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Hiya neighbors! So excited to share our conversation with Nadia Wit + Mark Sethi, owners of the most charming restaurant on Divisadero - That’s My Jam (324 Divisadero St between Page and Oak)!

Nadia + Mark have poured themselves into every inch of their space, from Mark’s incredible, labor-intensive menu, to the hand built dining room + parklet, to Nadia’s interior design flourishes, and so much more! It’s the kind of place that makes me love living in San Francisco - a space that is personal, inviting, and brimming with passion. You’re not gonna want to miss this story.

Check them out every Friday - Sunday from 9AM to 3PM, and tell them the Forever Neighbor family sent you! Can’t wait to collaborate with them later this year!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Good morning neighbors, and welcome to Season 3 of the Forever Neighbor Podcast!

We are delighted to share our conversation with Reem Assil, founder of nationally-acclaimed Reem’s California (2901 Mission St @ 25th St), an Arab bakery and restaurant that builds community across cultures and experiences through the warmth of Arab bread and hospitality.

Her team recently announced their next venture: a flagship bakery and cafe in Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. In keeping with her community oriented values, Reem has pioneered a decolonized funding model in partnership with WeFunder, inviting members of her community to invest as little as $100 to bring her new concept to life, and help reshape this historic Oakland neighborhood.

Many people know Reem from her incredible restaurants, multiple James Beard award nominations, or her IACP award-winning cookbook Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora (2022). Amidst all these achievements, what sticks out most to us is Reem’s humanity, warmth, humility, leadership, and vulnerability. 

The Bay Area is so lucky to have her, and we are so grateful she agreed to sit down with us.

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Hey neighbors! You asked for it, so here it is! Our executive producer Daniel Blacktree sat down with Ramzi to talk about the milestones that got us here, and where we’re headed as a growing podcast community!

Season 3 premieres NEXT WEEK and we have some INCREDIBLE guests lined up! Stay tuned and happy July!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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We are so grateful for all the incredible entrepreneurs, creatives, and community members that brought our Season 2 Wrap Party to life! Special shoutout to the Square team for the financial + production support. To Dario + Mo for being the most amazing hosts, Emma + Justin for connecting us with the band and incredible flyer artist (not to mention their delicious oysters), to Eileen + Johnathan for the beautiful espresso cart, and to Sam + the Bi-Rite family for those AMAZING desserts.

We love our community and CAN'T WAIT to host more events this year!

Tune in next week for a State of the Store Update, followed by the premiere of Season 3 in the middle of July!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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I am struggling to put into words the excitement and awe I feel in reliving my conversation with Sam Mogannam, second-generation owner of Bi-Rite Market and founder of the Bi-Rite Family of Businesses.

Sam embodies every value I want to live by (both personally and professionally), and has built a company that spreads love, integrity, and passion in every interaction. I'm only two and half years into my journey as an entrepreneur, and am very much in the thick of it, so it's hard to imagine a world in which I have the resources to show up for my community without fear or compromise. My conversation with Sam was a reminder that everything takes time - you just have to keep showing up!

Many thanks to Sam, Sarah and the rest of the team at Bi-Rite for opening their stores to us and sharing so many incredible insights. We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the team at Square for all the support this season. To Dario, Eileen, Emma + Justin for trusting us to share their stories. To Daniel Blacktree, editor extraordinaire and dear friend. To Kalea Vandeventer, our amazing photographer. And to each and every one of you for being a part of this project. We couldn't have done all this without your support.

We'll be sharing a little update on the shop next week, and then we'll be back with Season 3 on July 8th, with new interviews planned out every week through the end of the year!

Thanks again, and see you around the neighborhood.

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Happy Tuesday neighbors!

You can't tell the story of community building in the Bay Area without highlighting the incredible pop-ups that bring so much creativity and accessibility to our food scene.

Enter LO-FI OYSTER CO, founded by Dolores Deluxe alumnus Emma Thomas-Sand + her partner Justin Esposito. LO-FI OYSTER CO. is an entertainment based event at the intersection of Ambient & Straight Ahead Jazz, Natural Wine, and Oysters focusing on bridging the gap between experimental music, visual art, wine making, & culinary communities as well as providing a gateway for these networks to reach and embrace new audiences, friends, and patrons.

Founded in 2023, LO-FI OYSTER CO. was a passion project centered around connecting with jazz, food, & wine communities in the Bay Area. What started as an Oyster Shuck at local bottle shops and grocery stores has quickly developed into a natural wine and improvised music destination around the Bay Area (and even New York City)! 

I am so proud of Emma + Justin, and am grateful to be able to share their incredible vision. They'll be shucking oysters at our wrap party on June 29th at Studio Aurora, so come say hi!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Happy Tuesday everyone, and welcome back to the Forever Neighbor Podcast - this season brought to you by Square! 

We are honored to welcome founder and CEO of Ritusl Coffee, Eileen Rinaldi, to the pod this week! Eileen and her team are celebrating 20 years of Ritual (!!!), a brand that pioneered third wave coffee in San Francisco, and started right here in the Mission at 1026 Valencia!

I was amazed to hear about their incredible growth in the early years, their journey as a roasting business, and their recent expansion into San Francisco International Airport (the first and only quality latte I’ve had at any airport, by the way).

Eileen’s passion for coffee and community is infectious, and reminded me to lean into what actually excites me about the work I’m doing at DD. I’m humbled to call her a mentor, and grateful to call her a neighbor.

Thanks for listening! If you want to support the podcast, please subscribe/download your episodes, leave us a review, or share this post on social media. Love you and see you next week!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Hello neighbors, and welcome back to the Forever Neighbor Podcast - this season brought to you by Square!

Our first episode of the season features renowned chef + entrepreneur Dario Barbone - founder of Alimentari Aurora and the recently opened Studio Aurora (located at 302 Valencia St. + 14th in the Mission District of San Francisco). 

Studio Aurora has very quickly become my favorite new business in SF, thanks to Dario's impeccable taste in food, wine, art, and people. His partnership with Fault Radio, which broadcasts live from Studio's mezzanine, brings so much life to the vaulted space, making it the perfect environment to let your guard down and meet your neighbors.

We are so lucky to have Dario in our backyard, and thank him and his team for bringing endless joy + creativity to the Mission. Make sure to pay him a visit, and share this podcast with fellow neighbors who want to learn more about the people behind this city's incredible businesses!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Time to let the cat out of the bag!

We are thrilled to be working with Square to bring you Season 2 of the Forever Neighbor Podcast - with our first episode premiering TOMORROW, June 3rd at 7AM PST!

We are so grateful for the opportunity to tell these stories, and are humbled to share the mic with a few of the small business owners that make San Francisco such a vibrant, exciting place to live.

Learn more about this collaboration, and about Dolores Deluxe, at The Bottom Line (a publication by Square). More to come tomorrow, and every Tuesday in June!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.

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Happy Monday neighbors!

We are THRILLED to bring you our inspiring conversation with Amanda Flores, Senior Director of Operations at the Flour + Water Hospitality Group, and founder of the Bay Area Restaurant Collective.

I first met Amanda when I worked at Flour + Water in the lead up to opening DD, and was immediately drawn to her warmth, passion, and compassionate leadership style.

We dove into her strategies for building community, the importance of leading with values, and how her work with the Collective promotes a more collaborative future for the hospitality industry (needless to say, we covered A LOT of ground).

We'll be taking a little break from the podcast next week, and will be ROARING back for Season 2 of the Forever Neighbor podcast in June (stay tuned for exciting updates). We couldn't dream of a better guest to close out our first season, and wish Amanda a happy (belated) birthday!

Links to the episode in our bio. Love you all!

Produced by Daniel Blacktree and Ramzi Budayr.