By Kathy Chouteau
Approximately 300 people came out to celebrate The Good Table Café & Nursery’s “Grand Opening” day and Night Market in El Sobrante Sat., Dec. 20.
Together, The Good Table Café alongside The Good Table United Church of Christ, the Planting Justice Nursery and Farm Store and the Triangle Works’ Shed—collectively located on the grounds of the former Adachi Nursery—are bringing glad tidings to El Sobrante. Organizers see the café, nursery and community hub as decreasing social isolation by hosting a welcoming place for all to gather with dignity, according to organizers.
Rev. Dr. Melinda V. McLain relayed that “99 percent of people who attended the event said, ‘We really need this’ and were so happy,” about the El Sobrante destination, emphasizing the word “need.” After the pandemic and everything else, people are desperate to be together and this project provides an easy way for people to gather and meet their multigenerational family members, neighbors and friends, she added. “This past week, we’ve had lots of people come in with three and four generations, and one family came in with five generations.”
Richmond City Councilmember Soheila Bana and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia came out for the Grand Opening, according to Rev. Dr. McLain. “We cut a ribbon for The Shed/Triangle Works, for the nursery, for the cafe and for the church. So we cut four grand opening ribbons,” she said of El Sobrante’s latest destination.
After the Grand Opening, Santa Claus made it to the Night Market, which was complete with vendors and live music.
The El Sobrante destination is rooted in partnerships. Rev. Dr. McLain explained, “Planting Justice and The Good Table United Church of Christ have a partnership—that’s The Good Table LLC, and we own the property together. And then The Good Table United Church of Christ started The Good Table Cafe and funded it.” She shared that there’s another nonprofit on-site called the Triangle Works/The Shed, and the nursery is a project of Planting Justice in their farm store.
The former owners of the space, the Adachis, have had at least one family reunion at the destination since the new owners bought it. “We renovated the property on-site, [and] because their family is too big to meet in any of their houses, we have a standing agreement that they can come meet whenever,” said Rev. Dr. McLain. She added that they’ve included a mural of the Adachis onsite.
While the United Church of Christ fosters spiritual growth via services, ceremonies and gatherings, according to organizers, the café will help reduce food insecurity with a pay-what-you-can approach to serving healthy food, coffee and tea. Along the way, they aim to strengthen community connections among diverse people while encouraging living seed to table, existing ethically and caring for the environment.
Find the new El Sobrante destination at 5166 Sobrante Avenue at Valley View in El Sobrante.
