Natural Grocery

Independently owned, organic grocery store. Our Annex serves prepared foods and offers a selection of wine and beer. Our florists are here to help you with fresh local cuts and dried bouquets.

EL CERRITO STORE
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
Every Day Hours
PREPARED FOOD ANNEX
10387 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
Every Day Hours
BERKELEY STORE
1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
Every Day Hours
Download Sales Flyer
Email Us
Join Our Mailing List
  • Our Stores
    • Our Stores
    • Sales Flyer
    • Departments
    • Calendar
    • Produce Notes
  • Annex
    • Annex
    • Sales Flyer
    • Menus and Departments
    • Calendar
    • Wine & Beer Notes
  • Who We Are
    • Who We Are
    • Resources
    • Eat Well
  • What’s New
    • What’s New
    • Sales Flyer
    • Calendar
  • Order
    • Order Annex Christmas Menu 2022
    • Gift Certificates
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Join Our Team
    • Hours & Holidays
    • Maps & Directions
    • Gift Certificates
Home / Archives for The Natural Grocery Company

The Annex Sessions: Latin Jazz with The Bob Crawford Trio

January 26, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Wednesday February 1, 5-7:30pm will continue our music series at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex). The Annex Sessions are held on first and third Wednesdays. The Bob Crawford Trio will draw from a diverse repertoire, weaving Cuban, Brazilian and Jazz. This ensemble will bring you individual virtuosity and group creativity.

The series is co-produced by Sunjams, Javier Navarrette Music and The Natural Grocery Company. 

The Bob Crawford Trio is

Bob Crawford- keys

Julio de la Cruz- bass

Colin Douglas – drums

Musicians Bios-

Bob Crawford was born in Long Beach California and raised in the Bay Area with his 12 brothers and sisters. Primarily self taught, he started playing in bands with his saxophone playing twin brother during their college years. After graduating, Bob gained experience in various Bay Area ensembles, playing jazz, funk, Latin and Brazilian music. In 2001 he was offered the keyboard chair in Michael Franti’s band Spearhead. Bob logged multiple tours throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan. Bob also recorded on several of Spearhead’s albums and appeared on a number of international TV programs with the band. Also with Spearhead, Bob found himself performing with a who’s who of international stars, including Tre Anastasio, Me’Shell NDegeOcello, Chuck D, Ani DiFranco, Jack Johnson, Robert Randolph, Woody Harrleson, Mixmaster Mike, as well as members of Ozomatli, Zap Mama, and Galactic.

Bob took a break from extensive touring to spend time with his family, and to pursue his own musical vision. Now residing in the East Bay, Bob continues to perform and record with a variety of artists, including Fito Reinoso y su Ritmo y Armonia, Mazacote, Boca De Rio, Greg Errico (Sly and the Family Stone), Ray Obiedo, Pete Escovedo, Lee Oskar (War), Lenny Williams and Mic Gillette (Tower of Power), Pedrito Calvo (Los Van Van) Richard Bean (Malo), The New York Gypsy Allstars, as well as members of El Chicano, Santana, Tierra, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and many more.

Recently, Bob has served as the musical director for the Latin Kings Allstar band, which features members from Tower of Power, Malo, and The Whispers. He has worked with the fantastic Alayo Dance Company and the Stagebridge Theatre Group. He has also worked for two years with the San Francisco Symphony’s “Adventures in Music” program, bringing music to every public elementary school in San Francisco. Bob also leads his own piano trio, and is founding member of the latin jazz-funk band Machina Sol.

Julio De la Cruz was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. In 1980 at the age of 12, he first began his studies as a musician, specializing in percussion instruments while simultaneously studying music theory and composition.

From 1987 to 1992, Julio participated in several projects and festivals in Havana and other provinces in Cuba. In 1992 left Cuba to perform on tour with the Puerto Rican Singer José Feliciano as part of the released production: “Calle Latina.”

From 1993 to 2009, Julio moved to Mexico, where he lived and worked accompanying Celia Sanchez, one of the famous Sonora matancera singers, along with Salsa Queen Celia Cruz. Julio then moved to Los Cabos ( also in Mexico), where he became part of the house band rocker Sammy Hagar’s club Cabo Wabo and accompanied American guest performers such as Toby Keith and Sammy Hagar himself, among others.

During this time in Mexico, Julio continued to perfect his skills as a percussionist but also taught himself to play the Piano and Bass, making him a multi-instrumentalist performer. In 2009, Julio moved to The United States, joining many bands in the San Francisco Bay area in California. Julio plays with the Pacific Mambo Orchesta.

GRAMMY nominated drummer/percussionist Colin Douglas was born in New York City into a musical family. As the son of a music producer, her grew up experimenting with many different instruments and soon settled on drums and percussion. He went on to study percussion at both the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music as well as the Manhattan School of Music, where he worked extensively in both the classical percussion and jazz drumset programs.

After college Colin became interseted in the world of Latin percussion and studied both in Cuba, as well as with many master percussionists in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has lived and played professionally for years.

Mr. Douglas has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians ranging from Latin acts such as Jesus Diaz Y Su QBA, Ray Obiedo, and the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet (with whom Mr. Douglas recieved a Grammy Nomination in 2013), to R&B and Rock acts such as Donna Summer and Slash.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Events, Neighborhood World Music Sessions, Special Events

More About “Moro” Blood Oranges

January 20, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Organic “Moro” Blood Oranges on sale in January 2023 for $2.59/lb

“Moro” blood oranges have a rind that is orange, kissed with red blush, and has a leathery texture, pebbled with prominent oil glands. Underneath the surface of the rind, there is a medium-thick pith that is white, spongy, and tightly adhered to the flesh. The flesh ranges in color from orange with red blush, to maroon, crimson, to a saturated, almost black hue, depending on the climate that it is grown in. The flesh is also soft, juicy, and nearly seedless, divided into 10-11 segments by thin membranes. Moro blood oranges have a slightly sweet, floral fragrance and a sweet-tart taste with notes of cherries and raspberries. The oranges with the deepest pigmentation will exhibit more intense sweet berry notes characteristic to blood oranges.

Moro blood oranges, botanically classified as Citrus sinensis, are an early season Italian variety that grows on a highly ornamental, evergreen tree that belongs to the Rutaceae or citrus family. Their color is due to a pigment called anthocyanin, not usually present in citrus but common in other red fruits and flowers. Fluctuations in temperature greatly affect the degree to which blood oranges develop their characteristic blush. Though the Moro can vary greatly in this respect, no other blood orange variety is known to exhibit such deeply red colored fruits.

Moro blood oranges are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, thiamine, dietary fiber and most notably antioxidants supplied by its anthocyanin content.

Moro blood oranges are both intensely flavored and colored, adding a unique citrus flavor as well as visual appeal to a dish. They are often used raw and can be sliced and mixed into parfaits, desserts, salads, salsa, and garnished over seafood and poultry. Moro blood oranges also stand up well in cooked applications and may be paired with sweet or savory flavors. Moro blood orange juice can also be served as a stand-alone juice, used in cocktails with prosecco, cooked into syrups, sorbets, marmalades, compotes, sauces, and vinaigrettes, or used to flavor cheesecake, pound cake, or muffins. Moro blood oranges pair well with meats such as duck, poultry, pork, and seafood such as Mahi Mahi, other citrus, mint, tarragon, soft cheeses, shallots, arugula, roasted beets, fennel, shallot, Dijon mustard, Greek yogurt, honey, rolled oats, pistachios, sweetened coconut, mango, cinnamon, avocado, ginger, lime, mint, and cilantro.

They will keep up to one week when stored at room temperature and up to two weeks when stored in the refrigerator.

Filed Under: Antioxidants, Blog, Organic foods, Produce Notes, Stores_both

The Annex Sessions

January 12, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Live music at The Annex, 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito will return soon.

Due to Winter illnesses and the rainy weather impacts to our staff and customers we will be delaying the return of these events. For now we plan on restarting The Annex Sessions on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Neighborhood World Music Sessions

January 2023 Sales Flyer

January 3, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

2023 01 January Sales Flyer

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Non-GMO, Organic foods, Stores_both

Happy New Year 2023!

January 2, 2023 by The Natural Grocery Company

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Stores_both

Happy Holidays

December 23, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Store Hours The Annex, Berkeley & El Cerrito

December 24, 2022: 8:30am to 6:30pm

December 25, 2022: Closed

 

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Stores_both

2022 Bubble Bash Sale & Tasting

December 6, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

We are having a sale on sparking wines at The Annex, 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, December 9-11, 2022. 10% off on single bottles of bubbly or 20% off on a case (12 bottles, mix & match ok).
There will be a tasting event at The Annex on Sunday, December 11, 2022 from 1pm to 4pm. Come taste Old World versus New World Sparkling Wines!
21+ for tasting and a $20 tasting fee. If you choose to purchase a case of bubbly, on Sunday, December 11, your tasting fee will be put towards your purchase.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Events, Special Events, Wine Spotlight

Christmas Menu 2022

December 2, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Order Christmas 2022 Meals Online

The Annex is preparing family dinners for six people (ham) and eight people (turkey & vegetarian) as well as individual meals (ham, turkey, vegetarian & vegan) plus pies and all the sides. You may order and pre-pay online for pickup at The Annex or Berkeley Store. You may also call or come in and place your order at either The Annex (510-526-5150) or Berkeley Store (510-526-2456).

Pickup day is Saturday, December 24, 2022 from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm.

Last day to order dinners and meals is Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 8:30pm.

Last day to order pies is Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 8:30pm.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Holiday Menus, Prepared Holiday Meals

December 2022 Sales Flyer

December 2, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

2022 12 December Sales Flyer

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Holiday Menus, Prepared Holiday Meals, Stores_both

Neighborhood World Music Sessions at The Annex, Wednesday, December 7, 2022

November 29, 2022 by The Natural Grocery Company

Last Neighborhood Session of 2022! Don’t miss out!

Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 5-7:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex)  – “Neighborhood World Music Sessions at The Annex.”

John Santos and Trio Colibrí (John Santos, Jose Roberto Hernandez, Manuel Constancio) with Special Guest Vocalist, Marina La Valle

Gorgeous Latin American classics and originals. Trio Colibri is comprised of three stalwart Bay Area musicians drawn together by a common passion for the lyrical and poetic music of Latin America. Using guitars, Afro-Latin percussion and beautiful vocal arrangements, they transport audiences to other countries, realms and eras, always with an element of originality while honoring profound musical traditions and innovators. Mambo, bolero, son, joropo and guaracha are some of the rhythms they use, igniting dancers and daring concert audiences to stay still in their seats.

Multi-Grammy nominee and San Francisco Latino Heritage Arts Awardee, John Santos, is one of the foremost bandleaders, composers, producers, percussionists, and educators in Afro-Latin music. Throughout a 50-plus year career based in the Bay Area, he has worked with acknowledged masters including Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Cachao, Eddie Palmieri, and Omar Sosa, and has lectured and taught throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America.

Jose Roberto Hernandez is a highly respected multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, arranger, producer, musical educator, and ethnomusicologist. He was born in the city of Cardenas, Tabasco, Mexico, surrounded by master folklorists. He is a unique artist whose devotion, creativity, and studies in the genres of traditional music from México, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Argentina have earned him great recognition and fan appreciation. Throughout a 25 year career, he has collaborated with countless respected artists from all over Latin America including Orestes Vilato, Jesus Diaz, Bobi Cespedes, Manuel Constancio, Marina Lavalle, Lalo Izquierdo, Kat Parra, Edgardo Gambon, Felipe Pumarada, Ernesto Oviedo, Pedro Rosales, Peta Robles, John Santos, Greg Landau, and Los Cenzontles. JOSEROBERTOMUSIC.COM

Manuel Constancio Jr. is an accomplished and versatile guitarist/vocalist originally from San Jose, CA. His 25-year association with the Navy Band found him directing the NATO band in Naples, Italy, as well as director at Treasure Island in San Francisco and in San Diego. He was the Navy’s first “minority” band director. He co-directs the band Sabrosito with his brother José.

Afro-Peruvian singer Marina Lavalle is one of the most distinctive performers in the Bay Area and one of the great voices of modern Peruvian music. An important figure in the resurgence of Afro-Peruvian music, Marina Lavalle nurtures a carefully crafted blend of contemporary and traditional sounds.

We are proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Naverrette Music.

SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.

In addition, we need to raise funds to continue bringing you this exciting new live music program. All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to our 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.

Javier Navarrette Music continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past 2 years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed. Most recently he has been curating “Modúpue Sundays at the Brooklyn Basin.” These musical productions ran from June–November 2021 at the new Oakland hot spot, the Brooklyn Basin, with internationally known, Bay Area musical legends.

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES

Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.

TICKETS

Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.

A SPECIAL NOTE FROM SUNJAMS

This series, Neighborhood World Music Sessions started at the #elcerritonaturalgrocerycompany’s Annex, in El Cerrito in April. It has been bringing shows by world class musicians to this community and has brought us a lot of joy to produce. With support from The Annex, a $1000 donation from one of our board members, and donations from the audience, we are very proud to have been able to share the gift of live music with so many.

Our funds are running low, and we need a few generous donors to step up.

We need to raise $9,600 to continue this series for a year. We will be applying for grants to continue beyond that as long as the series is of value to the community.

Our mission is to support music education in public elementary schools. We believe in supporting local musicians who are involved in music education and who have to make so many sacrifices to survive in the Bay Area with its many challenges to lower income and minority groups. There is no music education without dedicated musicians in our community, and we believe in fostering the live music scene to keep our communities healthy.

Please share this post if you have attended these shows, and please donate to our program.

Filed Under: Annex, Blog, Events, Neighborhood World Music Sessions, Special Events

Next Page »

Subscribe Here!

* indicates required
Email Format

ALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

OPEN EVERY DAY
El Cerrito: 8:30am to 8:30pm, seven days a week
Berkeley: 8:30am to 8:30pm, seven days a week
Annex : 8:30am to 7:30pm
Wine opens at 9am
EL CERRITO STORE
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
Seven days a week 8:30am-8:30pm
EL CERRITO ANNEX
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
Every Day 8:30am-7:30pm
Wine: 9am-7:30pm
BERKELEY STORE
1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
Seven days a week 8:30am-8:30pm

Our Stores

  • Our Stores
  • Sales Flyer – Stores
  • Calendar

Annex

  • Annex
  • Sales Flyer – Annex
  • Calendar

Who We Are

  • Who We Are

What’s New?

  • What’s New
  • Sales Flyer
  • Calendar

Eat Well

  • Eat Well
  • Resources

Contact

  • Contact
  • Maps & Directions
  • Join Our Team

Copyright © 2023 · NaturalGrocery Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in