History

Our beautiful space, designed by famed architect John A. Bischoff, first opened its doors on January 15th, 1921, as the Elmwood Soda Fountain. They served sandwiches, soup, and coffee to the Berkeley community.

Upon returning from World War II, aviator Charles “Ozzie” Osborne transformed the sleepy corner soda fountain into a wonderful community gathering spot. For decades, Ozzie fostered an environment where neighbors could get together for more than just food, but also friendship and conversation.

Baker & Commons

It has been our pleasure to meet many people who frequented the soda fountain in those days, and to hear their extraordinary stories. Through high quality food and open doors we will continue to foster a place where our community members can gather for something delicious to eat, a hot cup of coffee and a meaningful conversation.

Our food is created from sourcing the best organic ingredients and using seasonal goods from artisanal producers. We make it a point to serve locally sourced ingredients and work closely with our buyers to make sure our food is fresh. 

We make everything we can in-house. Our Savory Chef, Miles, works daily to prepare our freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches, sauces, and dinner specials. All of our baked goods are made daily by our baking team. Even our jams, granola, and the syrups for our sodas are made in our kitchen.

“The show” is orchestrated by our amazing General Manager and Owner, Kara Hammond.