Spoon University brings the best food vendors from the bay area to UC Berkeley’s campus for a day full of yummy eats before finals.

For my club, Spoon University at Berkeley, we planned a food festival for the last day of classes before dead week and finals! What better way to celebrate than with some delicious food from some of the best vendors around the Bay! They came from as far as San Jose and San Francisco.

I'm on the business team and helped contact and recruit vendors for the event. It was a lot of work, and at one point we weren't sure we would be able to hold the event because we did not have enough vendors to submit the paperwork on time. Yikes! But in the end, it was a huge success! Everyone loved the food, thought the event was well organized, and some people asked us if this was a monthly, even weekly, event! No, unfortunately, but we hopefully plan on having another one next semester! Shoutout to Jordan for bringing this event to life and pulling through!

Now for the recap of what I tried!

Rice Rice Baby

My second time having Rice Rice Baby. I first tasted their mango sticky rice at the Nor Cal Night Market and was hooked! I had to invite them to Spoonfest, and they were just as excited about the event as I was. Their staff is oh-so-friendly and sweet! They even sold out before the event was over; they were that popular!

I tried the DJ Custard–coconut custard and coconut chips atop sticky rice, finished with a coconut sauce. Yummy! The contrast in texture and sweetness of the soft custard and the chewy rice makes for the perfect balance of delectable-ness! The presentation over the banana leaf and the toothpick sign makes this dessert so cute and photo-worthy!

The Thai Tea was delicious, and all the members in my club that tried it were wowed, too! It tasted very natural and was not too strong. Mixed with half and half and topped with whipped cream and oreo crumbs, this Thai Tea was on another level!

Rice Rice Baby never fails to make me one happy, content, foodie.

Matcha Cafe Maiko

Matcha Cafe Maiko was very popular amongst the student body! The staff was so kind to our team-they offered us free soft serve!

Do you see how dark that matcha color is? And it's NATURAL! This is high quality matcha that is imported from Uji, Japan. The finishing touch of matcha powder sprinkled on top of the soft serve adds a tad of bitterness. If you love matcha like me, this is the place to get your matcha soft serve! So delicious and refreshing! The waffle cone adds a nice crunch to the creamy soft serve.

They also offered a hojicha flavor. I can't wait to visit the actual shop to try their Maiko Special!

Brittany Crepes

I tried the most expensive crepe (smoked salmon), whoops! It was delicious, though. So fresh! They make it on the spot right in front of you! The crepe is made with a buckwheat batter which gives it a more savory taste. The texture is not as smooth as your normal crepe, but goes very well with the savory crepe options (you can choose if you want buckwheat or normal batter). The salmon inside was flavorful and the dill added a nice, earthy undertone! They also drizzled sour cream inside.

The two guys working were mighty fast, cranking out orders left and right!

Alicia's Tamales Los Mayas

My new favorite Mexican food is tamales! I just love how the soft masa wraps a warm meat, or vegetable, filling!

I tried the carnitas tamale. There is also pollo, oaxaca cheese, mushroom, seasonal fruit, and even vegan tamales (for those with dietary restrictions)! In addition, Alicia's also sells corn on the cob! I asked Alicias which tamale she recommended between the veggie and carnitas, and she told me carnitas (it's her grandmother's recipe-how special!) The tamale was soo good and so were the sauces on top. The masa was just right, and the meat was so tender and flavored very well!

Sam's Chowder Mobile

It was quite a chilly, windy day, and what better way to warm up than with clam chowder?! The chowder sure sold fast! I tasted some and it was pretty good–wayyy better than that sketchy clam chowder from the dining hall.

Tantes

Tantes offers potato knishes: potato, spinach, onions, garlic, and spices wrapped in a light, flour dough. I stole a bite of someone's and it was yummy! I'd never heard of a knish before today! It was warm and I like to think of it as a cross between a breakfast burrito and a hash brown.

By the way, their garlic fries are bomb! Fresh and piping hot right out of the fryer and seasoned with delicious spices.

They also sell polish sausages!

Crumbwich•Silvanas

I first tried Crumbwich at the NorCal Night Market and was pleasantly surprised, so I invited them to Spoonfest! Their cashew meringue cookie sandwiched with buttercream and topped with cookie crumbles is actually a light dessert. It feels like you are on a cloud while eating it! After you bite through the top meringue, the sudden sweetness of the buttercream hits as you continue to bite through the bottom of the sandwich. Altogether, it makes for a very unique, yummy treat! They have different flavors such as pandan and ube!

The owners and family were so sweet!

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and came out to support Spoonfest and our wonderful vendors! It was a privilege to foster relationships with these amazing business owners. I can't wait for the next Spoonfest!

1st Annual Spoonfest: Best of The Bay