Oakland To Get Shakewell: Second “Top Chef” Restaurant

Jen Biesty and Tim Nugent

According to Zennie62.com, Shakewell, when it opens at the current Mezze space at 3407 Lakeshore Ave, will be the second “Top Chef” restaurant in Oakland, and a sign that our city’s presence as a foodie capital is only growing.

“Top Chef” restaurants are those owned and founded by alumns of the “Top Chef” television show. Foodies around the World make special stops at these eateries when they visit major cities, and one friend of mine has a co-worker she travels with and who keeps a personal list of their locations. So when she’s in Atlanta, she’s already made reservations at a “Top Chef” place.

In Oakland, of course, the first Top Chef restaurant is owned by Preeti Mistry and is the Juhu Beach Club at 5179 Telegraph Ave in the Temescal District. Shakewell is the name of what will replace Mezze and is owned by chef Jen Biesty and pastry chef Tim Nugent.

Shakewell raised much of its funding via a Kickstarter initiative that combined 443 donors and took in $102,937 and during a 30-day funding period from Jul 23, 2013 to Aug 22, 2013. The hook? They offered food gifts of various types depending on the level of the give on Kickstarter.  More at Zennie62.com here: Shakewell: Oakland To Get Second “Top Chef” Restaurant - http://www.zennie62blog.com/2013/10/31/shakewell-oakland-to-get-second-top-chef-restaurant-98652/