NEWS
Temescal Works Voted Best Coworking Office Space
Guess who was voted Best Coworking Office Space by the East Bay Express? Temescal Works!
A big thank you to everyone who voted for us. Every year the East Bay Express features readers picks for the best people, places and things in the East Bay. We’re thrilled to be included in the 2021 issue. Check out all the Best of categories in the digital edition (we’re on p.24).
Black-Owned Businesses in Temescal
In honor of Black History Month, the Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District (TTBID) has put together a Black-Owned business directory for Temescal, with descriptions of each establishment and owner. Small businesses like these create the vibrancy and personality of Temescal and our support keeps the neighborhood thriving. When you’re working at Temescal Works, take a lunch a break at one of the delish restaurants (just steps away), or indulge in a Valentine’s gift for a loved one at one of the many retail stores.
// Image courtesy of Cafe Colucci
Now Accepting Event Reservations
We are excited to start accepting event reservations for events after July 1, 2021. The pandemic made it impossible to gather in person in 2020 — but as social beings we want to meet, celebrate, and share together. Schedule your event with confidence knowing that if conditions don’t evolve as we all hope, you can reschedule with us or get a full refund of your deposit.
Happy Holidays!
Shout out to Temescal Works Member: Joey Harrison
From the day we opened in 2018, Joey Harrison has been an integral part of the Temescal Works community, and a steady presence at our building. But the work he does extends well beyond our doors.
The Operations Manager for the Temescal Business Improvement District, Joey is also the founder of The Village of Love, a nonprofit organization that delivers services and support to Oakland’s unsheltered population, in addition to operating a shelter in Alameda. The vital contributions of this loving Village have made headlines around the bay. Read more about Village of Love here.
Earlier this month, Joey took on yet another role when Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tapped him to serve on the city’s newly formed nine-person advisory commission on homelessness. The appointment comes amid a deepening crisis in the city, which has one of the fastest-growing and largest per capita populations of unsheltered residents in California.
Joey’s work on behalf of those in greatest need has been tireless and selfless. As Thanksgiving approaches, please join us in wishing him the best in his continued efforts, and in expressing the gratitude we feel to have him in our lives.
// photo credit: Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group
We’re just a short walk or bike ride from your doorstep.
Live in North Oakland? Then you live in a “15-minute city,” where it’s possible to meet your basic needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride — like walking to a nearby office, getting groceries, going to the doctor, taking your kids to school, or running everyday errands. It’s good for the environment, and good for your health!
Back for Seconds: A Culinary Social At Temescal Works
Vietnamese summer rolls with crab and mango. Smoked salmon tartine with fromage blanc.
As good as all that sounds, it tasted even better, as you know if you joined us Jan. 9 for our most recent afternoon social at Temescal Works.
We like to hold such gatherings every now and then for a couple of reasons: to get to know one another a little better; and, quite frankly, to give ourselves a break.
Even at a neighborhood space that promotes productivity, it can’t be all work, all the time.
Credit for this especially delicious social goes to Temescal Works’ own Paula Silver, who organized the shindig. And to the generosity and talent of catering wizard Hugh Groman, who whipped up a menu for us that was worthy of the finest evening out.
The dishes noted above represent only a partial list of everything that Groman and his crew got going. The spread also featured artichoke heart and crimini mushroom frittata; sake and garlic-marinated chicken skewers; endive spears laden with gorgonzola and roasted beets. And on.
You get the idea.
We can’t promise that we’ll feed you like this everyday. But you can count on festive get togethers being part of the social fabric at Temescal Works.
We’ll keep you posted when we schedule our next one. And we’ll look forward to seeing you there.
Meantime, if you want to learn more about Hugh Groman . . .https://hughgromancatering.com/
Member profile: Ethan Fletcher
Name: Ethan Fletcher
Age: 40
Where he Sits: Traveler’s Desk. Ground Floor
Look around the dining room of almost any restaurant. Seems like everybody’s on their phone. Ethan Fletcher often is. Difference being, he isn’t playing Angry Birds or Instagramming. He’s actually working. As a veteran food writer and freelance editor of Diablo Magazine’s Food Scene section, Fletcher players the role of undercover Anton Ego (without the imperious attitude), covering all things culinary around the East Bay. Temescal Works dropped by his desk to ask about his (seemingly) enviable job.
TW: Food writer, eh? Sounds pretty cool. How’d you land that gig?
Fletcher: Blind luck. I was an assistant editor at Diablo magazine (in Walnut Creek) and started helping out the Food Scene editor after she saw that I was interested in food (who isn’t?). She and Diablo ended up parting ways right as the Great Recession hit. There was a hiring freeze, so my boss said, “kid, food coverage is all yours.” I ran with it.
TW: Then again, no job is every as glamorous as it sounds. What’s the hardest thing about the work? Any downsides we might not have considered?
Fletcher: Definitely a privileged problem, but sometimes I miss dining out without having to concentrate on what I’m eating. I try to bring my wife along to restaurants I review—I really value her opinion, she has the better palate—but I’m always completely distracted. (I take notes during dinner on my phone, so to all the world it looks like I’m the worst date ever). It’s also hard to keep the weight down…
TW: Your desert island dish?
Fletcher: The older I get the more I appreciate simple dishes. I’d probably go: Meat: Baked chicken leg with a dijon pan sauce (made by adding mustard and white wine to the pan drippings). 2) Carb: Spaghetti aglio e olio—chopped garlic and red pepper flakes, good olive oil, salt & pepper, and grated pecorino. (My wife adds a finely minced anchovy while sautéing the garlic. It basically dissolves into the oil but adds an incredible salty/umami punch). Veggie: boiled broccolini finished with olive oil and salt.
TW: A friend is coming to Oakland and looking for two recommendations: a budget place, and a blowout special occasion restaurant. Where are you sending them and why?
Fletcher: The bane of every food writer is recommending restaurants. There are many places these days and everyone has different tastes. That being said…
Modest: Teni East Kitchen. It’s a healthier, less-crowded alternative to Burma Superstar. Love the Kale tea leaf salad, pea shoot salad, roti, coconut bay leaf shrimp, chicken wings, they just introduced these spicy noodles that are great. Everything tastes light but has so much flavor. And you can still get a table without waiting for an hour. Honorable mentions: Tacos Oscar, Starline Social Club, Brotzeit Local. Great, unpretentious food and settings that feel distinctly Oakland.
Morning Joe: Coffee News from Temescal Works
True to the spirit of a neighborhood co-working space, we pour locally roasted coffee.
From the day we opened, we’ve been buying our beans from Timeless Coffee, which does its roasting less than a mile away, on Piedmont Avenue. Our members seem to like it. In our first year of business, we went through 299 pounds of coffee, or 6,578 12-oz cups.
As we move through our second year in business, our relationship with Timeless continues. But we’re also keen on supporting other roasters in our midst. Over the past month, you might have noticed a different flavor profile when you poured yourself a cup o’ joe. That’s because we devoted three days in August to showcasing coffee from Oakland-based RoastCo. It’s part of our effort to spread the love to local businesses, and to give you a taste of all that’s out there.
In the coming months, we’ll be keeping it up by bringing in beans from other local roasters, including Red Bay, Highwire and Mr. Expresso.
We’d love to hear your feedback. Do you have a favorite style of coffee? A favorite local roaster? Let us know, and we’ll suss them out.
Thanks, as always, Team Temescal Works
Temescal Woofs: The Furry Faces of Our Pet-Friendly Co-Working Space
The dog days of summer are upon us, and we mean that in a good way.
One look around our building will underscore the point.
On many mornings, seated at the front desk alongside Sara, you’ll see the friendly face of Lola, a terrier mix of some sort (we’re assuming) with the sweetest disposition you could imagine. Sara and her family adopted her from the Milo Foundation, and now Lola is part of the family at Temescal Works, the most recent addition to a posse of seven dogs that make regular appearances with their owner/members. (We also get the occasional doggie drop-in)
We like it that way. Our co-working space has been pet-friendly from the start, so long as the pets are co-working-friendly in return. All the dogs we’ve welcomed thus far fit that bill.
It’s all part of our effort to provide you with a comfortable and welcoming environment that’s flexibly suited to your lifestyle.
LOLA ROGER UNKNOWN DAY PASS USER
MEETING ROOM GUEST TYKE PING
RIGGINS REX BEAN
Building Hours
Mon-Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm
24/7 Access for Members
Tel > 510-454-9509
Email > hello@temescalworks.com