As much as we love restaurant meals while traveling, there’s a lot to be said for a homemade meal made with local products. We were thrilled to enjoy an Oakland breakfast after a great night’s sleep at our friends’ Oakland Victorian house.
Our friend Marilia put together a lovely breakfast after her husband, Al, left for work. She used local fruits and local products to create a delicious breakfast for our last morning in California.
Most of the breakfast items were purchased at the Berkeley Bowl, an amazing independent supermarket in nearby Berkeley. Even the blueberries and yogurt tasted better than what we normally eat in Philadelphia.
We love Acme Bread. How thoughtful that Marilia remembered. Interestingly, she served the bread with a lemon. Hmm.
Okay, the lemon was actually for the papaya.
The figs didn’t need any citrus assistance.
After the satisfying breakfast, we spent a little outdoor time before leaving for the airport. We love the fruits and flowers in the backyard. Apparently, the bees do too.
Did we mention that Marilia is a wonderful artist? She is lucky that Al set up a great studio for her in the backyard.
Light and airy, it’s a great space to create art.
Even the flowers in the studio look like art.
We left for the airport with just enough time to stop at Acme Bread in Berkeley for some bread for the road.
This bakery is a happy place.
We bought an olive boule to take home and enjoy later.
When we got to the airport, we found out that our flight was delayed. Though we weren’t thrilled by the news, we used the extra time to enjoy one last meal in terminal 3.
Once we decided on Chinese food, we skipped the standard food pre-made for the combination platters and had dishes prepared especially for us. It was worth the wait.
We came to California for a solstice wedding in the Sierras. One week and several excellent meals later, it was time to go home and back to work.
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About the Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website and YouTube. The married Food and Travel content creators live in Lisbon, Portugal.
Holly Rosen Fink
Thursday 8th of August 2013
I love your photos. What a beautiful day of beautiful food, art an memories.
Sean Breslin
Thursday 8th of August 2013
Wow...that bread looks so fresh!