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Best of the East Bay 2018
In light of recent upheaval at the Express, we feel more committed than ever to both diversifying our newsroom and celebrating the diversity of the East Bay. It’s fitting, then, that our theme for this year’s Best of the East Bay is “Diverse City.” (Thank you, Eddie Colla, for allowing us to use the phrase.)
We’ve got more than 75 Best Of picks by Express writers and editors that showcase the amazing diversity of our region. We don’t just mean racial diversity, though. These pages include the range in clothing between the Best Original Streetwear Emporium and the Most Inclusive Underwear Company, and all the tasty delights from the Best Cornbread to the Best Classy Bar Experience — whose owner, by the way, came to the East Bay from a Lao refugee camp in Thailand. The East Bay is full of such backstories.
Thank you to the thousands of readers who voted in the Best of the East Bay Readers’ Poll. This year’s results include plenty of old favorites as well as some first-time winners — congratulations to all!
By the way, our readers' poll winners for the People categories (i.e. Best Visual Artist, Best Chef, and Best Massage Therapist) will be released in our special People Issue on Aug. 15.
— Janelle Bitker- The People Issue — Image
- Best Graphic Novelist Fighting for the Underdog: Thi Bui – After publishing her hit debut, ‘The Best We Could Do,’ the Vietnamese-American writer, illustrator, and educator is looking to use her platform to help other refugees.
- Best Voice for a Radical New Future
- Best Artist with Something to Say: Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo – The Oakland artist and activist works to prioritize fellow queer people of color.
- Best Harbinger of Long Lines: Edward Wooley – Hundreds line up weekly for Chef Smelly's creole pop-up.
- Best Legacy Bearer
- Best Animal Rescuer: Alex Sanchez – The dog program manager at Hopalong Animal Rescue helps find homes for lost pets amid a raging fire season.
- Best Do-Gooder Business Owner: Menbere "Menbe" Aklilu – On her Richmond restaurant Salute e Vita's last day, she gave away every meal for free and asked diners to donate money to their servers. But that's not all.
- Best Follow Through: Brahm Ahmadi – The People's Grocery co-founder has worked tirelessly to bring a grocery store to West Oakland — and it's finally happening.
- Best Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist – Xiaojing Wang possesses deep knowledge and an empathetic, intuitive touch.
- Best Child Prodigy: Francis Lau – At age 12, Lau has already shared a stage with Devo.
- Best Journalist-Turned-Historian – Liam O'Donoghue's podcast is one of the best, most accessible platforms for learning about Oakland's history.
- Best Citizen Keeping Police Accountable: Gerald Smith – The longtime Oakland activist has been active with Copwatch, the Oscar Grant Committee, and Occupy Oakland.
- Best Town Representative in Hollywood – We're all proud to have Boots Riley repping the Town in Hollywood.
- Best Youth-Led Nonprofit: RYSE Youth Center – RYSE aims to build the next generation of people of color to lead Richmond.
- Readers Poll – Best Of People Winners
- Best Nonprofit Working to End Plastic Pollution – Story of Stuff
- Best Rising Culinary Star
Previous Year
Check out the winners from 2017
