Sacred Wheel in Oakland

Sacred Wheel isn’t what I was expecting when I first saw the shiny new awning erected. It’s not an attempt to glorify everyday foods, nor is it a snob-fest for cheese connoisseurs only. It is a place to learn about good cheese. It expands the neighborhood to the Shattuck triangle in a really balanced way. Most importantly, it is a friendly, open place.

Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood is now a well-known hotbed for good taste – it’s where the original Bakesale Betty attracts hoards during lunch hour, where B44’s sister tapas outpost Barlata opened, it’s home to yet another Burma Superstar, and hipster-y Remedy Coffee, not to mention the high-end Dona Tomases, Pizzaiolos, and the slew of yummy eateries that have stood the test of time over the last decade-plus of Temescal transformation. (I have a penchant for bread pudding and minestrone at Genova’s, belly dancing shows at Tanjia, and the Ethiopian veggie combo at Asmara.) A place to buy good cheese and other ingredients is a welcome addition.

Gourmet? Yes, but not inaccessible. Trendy? Possibly, but Jena and Merrick, the brother-sister duo behind Sacred Wheel love what they do. They studied cheese before it was cool to dig dairy, (OK not as far back as Cheese Board founders who opened shop in Berkeley in ’67, but you catch my drift.) This place is about passion, passion for good, local cheese.

Once I came inside I knew I’d be a regular. Their excitement about the high-quality cheeses they sell – mostly from California – was totally genuine. That, combined with their know-how and the plethora of incredible samples they threw my way, made it hard to leave. And that was before I bit into one of their glorious grilled cheese sandwiches. They had no idea I was a writer, a foodie, or a neighbor, but they treated me like I was all three, (which luckily I am!)

Each day they’re open Jena concocts a couple homemade soups (she’s a chef by trade) and those grilled cheese sammies are also available. The cheese counter is always changing and sampling is welcomed. (I’ve come in a number of times even before the grand opening and been impressed by the varying selection.) A few choice olive oils, bevvies, preserves, sweet treats, and pickles are also on offer, but the highlight is the array of small batch cheeses gleaned primarily from around the Bay Area. Even with my habit of cheese eating and constant food education I was schooled. I discovered a few new favorites about which I had previously never heard: Dante is a super-duper sheep cheese from a dairy co-op in Wisconsin, 2 Faced Blue is a pungent and unusually melty-creamy cow/sheep blend from small town Washington State, and caramel-y Carmody from Valley Ford in Sonoma was another eye-opener, or should I say mouth-waterer. I can’t recall the names of all the samples I had, but I know next time I’m back they’ll help me refresh my memory, and make new ones.

The grand opening of Sacred Wheel is just in time for Valentine’s Day, but instead of Hallmark cards you can come out this Sunday for heart-shaped pizzas, with dough from Fist of Flour Co., pastries by local Semita Dulce, tofu samples (so even lactose-free folks can join in the fun) from Oakland-made Hodo Soy Beanery, and tunes from DJ El Kool Kyle (who incidentally made an album with Merrick, who goes by the DJ name M-Rock.) I can hardly wait for all this cheese-y love fest.

Good Idea

Use local cheeses in your home cooking. Try melting a gooey one over some roasted root veggies, shave an aged one over a lettuce salad, make a light dinner on a cutting board with special cheeses, some fresh bread, veggies, salami, olives… There’s endless ways to enjoy cheese, and it is especially good as the grass gets greener and the dairy animals chow down on those late winter mustard blooms and clovers. Local cheeses are easy to find at Sacred Wheel, where they pick from the best around the Bay, and up and down the West Coast, plus a few special imports from the mid-west, east coast and abroad. Sample some and see what you fancy, then bring it home to share.

Deets

Sacred Wheel Cheese and Specialty Market, 4935 Shattuck Ave., Oakland, 510.653.1353, Grand Opening Bash Sunday, Feb. 13^th, 11a-8p, regular hours are Tues-Sun 11a-8p