Berkeley Dine Out For an Edible Education

We're lucky here in Berkeley that we have so many fabulous restaurants, cafes, bakeries, farmers markets and take out places to eat at.

While dining out in Berkeley always means that you're in store for something delicious, today dining out in Berkeley also means you're helping out thousands of students throughout Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD).

At present fourteen schools (from pre-K through to high school) across BUSD receive federal funding to support Berkeley's well known Edible Schoolyard program. The Edible Schoolyard program provides children in public schools the opportunity to learn about food and nutrition by growing and cooking fruits and vegetables themselves. It's an important program and one that is at risk of being lost.

As of this October, BUSD will be losing all of its federal funding (approximately $1.9million) to run the Edible Schoolyard program. Without this funding the program can not continue to operate.

For today only a large number of Berkeley's restaurants, cafes, bakeries, pizzerias, take out joints and coffee spots will be taking part in Berkeley Dine Out. These establishments will be donating a percentage of their sales for the day to help keep the program alive. If you're in the Bay Area please help out by dining at one of the participating eateries.

You can find out more about Berkeley Dine Out, including a full list of participating eateries, at their website: http://berkeleydineout.com

To whet your appetite here's a look at how we're helping the cause by eating around Berkeley today...

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After dropping Ava off at school Lola and I headed straight to The Cheese Board, the first on our list of Berkeley eateries to visit today. Being Thursday, it's our favourite day to visit The Cheese Board: Asiago Schtick Day! Oh how we wish they made asiago schticks everyday. They're one of favourites.

We also grabbed a copy of The Cheese Board's book "The Cheese Board Collective Works". I've been meaning to get a copy for a while and today seemed like the best time to pick one up.

Here's Lola picking out and paying for our asiago schticks.

Mmm... asiago schticks

This one looks good

Carefully using the paper to pick up the bread

Four asiago schticks please!

Lola with her bag of goodies

Onto our next stop, Cafe Clem.

Cafe Clem is another one of our favourite places in Berkeley. Brunch at Cafe Clem is becoming something of a habit amongst our friends! A gorgeous French style cafe with delicious croissants, macarons, croc monsieur, tarts and pastries all washed down with a cafe au lait or hot chocolate served French style in a bowl. Ooh la la!

Today the girls and I treated ourselves to macarons after Ava's swimming lesson. I had hoped to get myself one of those delicious coffees in a bowl but unfortunately we arrived just as they were closing so I missed out. Never mind. At least we got our macarons.

Ava and Lola in Cafe Clem (they were closing up so everything was covered in cling wrap)

Hmm... what to chose?

A salted caramel macaron and a passionfruit macaron, please

Lola eating her macaron

Macarons are so good

For dinner we visited our favourite burger place in Berkeley, Phil's Sliders.

Those little, tiny burgers are so good. I can never decide between the beef or the portobello mushroom burger but luckily they're small enough to have one of each. With a side of potato tots, of course.

The girls love the chalkboard wall at Phil's Sliders and as usual they spent quite a bit of time drawing on it. Well, Ava drew pictures of sliders and shakes and Lola came along and drew lines through them afterwards. Artistic differences!

One portobello mushroom slider, one beef slider and one home made cream soda

Ava takes a bite...

... and a sip of milk

Check out Ava's potato tot Stonehenge!

Time for a little drawing on the chalkboard

Lola draws through Ava's picture

Drawing together

There's still a little time left to get out there and support local schools by dining in Berkeley.

Go on, you know you're hungry!