Tag Archives: Berkeley

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (Berkeley)

Edit 29 January, 2009: Hershey’s announced that they were going to close the Scharffen Berger factory down in West Berkeley, fire their workers, and move production to a plant in Illinois. It looks like they’ve already shut down the factory tour, as a visit to that website just redirects to Hershey’s homepage. Get your California-made Scharffen Berger chocolates while you still can!


As a small kid growing up in America, I only knew two chocolates: Hershey’s and Nestle. Both were milk chocolate, and both were (to me) just okay. Early on, I found that I preferred the Hershey’s “Special Dark” brand of chocolate candy, just because of that slight bitter tang. Ever since then, I’ve always gone for dark chocolate over milk.

Annie is an avowed chocoholic. She introduced me to fine, European-style milk chocolates such as Lindt and Cadbury (the ones that are actually made in Europe, not the American-made ones). Those were good, but I still preferred dark.

Today we went to the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker factory in Berkeley to take their factory tour. (If you’ve not heard of Scharffen Berger before, they are a very popular maker of “artisanal” chocolates, specializing in dark chocolate.) Unlike the “Willy Wonka” factory, you don’t need to have a golden ticket to get in. Just make a reservation online, and show up 10 minutes before your scheduled start time. It’s totally free!

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (Berkeley)

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker (Berkeley)

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Exploring the Myth of Chez Panisse

Chez Panisse, the Legendary Restaurant in Berkeley

Chez Panisse, the Legendary Restaurant in Berkeley

I knew about Chez Panisse even before I heard of the French Laundry. Chez Panisse is a legendary restaurant, known as one of the innovators of "California Cuisine" which took French techniques and applied them to local, seasonal ingredients found in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has earned countless awards, including being named among the top 50 restaurants in the world and being given a prestigious star rating in the Michelin Guide. It even has it’s own Wikipedia article.

Chez Panisse’s owner, Alice Waters, is a high priestess in the Slow Food Movement. Its alumni include some of the most celebrated chefs on the West Coast. Jeremiah Tower of Stars, Judy Rogers of Zuni Cafe, and Peggy Smith of Cowgirl Creamery all worked the venerated kitchens of Chez Panisse.

The Open Kitchen at Chez Panisse

The Open Kitchen at Chez Panisse

Heads of state dine at Chez Panisse. But in all our time in the Bay Area, we’ve not gone. Until now. Tonight, Annie and I visited this restaurant for the first time, in celebration of our wedding anniversary. Is Chez Panisse really worth it?

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