If the farm-to-fork movement has a scribe who tells the story, the scribe’s name is Mike Dunne.

In 50 years of writing about regional wine and food, Dunne followed the pioneers, witnessed their successes and setbacks, and helped set standards that fortified our position as California’s capital of culinary excellence.

Dunne spent most of those years at the Bee, where he wrote about wine and reviewed restaurants. Along the way he got to know luminaries such as Alice Waters, Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, Randall Grahm and Darrell Corti.

After reporting and thinking about their ideas for a half century, he notes they “continue
to have a lot of influence and set the standards. They have very strong voices within the California wine and food scene.”

Two years ago, I wrote a couple of paragraphs about a new wine bar at Southside Park called Betty.

Here was a comfortable and cute place for a bottle of wine, package of macaroni or quick bite. Two years and an ownership change later, Betty’s a must-visit destination.

The revamped Betty is more than a wine bar. Led by Chris Barnum-Dann, chef at Michelin-starred Localis, Betty serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with approachable, unpretentious, satisfying style.

A local wine bar should offer vino from around California, plus global labels. Betty is far more ambitious. To call it a wine bar discounts its range.

The house with the 6-foot banner, poems and illustrations on Ninth Avenue near the zoo belongs to Lance Pyle. Stop and say hello. He’s happy to see you.

Pyle has displayed banners, original poetry and drawings in front of his house since 2023. His goal is to bring joy to the neighborhood.

“Every once in a while, someone stops and reads and I catch them on my Ring,” Pyle says.

A chat with Nisa Hayden explains why she has so many successful careers. It’s about people skills.

As an actor, freelance writer, gallery director, arts consultant and garden manager, Hayden’s ability to connect led to a wildly diverse employment history.

The Alaska native grew up in the East Bay and planned to become an attorney. A summons to jury duty at age 18 “turned me off the process,” she says, and prompted her to forego a partial college scholarship.