Welcome to Foodie Fridays, our new biweekly report on the latest neighborhood nosh and local libation news in Long Beach, where every other week we feature what’s happening in the scene and the latest buzz in the blogosphere about the best places to eat, drink and be merry.
On Saturday, the third-annual Long Beach Vegan Festival will bring vegan fare and vendors to Cal State Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid. Art installations, earth-friendly merchants and more are ready to make this a family-friendly affair. Plus, a percentage of ticket sales will go toward providing vegan meals for those in need through the nonprofit Plant Based For All. For tickets and more info check out the Facebook event here.
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Cambodian-American Chef Chad Phuong will celebrate the first evening of Battambong Bob’s pop-up at Delightful Crepes Cafe on Monday starting at 6 p.m. with his own menu and, for the first time, an actual kitchen to work out of where he’ll be cooking up “a beautiful canvas of Southeast Asian and American dishes,” Phuong announced. As a food vendor for the last decade, Phuong is also raising funds to open his own food truck, and he held an event back in May, which donated half the proceeds to the YMCA.
“One of our values is to be a community asset—so finding the right community was crucial to the foundation of our brewery,” Ambitious Ales owner Garrett Carroll told the Post in an interview this week.
Ambitious Ales, in the aptly named “Brewery Knolls” neighborhood, is in the process of setting up operations in the building where Tuttle Cameras used to be (at 4019 Atlantic Ave.), and word on the street is they’re aiming for an anticipated end-of-summer opening.
Wolf’s Brew Coffee is the latest addition to Long Beach’s continuously growing collection of third-wave outfits, where the coffee, and the space you’re paying to sip it in, are carefully crafted works of art. Located down the street from Long Beach City College, Wolf’s Brew held a surprise soft opening last weekend, yet the shop won’t be open to the public for another few weeks according to their Instagram post.
BLACK, the Hollywood-raised skater bar that’s been in the process of taking over the building occupied for years by Paradise, is officially open, reported LongBeachize. This Long Beach iteration is hoping to be a draw for the city’s skateboard scene, specifically the one thriving nearby at Bixby Park, with co-owner Shannon McManus aiming to “incorporate some of the same vibes as our Hollywood location, while allowing BLACK Long Beach to organically grow into its own personality.”
Cherry Hill Skate Challenge Shut Down by Long Beach Police, But Not Before Crowning a Winner
In an effort to save Sunnyside Cemetery, a Long Beach historic treasure in need of some major TLC, Festival Obscura brought craft beer and macabre fans to the burial ground on Saturday. The festival’s co-founder Ryan Hughes said they’re still totaling everything up, but it looks like they’re going to get close to or make their goal of raising $40,000.
More than 40 artists, breweries and food vendors are now on a waitlist to set up at the next festival, while Hughes said they’re hoping to get a couple of sponsors in order to raise even more funds for the cemetery. On improvements to be made, Hughes added, “We are excited to get planning on the next one and will definitely have more bathrooms next time.”