Live Music at The Annex, Friday, December 10, 2021

December 4, 2021 by The Natural Grocery Company

The Natural Grocery Company is featured in a new video sponsored by The Independent Natural Foods Retailer Association. We will be premiering it in The Annex, 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito at 6:00pm. Bob will be there to say a few words, we’ll have sparkling beverages available, food and live music from The George Cole String Band from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Come early for the music and stay after the video presentation for more music, more food, more drinks and gather with community.

SunJams is partnering with us to provide the music for the evening. Please consider making a donation towards their mission to provide music education in our schools.

For this event in The Annex Dining Room we are requiring proof of vaccination or a negative Covid Test to attend. All individuals must wear face masks while inside the Annex except when actively eating or drinking.

The video will be published on our social media for those who cannot attend the event; after the premiere.

Live Music at The Annex – Fito Reinoso Friday, November 12, 2021

November 5, 2021 by The Natural Grocery Company

Join us for live music, order a glass of wine and a pizza, get an early start on the weekend, support music education in schools!

For over a thirty years Fito Reinoso has made the Bay Area his home and is the only Cuban born based sonero in the area performing a variety of styles, from the most recent urban Havana grooves to “timba” to the classic son and cha-cha-cha, all with a voice reminiscent of the late and beloved legendary Cuban singer, Beny Moré. His dynamic personality and showmanship has led him to collaborate with some of the top musicians who reside in Cuba and the United States. Most recently, he has been in the studio recording his fourth album, featuring special guests such as Kina Mendez (Gitana Master Vocalist from Spain), Mayquel Gonzalez (Cuban Trumpet player with Mezcla and Irakere), Grammy-Nominated Cuban Bay Area vocalist Jose Luis Gomez, as well as showcasing young Bay Area talent including Patricio Angulo (timbal), Colin Douglas (traps), Matt Lucas (congas), Sam Bevan (bass), and Bob Crawford (piano).

Fito Reinoso relocated to the Miami, FL area after the start of the pandemic. He is in the Bay Area for a short visit, and we are thrilled to be able to share this event with the community.

ABOUT SUNJAMS FOUNDATION

The SunJams Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to use music to build healthy communities. They present live outdoor concerts as a way of bringing people together who also believe in the healing power of music. Their goal is to help fund music education in local public elemenatry schools because they believe that music education is one of the most effective means of helping kids develop healthy learning habits ans a positive connection with school.

In order to make this possible, they invite you to support their unique fundraising program that consists of backyard concerts. These concerts feature local talent and professional musicians playing a variety of musical genres. These picturesque concerts take place in a private and relaxed outdoors venue.

We also sponsor live music events in other venues in an effort to reach wider audiences.

Come enjoy the good company of friends, food and music while helping subsidize kids’ musical education!

SunJams a 501c3 foundation, (EIN) / TAX ID 47-4435137.

TICKETS are through EventBright

There two types of tickets:

1) SunJams Partner, with a donation to support music education. This ticket includes a glass of wine( or a beer), and helps support the musicians. $25

2) General Admission which helps suppoprt the musicians. $10 donation suggested ( food and beverages available for purchase at the Annex, seating as available).

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES

For each person eating or drinking inside this business, please provide:

– Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19

– A negative COVID-19 test result from the past 3 days

– Photo ID

Face coverings are required indoors unless actively eating or drinking.

Live Music at The Annex

October 28, 2021 by The Natural Grocery Company

We are having some live music at The Annex on Friday, October 29, 2021 from 4:00pm-6:30pm!

We are partnering with SunJams for this a rare East Bay appearance of the great Bay Area singer Lavay Smith, with Chris Siebert on the keyboard.

Lavay Smith and her 8-piece band, the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, have toured throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Japan. They have performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Jazz At Lincoln Center, the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Academy Awards Governor’s Ball and the Montreal Jazz Festival.

On Friday, October 29 between 4:00pm and 6:30pm, Lavay and Chris will present an intimate duet performance featuring classic jazz, blues and R&B tunes from the 20s through the 50s. While staying true to the spirit of the originals, they always provide a personal and soulful interpretation.

Please join us for music, perhaps a glass of wine, some pizza and start your weekend off right!

Checkout the Eventbright Link for more details. All Contra Costa County regulations involving being in an indoor venue where food and beverages are being consumed will be enforced.

https://www.eventbrite.com/…/join-sunjams-at-the-annex…

Corned Beef Plates at The Annex

March 17, 2021 by The Natural Grocery Company

Corned Beef Plates available at The Annex!

10387 San Pablo Avenue

El Cerrito, CA 94530

(510) 526-5150

The Bubble Sale

December 3, 2020 by The Natural Grocery Company

The Bubble Sale

Friday through Sunday

December 11-13, 2020

10% off any bottle of bubbly

20% off mixed cases of bubbly

The El Cerrito Prepared Food Annex

10387 San Pablo Avenue

El Cerrito, CA 94530

(510) 526-5150

Entertaining at Home

July 27, 2017 by WineAndBeer

I love entertaining at home. Compared to dining out, it’s more personal, relaxed, and affordable.

As a former restaurant manager and sommelier, I have a few tips to help you pull it off effortlessly at a moment’s notice.

Wine
I find it helpful to stock up (12 or so bottles) and have diverse inventory on hand. At Annex Wine & Beer, we offer a 10% discount if you buy a case or more. Couple that with some bargain items like our Closerie des Lys Blanc for $8.99, and you get great savings. That makes racing through bottles a little easier to swallow!

Wine Shopping list:

Copious amounts of rosé! Most are delicious with or without food. That makes it a great “cocktail wine” for impromptu visits from friends.
A yummy white to please your friend who just wants something cold and easy to drink. We have lots to choose from in the $10 price range.
An affordable red for those who only go for the darker juice. Again, we have a ton in the $10 to $15 range. And remember, you get 10% off if you buy a case. Mixing and matching wine is just fine!
Reds to complement grilled items. The caramelization that happens on steaks and veggies alike calls for Pinot Noir. Try the Domaine Girard Pinot Noir from France ($12.99), Klee from Oregon ($17.99) or The Gardener Pinot Noir from right here in Sonoma ($25).
Sparkling wine (Prosecco, Crémant, Champagne) to have on hand for a celebratory start to the gathering or mimosas in the late morning.

Our wine specialists at the Annex can help you curate a terrific summer drinking list with both familiar favorites and new varietals!

Food Prep and Shopping Suggestions:

These finger friendly bread based snacks are great for noshing at formal and informal gatherings.

Step 1: Slice 1 to 2 loaves of French bread (try an Acme baguette) into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

Step 2: Brush each slice with olive oil (Burroughs Family Farms Bulk Olive Oil is on sale right now. And it’s delicious!) or melted butter (I love how affordable and tasty the Cadia butter is)

Step 3: Place the rounds on baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees until crisp throughout and lightly golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

Toppings:

1. Spread with Coeur Chevre organic fresh goat cheese, orange marmalade (try one from Frog Hollow or Full Belly Farms, both are located right across from the cheese section) and fresh mint.

2. Spread with fig jam (Inna just delivered their black mission fig jam!), top with blue cheese (Farmstead Original Blue) and prosciutto (try La Quercia) or ham (I love True Story).

3. Spread with fig jam, top with goat cheese and chopped walnuts (grab a bunch from our bulk bins).

4. Spread with butter, top with thinly sliced bread-and-butter pickles (Woodstock or Cadia are both great choices).

5. Spread with hummus (grab our Annex made pre-packed Hummus), top with olive tapenade (try the Divina Kalamata olive spread).

These toppings are all items that are fairly easy to either keep in stock or grab quickly from one of our stores.

Here’s to happy, memory-making gatherings!

-Sarah

Ever Since 1982…

February 13, 2017 by WineAndBeer

We are celebrating 35 years this month!

As a token of our gratitude, we are giving away 35 gifts at each location (Berkeley, El Cerrito and The Annex)

The giveaways will take place in store so all you have to do is be there at the specified time. At the drawing times, a member of our team will invite participants to gather in a specific location, count each guest and put a slip of paper per person in a jar (one of which will say: “Congratulations, You Won”!). The lucky person who draws that slip of paper will walk away with a gift.

We are including the calendar here. You can also find drawing dates and times on our Facebook pages.

Thank you for your continued support of our local, independent, employee-owned business!

See you soon!

-The Natural Grocery Company

For official rules, please visit us in store. Rules are posted at the drawing site and in store.

Thank you!

Farm Discovery Day

October 4, 2016 by WineAndBeer

We had a blast visiting the McClelland’s Dairy Farm this past weekend. At an event sponsored by Organic Valley, they pulled out all the fun farm toys! We got to spend time with calfs, shake and make butter, drive mini tractors, play in corn pits and drink milk (lots of milk!). Check out the pictures for a diary of the day. It’s always wonderful to see where our food comes from. I couldn’t help but pick up a dozen of their eggs before heading back to the city. Their bird’s beaks never get clipped so they roam the fields and eat tons of bugs and grass…all the good flavor making ingredients that lead to yummy eggs.

Don’t worry if you missed the event. McClelland’s eggs and Organic Valley milk and dairy products are available at our stores.

Why Drive to Napa?

September 28, 2016 by WineAndBeer

Taste 30 small production wines at the ANNEX for just $10!

We are hosting our 5^th bi-annual Grand Wine Tasting and Price Crush Wine Sale. On Sunday, October 9^th from 2 to 5pm come to the Prepared Food Annex (10387 San Pablo Avenue) to taste 30 wines by artisan producers. The ticket price for the event is $10. This may be the most affordable wine tasting event in the Bay Area!

Annex Wine & Beer handpicks products to bring you clean, natural, sustainably-produced wines, a large number of which are certified organic and biodynamic.

If you would like to read more about us and other natural wine shops in the East Bay, check out this article.

Floral Design – Wedding Season!

June 23, 2016 by WineAndBeer

We love it when guests come to us for their important celebrations!

Recently, one of our wedding clients sent us photos of the flowers crafted by Jenny Barrett (our floral department manager) for their wedding. The shots are stunning and so are the flowers! It sounds like they had a fabulous celebration. Congrats to them and thanks for sharing your special day with us!

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We are celebrating 35 years this month!

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