Poulet owner Marilyn Rinzler with new chef Rebecca Stevens. Photo: Sarah Henry
Marilyn Rinzler is that rare bird in the Gourmet Ghetto: a food purveyor who shuns the label foodie and shies away from fancy food. She doesn’t even like to cook much.
Back in 1979, Rinzler got the idea to start a food business when she was a busy graduate student in social work and single mother of two then teenage boys. She was frustrated she couldn’t find a takeaway place in town to pick up a simple, healthy dinner — say, roast chicken and salad — on her way home.
So the unlikely edible entrepreneur set up her own shop, Poulet, on Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley to provide just such a service. This was well before the term Gourmet Ghetto came into vogue. The deli, now in its 33rd year, is an anchor institution of that iconic food corridor, turning out made-from-scratch meals for those with who crave unfussy comfort food.
Rinzler, who lives near the Rose Garden, was so busy with her budding business that she never did practice as a social worker. But that training, as you might expect, has come in handy in dealing with both staff and customers.(...)
Read the rest of Poulet: Serving the Gourmet Ghetto for 33 years (846 words)
By Sarah Henry. |
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Post tags: Cafe Gratitude, Coffee, Gourmet Ghetto, Local 123, Marilyn Rinzler, Phoenix Pastificio, Poulet, Rebecca Stevens, Rick & Ann's, Venus restaurant
