Keep Calm And Cook On
When you have been in business for 118 years you see a lot of things. When our store first opened in 1902, we were the only supply option for the people who had “country homes” in Piedmont. The situation changed dramatically in 1906 when people escaping the destruction of the earthquake crossed the bay to Oakland and they all needed groceries. But we survived that and will get through this too. We survived the depression and two world wars. We’ve survived fires and even more earthquakes. And we weathered the uncertain times after the 9/11 attacks. This time will be no different and we will do it because of our people.

To say we broke some records in the last week would be an incredible understatement. Through it all, our amazing employees have remained steadfast and dedicated to the community they serve. Some even volunteering to come in on their day off to help keep whatever stock we had on the shelves. It was exhausting and stressful but their commitment to our neighbors is awe-inspiring. And, I am personally humbled and beyond grateful to work with this extraordinary group of people.

I would also like to thank our surrounding community for making it easy to serve you in these past days. Through all the hysteria of long lines and empty shelves, our community remained patient and calm—even when we had technical difficulties with our pin pads. Every person who came through our check stands made it a point to thank our checkers and baggers for being there to help. Their gratitude and support made it that much easier to get through those crazy shifts.

Now we focus on learning our new normal. Here at the store, we have new business hours. We have signs posted all over the store but in case you missed it, they are listed on our website.

We will be closed tomorrow March 19th to give our staff a rest and to get the store cleaned and stocked. We will be open again on Friday at our normal time of 9 AM. We are hoping to be able to fill all of those holes I mentioned as we should be getting a big truckload in on Thursday…but we can’t be certain. The vendor warehouses are just as depleted as we are so we may not get everything we requested. We ask for your patience with us as well as them.

Since we don’t know for sure what will arrive on the truck, right now is the perfect opportunity to learn a new skill like, say, making your own pasta. Making fresh pasta is not really as difficult as you might believe. It requires only a few ingredients. Though, I will concede that flour could be an issue. (Cross your fingers for Thursday). If you are lucky to have all the ingredients, give it a shot. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect the first time around. Keep in mind that Italians have been making pasta for centuries without fancy equipment. Just elbow grease and time—which is something we have a lot more of right now. Clean wire hangers are great for drying your pasta. Give it a try or better yet make it a family activity to get people off the screens.

Let’s everyone just take a deep breath. Remember we’re in this together and we’ll get through this. Hopefully while learning new skills and, frankly, eating pretty well…

Fresh Homemade Pasta
Yields 1-1/4 pounds pasta dough
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis on The Food Network

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Make the dough
Place both kinds of flour, the egg yolks, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, gradually add the oil then 1/3 to 1/2 cup water until the mixture forms a dough (the dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers). Alternatively, you can do this step using a fork.

If necessary, drizzle in more water, 1 teaspoon at a time if the dough is too dry.

Knead the dough
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and knead until the dough is smooth (about 5 to 8 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Shape the pasta
Cut the dough into quarters and press flat with the heel of your hand. Beginning with the pasta machine on the widest setting, run each piece of pasta dough through four or five times, folding it in thirds (like a business letter) in-between.

Now begin adjusting the setting down (more narrow) each time, until the pasta is about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick.

Alternately, the dough can be rolled out by hand using a rolling pin. Cut the chilled dough into quarters and roll it out until it is a thickness of 1/8- to 1/16-inch.

Cut your pasta into the desired shape and use as needed.