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| berkeley, california | |
| companies based in alameda county | |
| worker cooperatives | |
| pizzerias | |
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The Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley, California , comprises two Collectively Owned and operated businesses: a cheese shop/bakery commonly referred to as "The Cheese Board," and a pizzeria known as "Cheese Board Pizza." The Cheese Board is located at 1504 Shattuck Ave and Cheese Board Pizza is located two doors down the street at 1512 Shattuck Ave in a neighborhood of Berkeley known as the Gourmet Ghetto for its high concentration of fine restaurants and food shops. A note on the name: although townspeople, newspapers and even the Cheese Board website frequently spell the name of the business as a single word - "Cheeseboard" - the members of the collective chose to consistently refer to their business with two words in ''The Cheese Board: Collective Works'', their cookbook/history published in 2003. HISTORY Founding and Collectivization The Cheese Board was founded as a privately owned cheese shop in 1967 by Elizabeth and Sahag Avedasian. In 1971, the owners and their six employees converted their business from a conventional privately owned firm to an egalitarian worker-owned collective by distributing shares in the business equally between themselves and their employees and equalizing the wages of all of the new worker/owners. The collective currently has about 30 members. Bakery When founded, the shop primarily sold cheese, but by the early 1970s the Cheese Board began to experiment with baking bread. Bread was originally produced in small quantities as an informal, impromptu sideline. Although bread sales were initially minor they marked a shift from a purely mercantile business model of buying and selling cheese to a mixed model that combines on-site, artisanal hand-production with domestic and import retail. The sale of baked goods grew rapidly and now accounts for a significant portion of the store's business. As the sale of bakery products grew so did the variety of breads, pastries and other baked goods offered, for example, cheese rolls. ''The Cheese Board: Collective Works'' reports that "The varying bread schedule is complex enough that even the workers have difficulty remembering it." Pizza In 1990, a second collective, Cheese Board Pizza, was formed to produce pizza (originally produced as an occasional lunch offering by the Cheese Board bakery) full time. The pizzeria has thrived since then and almost always has a line out the door during lunch and dinner. Cheese Board Pizza is unusual in that only one type of pizza (always vegetarian) is made each day and no substitutions are allowed. Because the same product is continually being produced, customers are always able to receive their pizza fresh from the oven without waiting. Once a new pizza is ready, any remaining slices from the previous pizza are cut in half and given away as extras with whole slices from the freshest pie. The Cheese Board staff tend to favor unconventional pizza toppings and use only fresh, seasonal produce. Despite the small size of the room - there are only two tables inside - the restaurant has a piano and reserves floor space for the small jazz groups that often perform during peak hours. The Cheese Board and the "Gourmet Ghetto" The Cheese Board was one of the first gourmet establishments in north Berkeley (along with Peet's Coffee ) and its success contributed greatly to the development of the area into the Gourmet Ghetto it has become. Alice Waters , the founder of Chez Panisse - one of the most famous restaurants in the United States - stated that she chose to locate her restaurant in North Berkeley "so the Cheese Board would be nearby, because I knew I would be among friends." Influence The Cheese Board has spawned a number of other collectives around the Bay Area. Three Arizmendi Bakeries (in Emeryville, Oakland and San Francisco) emerged as sister collectives, producing breads, pastries, and pizza. All four collectives are independently owned and operated, with different schedules and products. None have been nearly as successful as the two Cheeseboard cooperatives. REFERENCES
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