Meet Eve Mezvinsky
For more than five years, Eve Mezvinsky has led tours for Edible Excursions on both sides of the bay. She even briefly served as a tour coordinator—so she knows exactly what has to happen behind the scenes to make a tour run smoothly. Eve also has extensive experience in the food, wine, and travel industries, so leading tours is a natural extension of her previous work life.
After stints living in Rome and Paris—culinary playgrounds both—Eve set her eye on New York City, where she first honed her cooking skills. She continued her gastronomic quest by working in the wine industry, spending time in California’s charming Sonoma County and Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley, where she developed a love for pinot noir. Eve then transformed her itchy feet into a new career path: For many years she organized adventure travel trips for folks around the globe. These days, she calls the East Bay home.
Find Eve on the schedule leading Ferry Building tours and North Berkeley excursions. She is especially excited to bring back the tour in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood, where guests will find local favorites along with new additions to this three-hour adventure.
What are a couple of highlights for you in leading Edible Excursions tours?
I love to share a neighborhood and enjoy some of my favorite foods and their back story. Some standouts include Berkeley’s much-loved Cheeseboard Collective. I am a huge fan and bring home one of their half-baked, vegetarian pizzas for dinner once a week. At the Ferry Building on Saturdays, guests get both a San Francisco history lesson and the wow factor of strolling through its highly-regarded Farmers Market, featuring the best seasonal produce, creative prepared food from chefs, and other enticing bites. It’s a celebration of local food culture and community.
On every tour, someone in the group usually has a great question for me that has me learning something too. For example, on a Ferry Building Farmers Market visit, a guest asked about the connection between soil composition and the growing practices at Frog Hollow Farm, which is known for its terrific stone fruit. In the wine industry, there has long been discussions about vineyard terroir and how it is expressed through the grapes. I wasn’t used to being asked about the same concept when it came to produce such as peaches, but it made perfect sense.
2. What kind of home cook are you and what kitchen equipment do you like?
I typically do not work from a recipe. Rather, I'll go to the market or look in my fridge for inspiration. Last night, for instance, I made romanesco with capers served over penne pasta.
One of my prized kitchen tools is a small metal spatula. Sometimes I find spatulas too unwieldy, but this little one is perfect for flipping French toast or frying an egg. I also enjoy cooking with a cast iron fish pan that used to belong to my mom. Cast iron is such a great way to cook as it provides a nice even temperature. I love cast iron for cooking vegetables too, first sauteing them on the stove and then finishing them in the oven.
3. Where do you like to shop for food?
Monterey Market is an easy walk down the street from my house. The market has such a wide selection of fruit—in the fall it’s my go-to for loads of persimmons and pears. At the start of the year, the variety of citrus is nothing short of amazing—satsumas, kishu, Meyer lemons—the market stocks it all. And, year-round, they now carry Wise Sons Deli’s babka and bagels—score!
I also frequent the Berkeley Farmers Market on Thursdays where some of my favorite farmers have stands. I particularly like Riverdog Farm for eggs and greens, Frog Hollow Farm for stone fruit, and Morell’s Bread for their multi-grain baguette.
4. What are your go-to comfort foods?
Grégoire’s potato puffs with aioli, Cheeseboard scones, and Michael Recchiuti’s peanut butter pearls.
5. Can you give guests a flavor of what to expect on the relaunched Temescal Tour?
The Temescal Farmers Market is a fantastic place to start tasting on our Sunday tours. We sample seasonal produce, Baja-style fish tacos from Cholita Linda, and enjoy one of the best pastries of all time –called a kouign amann—from Starter Bakery, to name just a few tastes.
I am especially happy to bring folks to a longtime favorite restaurant of mine, Pyeong Chang Tofu House ,where guest enjoy flavor-filled Korean food, including kimchi pancakes, hot tofu soup, and banchan (traditional side dishes).
6. What do you like to do when you're not leading tours?
My family can often be found hiking in Tilden Park in the Berkeley Hills. Post hike, you might find us in North Berkely warming up with some matzo ball soup at Saul’s Deli or sipping on a fresh green juice from Fava.
