Guest guest Posted August 18, 2008 Report Share Posted August 18, 2008 Over the weekend, I heard an icky " rumor " about Manzanita that they buy the worst possible produce from the -bargain bin- at the Bowl and they don't really buy organic. Has anyone else heard this ???? The person who told me is really reliable in the community... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Hi all,Amy, if you (or anyone else) has any real concerns about the produce used at Manzanita (or any restaurant), I would suggest calling and talking directly to the restaurant's owner. While I believe the owner was actually on one of our lists at one point (I can't remember which one), I don't think you can reliably expect an email posted here to reach him.Isn't there some type of licensing or inspection required for any place that serves food? Maybe the County Health Department. Get your 'really reliable' anonymous source to be a whistleblower and file an official complaint if its something that needs to be looked into.Cheers,Tammy Upcoming BAVeg Events: 08/23 Have a Heart, Go Veg Leafleting & Lunch - SF 09/06 Grass-and-Lake Vegan Food Party - Lake Temescal (Oakland) 09/14 Outreach at Solano Stroll - Albany 09/14 Food For Thought: Specious Science: How Genetics and Evolution Reveal Why Medical Research on Anima.. Sign-up for our monthly newsletter to stay informed and active! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 On Wed, 20 Aug 2008, Tammy, BAVeg wrote: > Amy, if you (or anyone else) has any real concerns about the produce > used at Manzanita (or any restaurant), I would suggest calling and > talking directly to the restaurant's owner. While I believe the owner > was actually on one of our lists at one point (I can't remember which > one), I don't think you can reliably expect an email posted here to > reach him. If an owner is indeed " cheating, " why would he or she admit to it to his or her potential customers? On the other hand, what can anyone working for the restaurant do to refute such a claim? Do we expect them to post their invoices for fruits and vegetables? > Isn't there some type of licensing or inspection required for any place > that serves food? Maybe the County Health Department. Get your > 'really reliable' anonymous source to be a whistleblower and file an > official complaint if its something that needs to be looked into. I would be surprised if the county health department enforces quality of produce issues, let alone any explicit or implicit claims that produce is " organic. " In my experience, they are more concerned about food handling safety and cleanliness issues (and are probably more lenient than they should be). -- David Benfell <dbenfell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 23, 2008 Report Share Posted August 23, 2008 I asked 3 workers at Manzanita, they said based on the boxes the produce it comes in, the produce is organic. George the owner delivers the produce on Monday and Friday of every week. one worker told me that: George's wife Michelle sometimes buy non organic fruit from Berkeley bowl and she will write on their menu board the fruit is not organic. (if they buy substandard produce, the chef can see the bad quality right away)(the public clears out the the bargain bin at Berkeley Bowl very quickly) You can't fool SOME customers if you serve non-organic produce, cause some people can TASTE the difference. Some even have BAD physicial reaction such as allergies (hives, puffy face, stuffed nasel, breathing problems) and stomach ache if they eat non-organic. The most SADDEST thing is, MANY MANY of the customers that go MACRO or veg has some sort of sickness such as cancer, tumor (breast cancer is very common) etc.. There's a small groups of non-voluntary vegetarians that have " health challenges " and that's why they have to go veg or Living Foods for life. If the food is not organic, it's not fair for the folks who's life is dependant on using food as " medicine " . I've even seen a man from out of town in STockton, with health challenges, order take outs a week at a time so he can be cured via organic vegan food. A lot of workers at Manzanita are very health conscious, that's why they work at a place like Manzanita... or they will quit if they see fraud. (ask a former worker about the rumours.) There's a lot of Manzanita staff turnover during the summer, so why not apply a job there and find out yourself what's in the fridge? Or better yet, ask nicely and see what's in the fridge? And don't forget to give a big smile and tip if they go out of their way for you. I know most of you will remember, but us veggies are sort of picky eaters and sometimes make extra demands. (I admit I am one of them) Everyone, when there's a rumuor, please do as much research before posting. Please ask an East Bay friend to go to Manzanita to investigate for you. Or better yet, spend time and gas money and drive over yourself. Even though Manzanita is proven not guilty, people might not be able to erase the bad image from their mind. Or they might told/exposed of to the results/truth/fact later on. Every restaurant there's usually problems that arises. Most of the problem is workers not getting pay raises for their hard work. (and many reasons) THis is all I have to report, I try to be as thorough/factual as possible on this report. winnie , " amylynncaplan " <amylynncaplan wrote: > > Over the weekend, I heard an icky " rumor " about Manzanita that they > buy the worst possible produce from the -bargain bin- at the Bowl and > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 a veggie friend who's a reliable source and well known in the community said, " I've seen what they pickup at Berkeley Bowl and the produce purchased by Manzanita could be a bit better... " == (below is my personal comments) All I know is the Weekend eat all u want Brunch is a bargain at Manzanita. I don't go there cause I don't want to eat too much and regret it later on. Going there, you can sometimes see people pigging out like they're visiting a pig's or cow's Trough (sp?) (feeding frenzy) == Speaking of eating I recommended to a staff member of Veg News to have a Vegan Taste Pavillion..... They can easily get donates and what a great wayto get people try vegan food! and gratefully pay $65 for it! If you didn't know it was sold out every tasting event. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2008/08/31/MN0212LNF3.DTL & type=food winnie , " sunny_outdoors " <sunny_outdoors wrote: > > I asked 3 workers at Manzanita, they said based on the boxes the > produce it comes in, the produce is organic. George the owner > delivers the produce on Monday and Friday of every week. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Hi veggies: Regarding organics: The last time I went to Manzanita, I spoke with Chris (who has worked there for a while) about the possibility of the food being falsely labelled as organic. He assured me that the food IS indeed organic, with one infrequent exception: If conventional fruit is used in the weekend brunch, it will be labelled clearly as non-organic. I have not been to a weekend brunch in a while, so I have not seen this. I have known the owner George for a few years, and I believe that he would NOT falsely advertise food as being organic. Regarding the quality/freshness of the produce: From my fond memories of the old Organic Cafe (which inhabited the site where Manzanita now stands), I do recall the food generally tasting fresher. But sometimes the food at Manzanita tastes really good, and Manzanita remains one of my favorite restaurants. With vegan food, I think it is not possible to mask rotten ingredients. So, the final test is in the food they serve. I find that the Manzanita food quality varies somewhat, which is to be expected for a restaurant that has a different menu for each meal, and a variety of chefs. In my humble opinion, the old Organic Cafe's owner, Joel, was very good at obtaining the freshest organic ingredients from farmers markets. That was one of the things that made the old restaurant great. Anyway, I am very grateful that we have Manzanita as a choice for dining. Like most places, there are areas in which it could be improved. But I hope that the "rumor" does not dissuade people from trying it for themselves. Good wishes, -Jon Spear (a mostly satisfied customer) http://ssg.als.lbl.gov/ssgdirectory/spear/spear.htm www.spearlab.com , "amylynncaplan" <amylynncaplan wrote:>> Over the weekend, I heard an icky "rumor" about Manzanita that they> buy the worst possible produce from the -bargain bin- at the Bowl and> they don't really buy organic. Has anyone else heard this ???? The> person who told me is really reliable in the community...> - Monday, September 01, 2008 1:48 PM Digest Number 2626 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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