Montclair Jazz & Wine Festival

La Borinqueña has entered the wonderful world of festival food sales! Some of you have already seen me and the crew at some recent street festivals in our Tamale Girl booth. I chose to do these events for two reasons: 1. to promote our restaurant and delicious tamales 2. be the prototype for how a small business might be able to participate in special events without a huge financial investment.

I've been asked many times why the food at festivals is always the same. You can almost always find: kettle corn, chicken on a stick, garlic fries, frozen treats, hot dogs, etc. Turns out many of these food booths are professional food concession stands that travel and only do festivals. They don't have a restaurant, are rarely local and do lots of fried food. They have the equivalent of a outdoor commercial kitchen and sanitation is often but not always questionable. They almost always have long lines since their menus are extensive and just a notch down from too expensive.

I decided that our restaurant was going to try a new marketing approach and not spend hundreds on advertising that wasn't really effective. Following in the steps of my father aka Tony Tamale, I was going to take my tamales to the people and let them try them first. Then, coming out to La Borinqueña on the edge of Old Oakland didn't seen so far away. It's been an interesting experience putting our booth together and meeting new folks while spreading tamale love during our new adventure.

Here are the details for our upcoming gig:

Next date for our booth is just around the corner, Pete Escovedo’s Latin Jazz Orchestra headlines the 6th annual Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival on Sunday, September 7 on LaSalle Avenue and Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with more than 20 premium Northern California wineries pouring tastings starting at 1 p.m. Bring the whole family: the younger set will enjoy rides and games at Kids Town; music lovers will hear from saxophonist Vincent Herring, Brass Monkeys Brass Band, singer Clairdee and organist/pianist David K. Mathews; arts and crafts aficionados can check out wares from 40 vendors; wellness and green champions will get plenty of inspiration in the Wellness-Eco Village; and food vendors will be ready to tantalize your palette.

Admission is free, valet bike parking is free, wine tasting packages are $30 for one, $50 per couple.

For more details, and to print a $5 discount coupon for wine tasting, visit www.MontclairJazzAndWine.org.


Stop by and say ¡Hola!

The People & Places in my Neighborhood

I feel like writing about Old Oakland for a bit. This is something I'm asked often, "Where is Old Oakland?" Well, it's technically part of West Oakland and sometimes called Downtown Oakland. It's borders run from 6th to 11th Street and Broadway to Martin Luther King Way (Grove).*History Nerd Alert* Old Oakland was formally the original Downtown (1860s) and the location of the first City Hall (we're on our third) and was a thriving commercial district for decades. Eminent domain by the City or really, the destruction of the residential community (50 blocks) in West Oakland in the late 1960s and early 1970s caused the decline of many of the commercial areas of interest. Slowly, Swan's Department store, many other businesses and then Housewives Market came to an end in Old Oakland. There was the restoration of the old Victorians around 8th and Washington in the late 1970s that remained empty for years and the 1980s and 1990s proved to be a difficult time for the area. As much as I love my beloved Old Oakland, as a teenager I wasn't allowed to walk around these parts, it was a haven for criminals and drug addicts alike and when the dark and frightening image of Downtown/West Oakland first reared it's ugly head.

My mother, Nati Ramos, was literally born in this neighborhood. The midwife helped my grandmother give birth at the family home on 4th and Castro in 1931. Mami talks about the old neighborhood as though it's a long lost friend and our business was located down the street on 7th and Castro. She has a map in her head where she remembers where every family's home was located before it was torn down and the freeway overpasses where built in their place. She talks longingly of how she grew up during the Depression yet no one realized their family was poor since everyone worked hard and took care of each other simply because that was the right thing to do. My family chose to keep our business, La Borinqueña, in this area at our present location on 7th and Jefferson but remembers telling people to simply park outside and run in to buy their tamales, tortillas and pan dulce and NOT wander the neighborhood since it really was scary. The Loma Prieta earthquake and then the storm El Niño truly kept us on our toes as small business owners and wondering what kind of disaster, natural or created, was going to hit us next.

By this time, I had returned to working full time at our business and I was really questioning what I had gotten myself into. I decided I wanted to be part of this neighborhood and see if the potential of a real community existed. I longed to know what my mami remembered and if a different version could happen again. Before the condo buildings making up the "New" Old Oakland were built and pushed property taxes upward, I moved in at the end of 2000. My entire family including my own mother though I had lost my mind and questioned why I would want to live here. "CRAZY", they would all say to my face and I didn't care. The change was near, the renaissance promised decades ago by City planners and I wanted to see it for myself. Even the police in their patrol cars wondered what I was doing roaming these parts, alone most of the time, and followed me until they realized this neighborhood was both work and home. They would watch me skip up the steps, put the key in my house door and wave once I headed inside. I knew the change was here when I mentioned where home was and the question changed from, "Why do you live there?" to "How cool, that's where you live?"

But see, in order to know where I'm going, I need to remember where I've been. Even more important, recognize those who have traveled in time along with me. I know most of my life has existed in a very small radius but it's seeing the people, the places and sharing all of this with my neighbors and friends that has instilled pride in me for Oakland that is priceless and will always be mine. From time to time, I will write about what I remember and hopefully what it is now. Sometimes I'll do this here on my blog and other times in a different forum. Yesterday, my second small business profile for the OakBook online magazine came out. The small mom and pop shops, the underdogs, the folks doing what they do best and most of the time with little fanfare and barely a blip on a radar is who I identify with and what I plan on writing about. To read my article about Ray and his crew at Taylor's Sausage in my neighborhood (below) please click A Lost Art in Old Oakland

The Sunny Side of the Bay

Here, there and everywhere has been what I've been up too in the last couple of weeks. So, I will do a summary of the cool places and events I've been checking out.

~ Silence the Violence with the Oakland A's 8/13 co-sponsored by the Ella Baker Center, the Oakland Athletics, the City of Oakland & Oakland Office of the Mayor Josie Camacho asked if I knew of any young people to invite to this event. I managed to attend the Resource Job Fair prior to the game and loved the vibe. Lots of young Oaklanders checking out the scene that also included free hot dogs, music, a raffle and the opportunity to rub elbows with Mayor Dellums himself. This was the first time I had seen him in person since he was elected to office and got to see the electricity and media attention that swarms around him from the moment his presence is detected. This is not a dig at him but more of a observation...all Oakland constituents NEED access to our leaders from the Mayor's Office and all the way down to the grassroots level. Seeing the co-mingling of the Mayor and the regular kids made my heart happy, I'm looking forward to seeing more. The other highlights of my night were the thirteen year old boys I had in tow with me at the game. The A's played the Tampa Bay Rays, apparently it had been awhile since I've paid attention and didn't realize Tampa has a team now! Gustavo, the son of one of my employees, had a blast with some of his buddies. They all play and have a passion for the game I hadn't heard from young ones in awhile and they gave a running practically professional commentary of the game. They thanked me more than a handful of times during and after for the tickets and I'll be sure to include them in more activities when possible. This was the whole point to the Silence the Violence theme of the night, to give our young people the chance to be in positive environments that many of us take for granted.

~ 3rd Annual Lake Merritt Radio Regatta 8/17 sponsored by Oaklandish I'm still scratching my head, somehow this was my first Oaklandish event. I chatted with Angela from Oaklandish about why these events are so important, showcasing what Oakland has to offer all the time to everyone. In this case, the Oakland Sailboat House was swarming with people enjoying the sun, taking boat rides, checking out the chair art silent auction, listening to the DJ's spin some tunes and sipping and munching on complimentary refreshments. Carey from Linden Street Brewery was poring his famous Common Lager with a smile and there was tons of fresh fruit and sandwiches to go along with the drinks. It was awesome to hear that Oaklandish and the food & drink folks all sponsored this event. That means the snacks, drinks and boat ride I took in were part of the event, meaning complimentary! I then bought a Sunny Side of the Bay t-shirt from the funky Oaklandish merchandise van to round out my experience. Good times I tell you! I'll leave you with a few of my nerdy Oakland facts before I sign off. Did you know that Lake Merritt is man made and not only that, not really a lake at all? It's really a tidal lagoon with both salt and fresh water with small fish and shrimp. It's 15 feet at it deepest and the home for the Gondola Servicio and boat rentals at the Lake Merritt Boating Center. I can now say I've been on Lake Merritt and I'm looking forward to more Oalandish adventures!

In other news, many of you have happened by the Oakland Local First Marketplace during the Thursday Night Live concert series in my beloved Old Oakland. Well, Old Oakland Neighbors and Oakland Events were the sponsors, yes I said that in the past tense. The other organizers and I were hoping for a cool spot to show off the amazing wares of our local independent small business and art community. Unfortunately, this ongoing concert series was not the best the fit and the Marketplace has been put on hold indefinitely. Don't worry, you will see the Marketplace in a different version sometime very soon. Oakland Events has plenty going on in terms of other special event and street fairs and more info can be found here and you know I will keep you in the loop!

Meeting with the Office of the Mayor

It's been quite a week for me in terms of doing promotion for La Borinquena and local indie business. LakeFest '08 last weekend, National Night Out on Tuesday, Thursday Night Live/Oakland Local First Marketplace on Thursday and we are doing the wedding food for a regular customer this Saturday. I thought all of that was going to keep me busy enough but something came up a few days ago.

In May 2008, two Old Oakland Neighbors' board members and I participated in the City of Oakland's Neighborhood Summit '08 at Laney College. Our group was chosen to represent the newer community group in the workshop, "How to build a strong community." There I meet Jose Dorado, a member of the Maxwell Park NCPC. I got a call from him on Tuesday asking if I would be interested in meeting with Oakland Mayor Dellums as part of a group of Latino merchants to discuss crime prevention.

Meeting with the Mayor? Sure, why not? I had a phone conversation with Jose outlining my concerns and a plan of action to tell Mayor Dellums what commitments we NEED from him in order to become a thriving and safe business community. I mentioned that I am proud of being Latina but my main focus is not that of being a person of color but as an independent business owner and an advocate of building stronger communities that benefit everyone. My two demands from the Mayor's office: support for community policing including foot patrols and attention given to our small business commercial districts to keep the economic impact here in Oakland.

Unfortunately, a mere 30 minutes before our confirmed meeting time, we were informed that Major Dellums would not be attending the meeting with our group himself. Was I surprised? NOT AT ALL. We did meet with Arnold Perkins, Marisol Lopez and Josie Camacho from the Office of the Mayor to discuss what our group felt are the shortcomings of the promises not kept we are most concerned about and demanding change. It was a two hour meeting that flew by as issues mainly regarding the problems the youth of Oakland are experiencing and how that directly affects business districts.

How successful was this meeting? Too soon to tell and hopefully we will have a follow up with Mayor Dellums in the near future. We know that the Mayor is an elusive politician and we need to see him out and about conducting his day to day life side by side with his constituents. His appearance should not be a photo op but a regular occurrence. Marisol Lopez, his executive assistant, at least a couple of times during our meeting became defensive when we questioned where the Mayor is and why many of his campaign promises had not been fulfilled. Ms. Lopez felt that this Mayor has been effective in a way our previous Mayor had not even though we don't see him. It is my hope that his actions now will change my mind. That the work of so many volunteers on all the committees I am a part of and those that I am just now getting to know will have the full support of our City's government soon.

I just won't hold my breath.

2nd Annual OON National Night Out

GG, Sweet Bratty Niece and I survived LakeFest '08. That was an interesting new event with lots of vendors (80+) and we found being a food booth an eyeopener. Now rested up after working 30 hours over this weekend's two day event, it time to move on to the next event!

National Night Out is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year and Old Oakland Neighbors (OON) is excited to host our 2nd annual community celebration at Lafayette Square Park. The yearly event is sponsored by the local police department and is officially called "the nation's night out against crime." Statistics show that when neighbors know each other, crime goes down. We had a 100+ attendees last year and hope to meet many more new neighbors and friends this year.

Old Oakland Neighbors is a grassroots community group that welcomes everyone that lives, works or just loves it here. As the co-chair and social coordinator for this group, I cordially invite you to attend our celebration. It's a potluck, bring a dish to share. OON will provide drinks, games and some raffle prizes. Come out and join us!

evite link here

My Cock-a-Doodle Article in the OakBook online

Alex from OakBook stops by my shop every now and again to talk Oakland and drop off OakBooks for my customers. I mentioned that it would be cool to write for his publication sometime and he breaks down the deets for me. I sometimes find myself awake at really odd times and writing stuff has been a way for me to express myself in a different forum. If you know me in real life, well, it's no secret that I talk too much!

So, here Ladies and Gentleman, for your reading pleasure, my first official online article for a magazine! I heart Blanca's french toast but those empanadas de camarones are muy delicioso too.


The Rooster at Midnight

Who knows where this might go?

LakeFest '08

OK Kids, Tamale Girl, our NEW food booth is going to be at the H U G E debut of Oakland Event's first 2 day festival. OE is a brand new events planning company started by the chica with the energy that does not quit, Helen Wyman. Helen's vision of helping Oaklanders have positive, creative and sustainable festivals and events makes me even prouder to be part of the Oakland Local First posse.

Yes, this is completely biased on my part since I work side by side with her and a handful of other amazing local folks on both OE events and also on the Oakland Merchants' Leadership Forum marketing committee. My partner in Crime and Volunteering, Consuelo Jacobs, is also part of this group doing the think local thing and is the vendor coordinator this weekend at LakeFest '08.

If you want to check out a part of our posse in action this weekend and have a great time seeing what this district of Oaktown has to offer, STOP BY. If I wasn't working the Tamale Girl booth, I so would participate in the affordable wine packages available that include a commemorative LakeFest wine glass you get to keep.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Tina Tamale


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From http://www.oaklandish.org/EVENTS/events.html
Lakeshore Avenue will turn into a pedestrian zone to host an art and
wine festival featuring live music, arts and crafts booths, local
vendors, a Green Living Expo, a carnival for kids, wine tasting, food
booths and more. August 2 and 3 (Saturday and Sunday), from 11am-6pm
on Lakeshore between Lake Park and Mandana. Admission is FREE!