On Facebook this weekend, Bernal neighbors Erin and Tim Archuleta, the celebrity duo behind Ichi Sushi, announced plans to close Ichi Kakiya, the Japanese-style oyster bar that opened last spring. In the post, they hint that a new plan for the space is already afoot:

It is with excitement and possibility that Tim and I announce that we’re transitioning ICHI Kakiya into a new neighborhood concept in early 2016. We are planning our ultimate service for the little oyster bar next Saturday night, October 31, 2015. We want to close this chapter doing what we do annually, dressing up in silly costumes; handing out candy to the neighborhood kids; and welcoming in friends and family before they head off to their parties.

We’ll then take ICHI Kakiya dark, but only temporarily! We get a few months to experiment with our best friends doing chef collaboration pop-up dinners. Many of the events we’ve done across the country have allowed us the opportunity to cook and produce meals in tandem with other chefs we admire. These dinners have allowed us to pause, reflect, and ground ourselves in our original intention as a restaurant family — We want to always create a little living room for you and your dearest. Whether that’s a sushi living room over at ICHI Sushi + NI Bar, or this next living room — that’s coincidentally pretty close to our own. We’ve lived in the neighborhood for a decade and we’re committed to our community.

Our team at ICHI Kakiya are folding into the crew over at ICHI Sushi + NI Bar, or else pursuing their own entrepreneurial dreams (we’re big supporters). We are grateful to our team who helped make ICHI Kakiya so special. We hope to see you before we dress up like cats and Dracula, but in case we miss you, come see us across the street at ICHI Sushi + NI Bar for sushi happy hour; a dinner with pals; your work holiday party; or even a Sunday Japanese Breakfast! It’s convening in your community and supporting your neighborhood gathering places that will keep our communities woven tightly with care, making them connected and vital.

Come give us a hug and slurp some oysters, we’ll tell you all about what’s in store,

Erin and Tim Archuleta
Owners and Partners
ICHI

PHOTO: Erin and Tim Archuleta

There’s a crowdfunding campaign underway to open a terrific new restaurant on Mission Street at Kingston in Bernal Heights, and it’s hard not to love.

El Buen Comer is the pride and joy of Isabel Pazos, a budding chef from Mexico who has been honing her craft at local farmer’s markets at at La Cocina, the local incubator for food entrepreneurs. She hopes to raise another $21,000 in the next two weeks, and here’s the story:

Hi, my name is Isabel Pazos. I am the owner of El Buen Comer, a soon-to-be restaurant in Bernal Heights San Francisco. Seven years ago I decided to follow my passion for cooking and turn it into my career as a way to help support my family. I began selling food out of the kitchen in my apartment. Before I knew it the people of my community became my biggest supporters, lining up outside of my apartment door waiting for the day’s offering, and I outgrew my little home kitchen. In a stroke of luck one night while watching television with my family, an old friend of mine from Mexico City appeared on-screen. She was talking about La Cocina and how they were able to guide her with the process of formalizing her food business. After that night, with a little push from my family, I decided to reach out to La Cocina. Fast forward seven years and something I didn’t think I could dream is now a reality.

I am opening my very own restaurant! Sometimes I can’t believe it… Nothing brings me more joy than cooking for people and very soon I will be able to start doing just that. With your contributions to this campaign I will be able to purchase the last key pieces of equipment that I need in order to start feeding my customers. In supporting El Buen Comer you will also be supporting the community around us. When designing our restaurant the most important aspect for us was creating an extension of our family’s dinner table. Our hope is that at El Buen Comer our neighbors will find a vibrant, comfortable and must importantly delicious space that they can visit often.

You can contribute to the campaign here. Still want to learn more? CAUTION: This video will melt your corazón:

PHOTO: Top, Isabel Pazos, founder of El Buen Comer, doing what she loves. Courtesy of La Cocina

Are you up to your eyeballs in surplus fruit from your backyard fruit trees? Neighbor Jaiya would like to help:

Do you have fruit trees that are giving more than you know what to do with? Would you like to see that excess transformed into something delicious? I can turn your extra fruit into sweet preserves or savory chutneys. You provide the main ingredient, I come up with a recipe, make it, can it, and share the results with you.

I have been a home canner and baker for years, and love sharing what I make with friends. Since I’ve been living in an apartment in Bernal, I’ve had to venture outside the city limits to collect my favorite fruits for my home canning projects. Meanwhile, I’ve noticed that there are abundant fruit trees (apples, pears, quince, figs, and meyer lemons) right here in Bernal Heights that are producing more than their owners can consume.

So, Bernal Neighbors… If you have extra fruit on your trees, let me turn it into a delicious treat to share with you. Just contact me at jaiyapie *AT* yahoo *DOT* com. I’m looking forward to meeting you, sharing recipe ideas, and enjoying the harvest.

Bon appetit!

PHOTO: Some jam and chutney made during the last few weeks, by Neighbor Jaiya

Neighbor Ben on Moultrie has started a Farmigo food hub in South Bernal.

Which begs the question: What’s a Farmingo food hub??? Let’s let Neighbor Ben explain:

Are you interested in an easy way to get farmer’s-market fruits and veggies (plus eggs, yogurt, cheese, meat, fish, pickles, jams, bread, pasta, grains, and much more) that are local, fresh, & delicious during the week, delivered to a drop-off point for easy pickup?

Sydney and I have decided to organize a South Bernal Farmigo community to enable anyone in the neighborhood (or others, if it’s convenient) to do just that.

Our pickup time will be from 5:30-7:30 pm on Wednesdays, which means it’ll be perfectly timed to get you through the 2nd half of the week with products that are comparable to those from a nice farmer’s market with incredible variety.

Here’s how it works: 

• Each week, between Thursday morning and Sunday at midnight, head on over to Farmigo’s online marketplace, where you can pick and choose whatever you want from the partnered farms and producers.
• When you’ve placed your order, your food is packed into a bag just for you, making pick up a breeze, even if you order from a bunch of different farms.
• Pick up your order at our house — 649 Moultrie St. — every Wednesday, from 5:30-7:30 pm.
• Your credit card will be charged for exactly what you receive after you pick up. Don’t worry! There’s a 100% money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy with the quality of the products you receive on any given week.

Interested? Check it out here. And you can use the code LOCAL20 to get 20% off your first order:

But be sure to get your order in by Sunday at midnight in order to pick up on Wednesday.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Is this a CSA?
Farmigo is similar to a CSA in that both provide access fresh, seasonal food from local farmers. And there *are* bundles you can order, including mixed produce baskets. BUT part of what makes this great if that you can choose exactly what you want each week — whether that’s a bunch of fruits and veggies, a pizza, a quiche, bloody mary mix, avocados, yogurt, or fresh ravioli. So it’s more like a farmer’s market with just an enormous amount of variety.

Is this a subscription?

No. Each week, you can select exactly what you want (and if you don’t want anything, just don’t do anything — there’s nothing automatic unless you specify a recurring order).

Are there added fees?
No. There’s no minimum order, no delivery fee, and no long-term commitment required, so just start shopping!

Why are you doing this, Neighbor Ben?

There are three reasons: we’re getting a small discount on our own orders (30% off), we’re keen to help more neighbors access locally-sourced, sustainably made food, and we’re very interested in seeing how this type of a setup can work, and if and how technology can help make local food systems more viable.

Other questions?

Check out our FAQ page here!

Want to contact me?

Email me here: south.bernal.farmigo@gmail.com