holidays - Eater SF

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