Dear SaveCesar friends and family,
I want to thank all of you for your continued support. Our petition grows, we are receiving the most heartfelt letters, and we are still collecting generous donations. Below are a list of contacts, whom you should feel free to reach out to and share your concerns. Cesar is a part of our livelihood, and our elected officials and community members should care.
- council@cityofberkeley.info goes directly to the Mayor, each individual Councilmember, and the City Clerk for inclusion in the public record.
- rep.barbara.lee@mail.house.gov / (510) 763-0370 - Contact the representative of the 13th District of California if you have concerns or questions about the $8+ million Covid relief funding Chez Panisse received.
- https://web.berkeleychamber.com/contact Berkeley Chamber of commerce if you are concerned about (affordable) food diversity in North Berkeley.
- https://sbax.sba.gov/oigcss/ - SBA OIG Complaint Submission Form - If you know or believe that Covid relief funding is being misused by Chez Panisse. Funding which “can’t use funds on business expansion, according to comments made by the SBA during a food truck-related town hall last week”
- Varun Mehra at varun@chezpanisse.com who is the Chez Panisse General Manager. I’ve let him know that it will NOT be business as usual, and me or my immediate family or friends will no longer be patrons of the restaurant.
We are looking to expand our outreach by placing ads in local publications like Berkeleyside and Edible Eastbay. Also we would love to talk to any past or present employees of Chez Panisse. Some of the happy faces we were used to seeing over the years have moved on. Please reach out to info@savecesar.org
Finally, the first reviews of Chez Panisse LA spin off Lulu’s. https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/04/28/lulu-cesar-alice-waters-chez-panisse - “Found LA’s Lulu wanting when compared to local legends like César.” We don’t want your wine and welcome bar, we already have one. We don’t want your overpriced to-go foods and ingredients, we can walk a few blocks to Monterey Market. We want Chez Panisse to stay a local institution of culinary art and education. What one of our supporters shared, we want our Cesar, our “third place” of refuge.
Sincerely,
SaveCesar