Lamorinda Vendors Help Keep Selection Local at Area Stores

Lamorinda is one of many American communities looking inward, yearning for a return to self-sustenance, and, as it were, greener pastures.

But the nostalgic vision many of us seem to hold — of the corner grocer (the few who remain) as friend and neighbor who knows our name along with our favorite cuts of meat— may be a step closer to realization. A movement toward true local living is under way, driven in part by sheer practicality. Believers reject the idea of a 15- or 20-mile drive for hardware or food right along with their hourlong commute to work.

While high overhead and start-up costs can be prohibitive, local entrepreneurs still are fighting fiercely to establish independent businesses. And they’re getting creative about it, some producing goods right in their homes. Lamorinda Patch was delighted to find not one or two, but a host of locally or regionally produced goods for sale at our grocery stores. The variety is surprising — from honey and cheese to soap, pasta, even chewing gum.

Daniel Collier, manager of Diablo Foods, said “the slow food movement is positively booming.”  The family-owned store carries dozens, if not scores, of products by artisan makers within a 100-mile radius of Lamorinda. The goods by neighbor/makers include wine by Parkmon Vineyards in Moraga and gourmet cupcakes from Republic of Cake in Orinda.  Collier says Fra’mani Salami from Berkeley has a “cult following” of devotees. Chartreuse Cleaning products was founded by a Lafayette woman looking for safer cleaning products to use around her young children.

While Diablo Foods has long been known for its beautiful cuts of meat and counter-long corps of helpful butchers and sandwich wranglers, another local favorite rules the front of the store, stocking the produce section with fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruits.

If you're trying to time the arrival of precious Reed avocados from the Central Valley or want to know which peaches are best for grilling, then you've probably run into Bill Fujimoto. Diablo Foods' famed produce man was born to the job — his family owned the prestigious Monterey Market in Berkeley. The Colliers spirited him to Lafayette a couple of years ago, and he now keeps the mini farmer’s market outside the store loaded with gorgeous, ripe, locally grown produce.

A trip down the road and into Whole Foods and you come face to face with Tamayo family wines, made right here in Contra Costa County.  The Pasta Shop’s Three Cheese Ravioli is deliciously wrapped in egg pasta (Oakland). There is a lovely vegan Spinach Bolani made in Concord (East & West Gourmet Afghan Food). El Viejo Mango Tango Salsa from a Martinez maker is a patron favorite as is the Organic Peach Chutney from Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood. And if you have a hankering for gelato, try Bar Gelato Pistachio by Naia in Hercules (the pistachios are grown in Lincoln). 

While we can’t all produce gorgeous jams and make artisanal cheese, it makes many of us wish for even more local products and services. Community garden, anyone? 

For now, this list of locally made products may prove helpful the next time you're wandering the aisles of your favorite local grocer. Ask for them by name and perhaps the grocer will remember you on your next visit, and our nostalgic dream of shopping intimacy will become reality.

Local Vendors

Shelly’s Eggs – Brentwood
Soul Food Farms Eggs – Vacaville
Belfiore Cheese – Berkeley
Tamayo Vineyards – Contra Costa
Parkmon Vineyards - Moraga
Loree’s Granola – Lafayette
Thoughtful Food Granola– Lafayette
Cake Box baked goods – Lafayette
Aunti Gluten’s Baking – Walnut Creek
Rustic Bakery – Larkspur
Walnut Creek Baking
Torte Bella baked goods – Pleasanton
A Taste of Denmark – Oakland
The Pasta Shop - Berkeley
Steve’s Bees Honey - Orinda
Gelateria Naia gelato popsicles – Hercules
Bittersweet Origins Chocolate – Oakland
Frog Hollow Farm Organic Peach Chutney – Brentwood
INNA Jams – Berkeley
El Viejo Foods salsa & guacamole – Martinez
East West Gourmet bolanis & sauces - Concors
Fra’mani Salami – Berkeley
Sukhi’s Thai Green Curry Chicken – Hayward
McLaughlin Coffee – Emeryville
Tierra Mia Organics raw goat milk soap – Brentwood
Chartreuse Cleaning Products – Lafayette