Smitten Ice Cream + local food

Monday evening several dozen Bay Area foodies joined Savor Oakland for a special sneak peek of Smitten Ice Cream that just opened Tuesday on College Avenue in Rockridge.

Smitten is small, local chain of ice cream stores that started in San Francisco. One of the things that makes Smitten unique is that they make the ice cream on demand. That's right, they start with cream and other fresh ingredients, chill it with patented technology, and minutes later produce really fresh, creamy ice cream. I only got a chance to taste two of the six flavors, but the salted caramel ice cream was awesome, and the fresh mint chip (thanks, @eastbaydish!) was astoundingly fresh. And I generally don't even like mint ice creams that much. (If I've got to limit my frozen dairy intake, I'll generally go for chocolate, coffee, or combinations thereof.)

I suspect that the Smitten Ice Cream on College will do very, very well. While there is a Dreyer's Ice Cream Shop in the College Avenue side of Dreyer's headquarters a short distance away, they're not in the same league. Smitten has a limited number of flavors (maximum of 6; 5 fixed plus 1 seasonal flavor), but the ice cream that they make is super smooth and creamy, and extremely fresh-tasting since they make it on demand. And I think kids, foodies and others will enjoy the process: you order the ice cream, then watch as the ingredients are combined, not unlike watching a chef in a restaurant kitchen. And while Dreyer's may have started in Oakland, they're owned by mega-corp Nestle's now, and definitely don't feel local by any stretch.

Besides the sneak peek of Smitten Ice Cream, Carlo of Savor Oakland had also arranged for some tastes from other local food creators. We heard from The Cookie Department which makes great, "fully functional cookies", Chunky Pig, which makes (what I'm told is) a tasty bacon caramel corn, and Sugar Knife artisan sweets, which make great booze-flavored marshmellows.

More pictures from the event:

#MeatlessMonday, Food+Beer Pairings, and Local Love

Thursday I met up with Dan and Ashley from Bison Brewing, Carlo and Geneva of Savor Oakland food tours, and the folks at Forge Pizza in Jack London Square to talk about Meatless Mondays, food and beer pairings, and supporting local businesses.

Bison founder and Chief Hoperations Officer Dan Del Grande told us a bit about the Meatless Monday movement. The name started during WWI, when the U.S. government encouraged people to eat fewer key staples like meat ("Meatless Mondays") and wheat ("Wheatless Wednesdays") to help feed the troops in Europe. The idea returned during WWII and went through the post-war years to help feed war-torn Europe. The modern movement in the U.S. began in 2003, with the message of "one day a week, cut out meat" as a way for individuals to do something good for themselves and for the planet. The movement got a big boost in 2009 when Paul McCartney and his daughters started a Meat Free Monday campaign.

Raising cattle, pigs and other animals for meat takes a lot of resources and take a toll on the environment. One of those resources is water, something of interest to every Californian; raising a pound of beef takes somewhere between 1,800 and 2,500 gallons of water. Eating less meat is a way to reduce the impact on the planet. That's the main reason I've been vegetarian for over a decade. But reducing your meat intake by 1/7th is even easier.

Dan has been doing #MeatlessMonday for years, but that's not the only way Bison Brewing practices sustainability. Bison was one the first U.S. breweries to be certified fully organic (finding organic hops was a problem). Bison is also a certified B Corporation, meaning they have to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Next, we talked about food and beer pairings. It's not just the right wine that can compliment food; so can the right beer. Imagine one of Forge Oakland's margherita pizzas, accompanied by a Bison Honey Basil or two. Or a Chicory Salad and a Saison de Wench. All of the spec sheets for Bison's beers include suggested food pairings, and not just vegi options. I'm wondering which beer would go best with their awesome Cauliflower pizza—maybe a Chocolate Stout?

Finally, (all the while sampling Bison's various tasty brews), we heard the stories behind some of the beers. When Bison first went organic, the hardest thing to get was organic hops; that's part of why some of Bison's early beers aren't very hoppy. When they finally could get organic hops, they got a lot. And hence Kermit the Hop Double IPA was born. Bison has been doing different Saison-style beers each year for a while. This year's was inspired and created by Bison's Director of Awesomeness, Ashley Rouston (aka @TheBeerWench), based on Bison's farmhouse ale. Saison beers were originally made with whatever was in season, and in springtime that meant lots of flowers and botanicals. This Saison includes rose petals, lemongrass and hibiscus!

I don't know what's next for the #MeatlessMonday movement in Oakland and the East Bay, but you can do your part any day of the week. The Savor Oakland food tours of Jack London Square includes a stop at Forge Pizza; hopefully soon you'll be able to add a Bison beer to go with your sample, and triple the local (and meatless!) love.

love Oakland? Shop local #PlaidFriday

Ihope you're able to spend today with loved ones, and that you're not rushing off to the early Black Friday sales, or worse, having to work at them.

One of the things I'm thankful for are the wonderful people in Oakland, especially those that run small businesses that are the backbone of our economy and part of Oakland's diverse character. So instead of rushing off to the mall, shop local on Friday. More of the money you spend locally stays local (73¢ vs. 43¢ of each dollar). Show your Oakland love and shop Oakland.

You can even shop while you drink! Read more about Plaid Friday at the East Bay Express.

Bison brewing with Oakland-grown hops! - celebrate at Hops and Harvest

I'm a big fan of buying local, urban gardens, helping others, and of beer, so Saturday there's an event tailor-made for me.

Bison Brewing has been making tasty beer since 1989. Beginning in 2003, their beers were certified organic, one of the first breweries to make fully organic beers. Bison supports local non-profits, and are working on The Beer Wagon, a big red beer-serving truck, to help raise funds for even more non-profits.

On Saturday, Bison is teaming up with the Peoples Victory Garden for a fundraiser, Hops and Harvest. They're celebrating the release of a new beer, Oakland Hop Harvest Ale, which uses hops grown here in Oakland. (Cascade Hops, for those who wonder about such things.)

The event will include a brewing demonstration, edible garden classes, live music and various activities for adults and children. Food from Fist of Flour Pizza Company (who are working on a new brick-and-mortar location) and Rosamunde Sausage Grill will be available for purchase. Tickets for the event are $10 in advance ($5 for kids) or $15 at the door. Get tickets here.

If you can't make the event on Saturday but want to check out the beer, below is a list of locations that are serving it. Most are in Oakland and Berkeley, though there are a few elsewhere.

location	city
Ben & Nicks	Oakland
Cato's	Oakland
Commonwealth	Oakland
Hog's Apothecary	Oakland
New Parkway Theater	Oakland
Olde Depot	Oakland
Portal	Oakland
Rosemunde's	Oakland
Bobby G's	Berkeley
Beta Lounge	Berkeley
Freehouse	Berkeley
Jupiter	Berkeley
Saturn	Berkeley
TRex	Berkeley
Bistro	Hayward
California Craft Beer	Fremont
Whole Foods Potrero Hill	San Francisco

Check out the great article on Bay Area Bites.

show some local love for local food

Along-time part of the Oakland food scene is La Borinqueña Mex-icatessen, which you probably better know through Tina Ramos' alter ego, Tina Tamale. And by long-time, I mean pushing 70 years in the business—her grandmother and mother both operated it before her.

I've eaten Tina's food at numerous Oakland events, from the Vintage Christmas Popup to the Passport to the East Bay Wine Trail and countless street festivals in between, and in the past it's always been a table and canopy. But you may have read a while back that Tina purchased a food cart and transporter truck, to simplify taking her tasty tamales on the road and making them available around more places in Oakland.

And that's where you come in. Tina is doing crowd-sourced funding to help with the costs of acquiring the food cart, truck and associated permits. The campaign ends Monday, so you can still contribute. There are a variety of perks available as a thank-you for your contribution, including gift certificates, a limited edition t-shirt featuring artwork by Oakland artists, Joaquin Alejandro Newman & Eduardo Pineda of Forrealism, a special Underground Canvas dinner, up to a chance to name the cart!

One of the potential perks, and a fundraiser in its own right is "Tamales y Vino". The folks at Urban Legend Cellars and Tina did some careful tastings to find wines that pair well with different tamales. You can come taste the pairings; hear live, original music from Oakland Latin jazz group Carlos Godinez Duet; view an art show from Marlene White of the Hive Studios; and hang out with some cool people in Oakland.

The crowd-sourced funding campaign ends Monday, February 6, so act quickly. "Tamales y Vino" at Urban Legend is Friday, February 10, so you've got a little more time, but not much.

Show some local love for local food!

food: Caffe 817

Sunday morning I joined a number of other Bay Area food bloggers and writers for a special tasting at Caffe 817 in Old Oakland. I'd been there some years back, but I heard new owners had purchased it and it was definitely worth checking out again.

Oakland owner/chefs Emily and Scott Goldenberg previously worked at Zuni Cafe, so they're not new to the food business, but they are new to ownership. Because Caffe 817 has been around a while with a loyal customer base, they didn't swoop in and change everything, but have been making smaller changes over the past year.

owner/chefs Scott and Emily

At first glance, they're doing things some other new Oakland cafes and restaurants are: sourcing from local, sustainable farms; simpler menu; rotating displays from local artists; open, airy space with an Old World vibe to hang out; etc. But they're passionate about local, sustainable food. They know not only where their ingredients come from, they know the people behind them. The grass-fed beef for their homemade corned beef hash, for example, comes from a ranch cooperative in Marin county and a similar cooperative in South Dakota. The Gruyere cheese is made locally, and the coffee comes from Oakland's Mr. Espresso, and they know all the people there.

homemade preserves

But they go a step further than local and sustainable, they go slow, too. Rather than poach the eggs, they have an old Italian-made egg steamer. The orange juice is fresh-squeezed. Emily makes the preserves (which are also available for sale by the jar) and the extremely delicious chocolate chip cookies. Scott makes the mostard di frutta spread that takes 2 days to prepare, and the slow-cooked corn beef hash.

OK, the food is local, sustainable, slow, but how does it taste? I only tried the items without meat, but it was all delicious. The Italian steamed egg, toasted levain, and olivada was amazing. The homemade honey yogurt and granola was simple but flavorful and not overly sweet. The coffee (they roast it over oak wood fires at Mr. Espresso) was extremely good, and a Prosecco mimosa made with fresh-squeezed orange juice is a whole different experience than your average brunch accompaniment. And did I mentioned the chocolate chip cookies? K agrees they're extremely delicious.

Italian toast

The food is also beautiful to look at, as evidenced by how much fun Paula Wirth was having photographing it. Even the dishes with meat looked appealing to me, a long-time vegetarian.

In short, I loved it. I'll definitely be going back.

more pictures:


coverage by other Bay Area bloggers and writers:
(I'll be updating this as other coverage comes online)

• Zennie62.com
• Eat Drink Oakland
• food socialist
• KQED Bay Area Bites

If you're an Oakland Local advertiser and interested in a similar event, or interested in advertising with Oakland Local, contact Susan Mernit.

new books on Oakland

Apair of new books about Oakland were released last week, and the reprint of a classic on Oakland history is in the works.

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My Town Montclair is a gift from portrait photographer Reenie Raschke to her children and to the people of Montclair. It's both a snapshot of Montclair and its residents as they are today and some history, too. It's hard to avoid history when some of the people and stores have been around for decades. Rocky at the Montclair Barber Shop is pictured at work on the cover and has been cutting hair seemingly forever, and Sarbers Camera has been in Oakland since 1921 and the village since 1964. But things change; a then and now picture of one stretch of stores shows more than half the stores changed in 3 years. Similarly, Raimondi's Paint shop is long gone, Montclair Village Hardware is now over in Woodminster off Joaquin Miller, and Montclair Estates is moving to Piedmont Avenue.

A great gift for someone with a past or current connection to Montclair, the book is available at the Montclair Plaza Collective (where you can buy all sorts of other unique gifts, too) and online. You have a good chance of running into Reenie there and getting your book signed. She and her husband Greg started the collective in the long-vacant space there, and are hoping to make it a permanent fixture in the village and include fresh, 'slow' food amongst the offered items.

pictures from the book release:

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Oakland Landmarks is the work of Oakland historian Annalee Allen and artist Heidi Wyckoff, and is a tribute to Oakland's amazing architectural heritage. Annalee Allen is in charge of the city-sponsored Oakland walking tours and a columnist with the Oakland Tribune. Heidi Wyckoff is a Bay Area artist who has works hanging everywhere from local stores to the Smithsonian. From Camron-Stanford House to Children's Fairyland, they explore 35 landmarks around Oakland. Each is illustrated with a lovely watercolor painting, and Annalee Allen gives a brief history of the landmark and the people associated with it. Not all the landmarks are buildings (e.g., the USS Potomac), amazing architecture (e.g., Heinhold's First and Last Chance Saloon), or even that old (e.g., Christ the Light Cathedral), but they are all part of Oakland history. Oakland Landmarks is a beautiful book, and a great gift for anyone interested in Oakland and its history. It's available online or at the Montclair Plaza Collective, along with some of Heidi's watercolors and postcards.

pictures from the book release:


Speaking of Oakland history, I was fortunate to meet Dave Newhouse at the book signing for Oakland Landmarks. He recently retired, after writing for the Oakland Tribune for 47 years. Check out his farewell column. I think he's enjoying retirement, but I did hear something about some book ideas.

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Oakland, The Story of a City by Beth Bagwell has been out of print for a while, but used copies can sometimes be found in your local Oakland bookstore. It covers Oakland from the time of the Ohlone, through Spanish California, the birth and growth of Oakland, up through the 1970s, and is the book to read about Oakland history. As Living in the O blogger Rebecca Saltzman says, "it should be required reading for anyone who cares about Oakland." It's easier to understand where the city is by knowing some of where it's been. The Oakland Heritage Alliance is working on publishing a second edition, with improved images and an additional chapter to bring it up to the present. If you're interested in supporting the work, see the OHA website for more info.

Popup Hood grand opening

The Popup Hood in Old Oakland had its grand opening on Friday. Popup Hood is the brainchild of Alfonso Dominguez (of the bar and restaurant Tamarindo) and Sarah Filley, and fills some long-empty store fronts in Old Oakland.

Unlike most popup markets, this one (like the Montclair Collective) hopes to become permanent. Currently the shops are operating rent-free for six months, but the founders are hoping the shops are successful and become permanent stores. Current retailers include Manifesto Bikes, Marion and Rose’s Workshop, Sticks + Stones gallery, Piper and John General Goods, and Crown Nine jewelry. Part of the idea is that by having a critical mass of shops, they can help support each other and existing businesses by drawing more foot traffic to the area.

K and I headed down to 9th and Broadway in Old Oakland on Friday evening. When we got there about 6, there was a good crowd checking out the shops. By the time we left (after dinner and drinks at Tamarindo), the shops were packed. There are a wide variety of items for sale, including jewelry, clothes, art and bicycles, but the common theme is that they're locally and lovingly made. It's also great to see that part of Old Oakland filled up with people in the evening. Friday afternoons there's a farmers market that closes down the streets, and they kept 9th between Washington and Broadway closed for the evening. For the grand opening, you could get tickets punched by each of the popup retailers, and other businesses in Old Oakland gave various discounts for collecting them all.

Check out the Popup Hood in Old Oakland, and shop local!

More pictures:


Check out the great video about the Popup Hood by Eva Kolenko:

Popup Hood from Eva Kolenko

More coverage:
New York Times
Oakland North
SFGate
East Bay Express
Smart Planet

Vintage Christmas Popup

Miles

Another chance to shop local for some unique, vintage gifts for the holidays is going on right now (Sunday 12/11) until 6pm. In Cleveland Heights east of Lake Merritt is the latest of a number of popup markets around Oakland. This one is focused on vintage Christmas gifts, from old LPs (actual vinyl) to vintage clothes to photos of old signs. Tina Tamale (and the indefatigable Gil) of La Borinqueña are serving up yummy Tamales, and Monique of Semita Dulce is there with sweets.

There's lots of interesting, cool stuff for sale. It's even worth stopping by just to see the interesting art cars. Stop by, greet Miles Davis at the door, and hang out with some fun music playing.





More pictures:

shop local - Plaid Friday + Oakland in the Black

The Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as "Black Friday" (1) since the 1960s, and has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the U.S. On one hand it means discounts and new items for consumers before the year-end holidays, and increased sales for retailers. On the other hand, it's led to a frenzy of buying things we don't necessarily need or can't afford, and even the trampling death of a security guard a few years ago. This year, some of the big box retailers are starting even earlier, opening at midnight on Thanksgiving. Which means employees won't get to fully enjoy Thanksgiving with their families and friends, because they'll be busy preparing for shoppers.

One response is to shop local and independent businesses instead of at big box stores. Plaid Friday started here in Oakland, but has spread across the country. Rather than joining hordes of people trying to buy the latest electronics they don't need and can't afford, shop and eat locally. More of the money you spend locally stays local (73¢ vs. 43¢ of each dollar).

There are dozens of East Bay businesses taking part and even some places to stop for a break from shopping, like Actual Cafe, Caffe 817, Farley's East and The Rising Loafer. Actual Cafe will be celebrating the addition of Periscope Cellars wines and Linden Street beers to their offerings, and will have a DJ and be hosting a local craft bazaar.

A number of participants are part of different popup markets around Oakland, but most are small businesses that have been part of Oakland for years.

Another shop local event on Friday is Oakland in the Black. If focuses on downtown businesses, and features many of the same ones taking part in Plaid Friday. They'll have DJs, live performances, and food vendors from 11AM-6PM at Broadway and 14th.

Whether you choose to shop downtown or somewhere else in Oakland, or shop some other day, shop local and shop independent. Keep your money local by buying local!

More on shopping (and banking and eating) locally:

• new markets popping up for the holidays
• shop locally with the Oakland Grown gift card
• put your money where your heart is
• eat local for food justice

More coverage of Plaid Friday on Oakland Local.

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(1) It's interesting to note that the other meanings are almost all negative, because increasingly, Black Friday is viewed as a negative. The original shopping-related meaning in Philadelphia was a negative, referring to the large crowds and heavy traffic, and that part hasn't changed.

new markets popping up for the holidays

Marshall's Honey

The current economy has left a lot of empty storefronts around Oakland. Friday on my way home from Habitat, I came across a creative way of dealing with it, a collective popup market. The force behind the Montclair Plaza Collective is photographer Reenie Raschke, and she's hoping to make the collective a permanent fixture in Montclair Village.

Reenie ran a photography studio in the village for 12 years before rising rents forced her to run her business from home. After talking with other village merchants about the vacant storefronts, Reenie and her husband Greg Fieler came up with the idea of a sustainability-based collective market. During the initial two month trial run, the market has artwork and pre-packaged food items. They're hoping to get the necessary permits to have fresh food such as seafood, and to be a drop-off point for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes, like the Beet Box from Phat Beets. Think slow food and slow money.

The list of vendors is growing, and currently includes:
Back to The Roots
Little Paper Monkeys
Glashoff Farms
Origin Spices
Gypsy Blue
Marshall’s Honey
Montclair Skin Care
Heidi Wyckoff
MRCW
My Town Montclair Book
Handy Gal
Big Paw
King Bag Co

You probably recognize some of those, like Back to the Roots (aka the mushroom guys) and Heidi Wyckoff, the artist who painted the images for the soon-to-be-released Oakland Landmarks book done in collaboration with columnist and historian Annalee Allen.

Montclair Plaza Collective
Thursday-Saturday: noon-7pm
Sunday: 10am-3pm

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Another place markets are popping up for the holidays is Old Oakland. The Popup Hood is making use of currently vacant storefronts in Old Oakland. Such a setup is a win all around, as the neighborhood gets the space used, the landlord gets to show off a space that's not empty, and the vendor gets a space to use for a while. Current vendors include:

Manifesto Bikes
Crown Nine
Marion and Rose's Workshop
Piper and John General Goods
Sticks+Stones Gallery (@815 Broadway)
Turtle & Hare

food: B Restaurant

Last week K and I decided to eat out for a small celebration. Given the effect of #OccupyOakland on local businesses, we wanted to make a point of eating downtown. A downtown restaurant that's been on our "to try" list for some time is B Restaurant, on Washington and 9th in Old Oakland, so we decided to dine there.

I was a little unsure, because the menu didn't seem especially vegetarian-friendly. I was even more unsure when shortly before we left home I saw news on Twitter that someone had been shot just outside the #OccupyOakland encampment in Frank Ogawa Plaza. We discussed it, but decided to go anyway. I did modify our route downtown to steer clear of the street closures.

In any event, I'm glad we went. The service was great, the food was great, and there were plenty of vegetarian (though no vegan) options for me to choose from. The food was delicious, and beautifully prepared.

We arrived early in the evening and the restaurant wasn't very busy, though there was a decent crowd at the bar. By the time we left, the place was packed. It's a good sign for the restaurant, and for downtown businesses in general. The only distraction was the news helicopter that hovered throughout the evening.

We started with a squash medley and B Restaurant's well-known truffle fries. The squash were great, but the truffle fries were amazing -- doubtless not on our diet. For an entree, K had the petrale sole (after we verified it was Pacific-caught sole; Atlantic-caught is over fished), and I had a Caesar salad. I was excited about it because it actually had anchovies, something many so-called Caesar salads are lacking. Romaine lettuce plus shredded Parmesan cheese does not a Caesar salad make.

Short review: we'll definitely be going again.

shop locally with the Oakland Grown gift card

Oakland Grown is an organization for independent local businesses and artists in Oakland. Shopping locally is one of the best ways to keep money local—shopping at a locally-owned business keeps an average of 73¢ of each dollar in the local economy versus 43¢ of each dollar spent at a non-locally owned business. To make shopping and gift-giving locally even easier, Oakland Grown is creating a new gift card.

Gift cards have grown increasingly popular because they make gift-giving easier. No more wrong thing, wrong color, wrong size, because the recipient gets to pick it out. But gift cards can be impersonal: "I care about you enough to get you something—go get something from this generic big-box national retailer." The Oakland Grown gift card gives the recipient flexibility, but at the same time says "I care about you, and I care about the city we live in and its people, too—support a local, independent business." If you enjoy shopping or exploring Oakland, you could even join your friend or loved one to see what they choose.

Oakland Grown is starting with a small pilot program, with a few dozen Oakland merchants participating, but they're planning on scaling it up in time for the holidays. And if you're wondering, the company powering the card is an Oakland business, too. The list of businesses accepting the card includes restaurants, salons and a variety of stores, and is growing weekly.

Besides buying and using the cards, there are other ways to support the card. First, you can provide seed money to help get the program started. Second, encourage your favorite Oakland businesses and artists to join Oakland Grown and register to accept the gift cards.

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And yes, they're using a stylized version of one of my old sign photos, the heart on East 12th. I also used the photo in my recent Oakland Local article on banking locally, put your money where your heart is.

put your money where your heart is

Whether you want to take part in #OccupyOakland, or you disagree with the protesters, odds are that you're part of the 99%. While some executives from big financial companies may face charges and be convicted of fraud, odds are most of them won't, and even some of the other 1% are unhappy about that. Unsurprisingly, it all makes people want to keep their money closer to home.

I've written about shopping locally and even eating locally before. But another way to keep your money closer to home is to bank locally. Instead of keeping your checking and savings at a big bank like B of A or Chase, keep it at a local bank or credit union. Protesting against banks is one thing, but hit them financially to really get their attention. Individually, none of us has enough money for big banks to notice, but if we all invest our money locally, they'll feel it.

I'm not the first* to think of this, and plenty of others have done or are planning to do the same thing. Bank Transfer Day (on November 5th) is a rapidly-growing movement for people to move their money from big financial companies to local banks and credit unions. Credit unions have already noticed an uptick in new accounts.

It may not be as easy or convenient as banking with a big bank that has branches and ATMs everywhere, but credit unions and local banks are surprisingly well-connected with various ATM networks even if they don't have as many branches. It does take time and some work to move your money, but if you want to keep more it, bank closer to home.

I started** by opening an account at One PacificCoast Bank which is headquartered here in Oakland, and is partnered with the One PacificCoast Foundation which is the sponsor of the Oakland Indie awards. The foundation actually holds the economic rights of the bank, meaning dividends go to the foundation. Their mission is "to build prosperity in our communities through beneficial banking services delivered in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner."

There are a lot more options for joining a local credit union. Credit unions are not-for-profit because they operate to serve their members rather than to maximize profits. They have differing membership requirements, so you may not be able to join just any credit union, but odds are you can find one or more that you can. For example Patelco is open to people living in Alameda County; living, working or shipping in Oakland; or an employee of any of the 1100+ companies, associations, trade groups, chambers of commerce, or federal government agencies that use Patelco.

Tools to help:
You can find local credit unions with the Find a Credit Union website. The Google Advisor page allows you to compare checking and savings accounts (as well as mortgages, CDs and credit cards) at a variety of financial institutions. But one of the best tools is word of mouth: ask your friends which local bank or credit union they bank with.

Who do you bank with? If they're not local, have you thought about putting your money where your heart is?

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* Special thank you to formerly Oakland-based photographer Valerie Cochran who tweeted about moving her money to a local bank or credit union earlier this year and got me started thinking about it, too.
** Several months later, I'm still in the process of moving things. Autopay for bills is mostly great, but makes switching accounts harder. As does laziness, but recent events are helping overcome that.