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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Pop-Up Vendor Spotlight: Siew-Chinn Chin


Macarons by yusheng.

Siew-Chinn Chin's Macarons should clearly be on everyone's list of not-to-be missed treats in the Bay.

This crazy Malaysian cook has worked in the Chez Panisse pastry department for years, and sugar-spoiling friends and family for much longer. While she makes a mean organic dog biscuit and an unforgettable meringue, die-hard sweet-tooths will be particularly in love with her rendition of these French gems.

Queens of the Parisian patisserie, Macarons are tricky to make at all, much less to make well. At their best, they have a delicate, almond cookie exterior which gives way with crackling satisfaction to a melting, buttery core, ripe with flavor. Complex in texture and bright in taste, they are indulgence at its most sophisticated.

The next Pop-Up General Store, Wednesday, June 30th from 5pm-7pm, will feature Siew-Chinn's Macarons in Raspberry and Chocolate-Espresso. Don't miss out! Pre-order or stop by for your taste of heaven.

5 comments:

  1. Too bad I live in Canada. Although those cookies are tempting me to look for my passport!

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  2. i was lucky enough to work with siew-chinn at chez and eat her tasty morsels! now back in canada i too wish they were available here. come visit siew! xo jenn

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  3. hi jenn ... come down and make some with me!!! miss you in the kitchen!

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  4. As a resident of the neighborhood that houses your events I would say that even though great food is appreciated here I feel like your event has outgrown the area. After having the surrounding area disrespectfully referred to in the SF Chronicle as "an unremarkable Oakland neighborhood" you continue to draw customers who obviously have no regard for the families who live and work here and can not find places to park after coming home from long days at work AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON as complete strangers fill the trunks of their cars with your "tasty morsels". There has been no respect shown by Grace St. Catering to the residents of this neighborhood by giving any warning of this event or by yourselves. Even Bart has the decency to pass out flyers to houses about nearby street closings. Most residents of this neighborhood do not have the luxury to preorder such fine foods online and now we're just left with chalk messages on the sidewalk instructing your customers to preorder next time. I'd say take a hike and go back to Berkeley or at least hold a monthly event that you and Grace St. Catering make more inclusive to the neighborhood. There is a lot more going on around here than what you are hiding behind the red brick walls and black iron gate of the "Historic Temescal Streetcar Station". Seriously.

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  5. Hi Anon,

    Please email me directly at samin at popupgeneralstore dot com. I'd love to address your concerns directly and see what I can do to make the neighborhood folks feel more included in PUGS. We are committed to fostering a sense of community around food and the last thing we'd want is to alienate the neighbors. In fact, we are working on creating a business model that will allow us to directly bring good food to the Longfellow neighborhood, be it through donations or a partnership with People's Grocery or whatnot. I am well aware of the fact that our food is not exactly cheap, but you've got to understand that none of us are laughing all the way to the bank. This is a nickel and dime business for all of us, and most of all, it's a labor of love. We want to find a way share that love with everyone, whether they can afford it or not. I'd love to talk with you further about this and hope to hear from you soon.

    Best,
    Samin

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