Family Meal: Grace’s Chocolate Tofu Pie
A reinterpretation of a favorite sweet treat served at an iconic Berkeley juice bar.
By Leigh Patterson
At our restaurants we are guided by listening and learning from the stories of our team, particularly the ways our families, upbringings, and lineage have shaped the way we consider, source, prepare, and share food. Our series Family Meal spotlights recipes from different members of our team that have — in some way — informed the way they cook today.
This week, a reinterpretation of a favorite sweet treat served at an iconic Berkeley juice bar — shared by Gjusta Grocer’s Assistant General Manager Grace Geller. “This recipe was created by my mother and her best friends while they were working at The Juice Bar Collective in Berkeley, CA. The Juice Bar sat right off of Shattuck Ave and Vine, next door to the original Peet's Coffee, across the street from the infamous Cheeseboard Collective and down the block from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse. Among giants, The Juice Bar thrived as its wild, tiny but mighty self.”
While the Juice Bar Collective closed in 2019 after 42 years of service, Grace’s memories of it are clear. “After classes [in elementary school] I would sit at one of the tables, of which there were two (like I said, tiny but mighty) and do my homework. My mother or her best friend Clea would bring me an after school snack: polenta covered in black beans and salsa, a focaccia which changed daily with whatever the kitchen had from the week's Berkeley Bowl delivery, or if I was really lucky, a slice of Chocolate Tofu Pie.”
“One of my favorite aspects of the kitchen was that it was predominantly run by women. I could look into the closet size storefront and see my mother and her best friends, laughing, collaborating on an order and always experimenting with curiosity and confidence. Growing up as an audience member to these women gave me the immense respect for food that I still have today and a scrappy, optimistic outlook on the amazing things we can create when we step into a kitchen.”
“My first job in a kitchen led me to a very similar experience as my mother. At 19, I began working as a baker in Claremont, CA with my best friend, Vivian, who also grew up in Berkeley and carries a very similar verve for experimentation. Every morning we would arrive with an open mind and dig through what we received from our local farms that week. We would then imagine what hit (or miss) we could make with amazing combinations like kumquats, fava beans, walnuts, and a lot of creativity. Whenever we had extra tofu, my favorite after school snack was always on the menu.”
Grace’s Chocolate Tofu Pie
Ingredients:
16 oz silken tofu (I used Meiji Supreme tofu)
2 tablespoons honey ( I used Eli's Bees Topanga honey)
10 oz melted semisweet chocolate (I used Fine & Raw Lucuma and Vanilla)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 handmade graham cracker crust (I used Little Belgians Speculoos cookies)
Blend everything
Pour into graham cracker crust
Refrigerate overnight
As much as Berkeley Bowl is one of the finest purveyors of produce in the Bay Area, it was Veritable Vegetable that The Juice Bar Collective ordered most of their produce from.
What a lovely tribute to a Berkeley institution!