#west-berkeley

#west-berkeley

As an undergrad at Cal in the late 90s, Vik's was one of the "must visit" spots. At the time, it was about 10 years old - Vik's Chaat opened in 1989 as a small food counter in Vik's Market, which itself opened in 1987. Back then, it was in a warehouse. In 2009, Vik's moved to a bigger location in West Berkeley, complete with bright pink and orange painted walls on the outside.

After 116 years in Berkeley, Walter Mork Company is closing its doors. The custom metal fabrication shop has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless ups and downs in the economy. Twenty U.S. presidents have been elected since Walter Mork, a Finnish immigrant, opened the shop in West Berkeley in 1909. And four generations of the Mork family have worked there.

Prescott Meats quietly shuttered just months after opening in West Oakland's Prescott Market, known for its loaded Reuben sandwiches, pasture-raised meats and made-to-order foods.

The almost unanimous opposition in West Berkeley against the proposed meat packing plant reflected a significant desire among local residents to maintain high-quality local industries.