THE ALICE COLLECTIVE INTRODUCES NEW BISCUIT-BASED CAFÉ MENU WITH BISCUIT SANDWICHES, A DAYTIME BAR AND BAKE-AT-HOME BISCUITS BY THE DOZEN

Chef Lance Velasquez’s Southern-style biscuits and biscuit sandwiches and Greg Quinn’s specialty cocktails make The Alice Collective a unique downtown Oakland destination

July 29, 2019 (OAKLAND, CA) – The Alice Collective, an inclusive, approachable café, bar and event space in downtown Oakland, unveils a new, biscuit-based café menu and full bar with specialty cocktails today. Executive Chef Lance Velasquez has created a one-of-kind menu focused on fresh-baked biscuits, biscuit sandwiches and salads. Mixologist Greg Quinn has developed a refreshing daytime cocktail menu that complements the Southern-style biscuit menu.

The café features four different biscuits every day: Classic Buttermilk, The Laguna (made with cheddar and buttermilk), Cinnamon Biscuit Bites with cream cheese frosting, and a rotating seasonal flavor, in addition to hearty biscuit sandwiches, like the signature Crispy Laguna, a double-dipped fried chicken sandwich with chow chow and spicy mayo ($13). Individual biscuits may be paired with housemade jam, pimento cheese, seeded honey, Bourbon apple butter and more. Biscuit sandwiches are available to eat-in or take out, with different selections for breakfast, lunch and anytime. The menu also includes two seasonal salads and house-made sweet and savory pastries.

The beverage selection at The Alice Collective includes Oakland-based Red Bay coffee and espresso, fresh fruit juices, non-alcoholic beverages and a full bar featuring craft cocktails, Bay Area beer by the bottle and wine. Beverage Director Greg Quinn, an alumnus of Trou Normand, Bar Agricole and The Alembic, has created an artisanal, accessible and refreshing list of daytime cocktails, like the TAC Seasonal Coolermade with the guest’s choice of Union Mezcal or St. George All Purpose Vodka, peach, orange, basil, and soda, and Hemingway Daiquirifeaturing Cana Brava rum, lime, grapefruit and Leopold’s Maraschino Liqueur.

“Since this is a daytime bar, we want people to be able to have a drink and still go about their day,” said Quinn. “The cocktail menu incorporates fresh, seasonal flavors that were chosen to complement the biscuits being served at the café.”

The Alice Collective is located in the long-shuttered Holmes Book Company, originally founded in 1924. While the space has been updated, the original beams, hardwood floors and façade remain. The open bar, which runs along the right wall of the event space, has been newly fitted with custom-designed wood shelves made from 20-foot planks sourced from a vendor in Marin County. Vintage books decorating the shelves pay homage to The Alice Collective’s history as a beloved gathering place for knowledge. Above the bar is an expansive mural, a collaboration with an Etsy designer, that depicts the position of the stars on the day The Alice Collective’s lease was signed. A rotating gallery of artwork contributed by members of the Oakland community adorns the walls.

The Alice Collective is also the home of Metal & Match, an Oakland-based, full-service catering company founded by Ted Wilson and Christine Wells that offers local hospitality and honest cuisine for events small and large in the Bay Area and beyond. The Alice Collective soft-opened in November 2018 after an extensive renovation, with the bar and outdoor garden patio build-out completed in 2019, and has already hosted a variety of events ranging from wedding rehearsal dinners and corporate events to conferences and art shows. It’s due to frequent evening event bookings that the bar at the Alice Collective is only open during the day.

In a 4,000-square-foot commissary kitchen located downstairs from the main event and café space, The Alice Collective also hosts a collective of small, Oakland-based food businesses that provide thoughtfully sourced food and drink for restaurants, catered events and pop-ups:

• Metal and Match – The Alice Collective’s in-house catering company
• Oak&Fig Baking – a full-service cake and dessert company
• Good-to-Eat Dumplings – an immigrant-owned, women-owned catering company and pop-up that specializes in Taiwanese dumplings
• Tacos El Precioso – a taco-centric catering company and pop-up from Chef Devin Gonzalez
• Coming soon: Black Alder – a cocktail catering company from Greg Quinn

The Alice Collective is located at 272 14^th Street near downtown Oakland and the 12^thStreet BART station. There is ample metered street parking. The café is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (breakfast is served until 11 a.m.). The bar is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Service is fast and friendly, and guests can enjoy a quick bite, take an order to go, or linger at a table with friends, colleagues, their computers or a book. No reservations are accepted. For more information, visit www.thealicecollective.com or join the community on Instagram at @the_alice_collective and Facebook at alicecollective. For catering queries, email info@thealicecollective.com.

About Always Fishing Hospitality Group
Founded by food entrepreneur Ted Wilson, Always Fishing Hospitality Group comprises William Tell House, a restaurant, saloon, and inn in Tomales, Calif.; The Alice Collective, a café, bar, and event space in Oakland; and Metal and Match, an Oakland-based catering company. While each property offers a unique experience and aesthetic, both William Tell House and The Alice Collective (home to Metal and Match) are extensively renovated historical buildings that celebrate their heritage and original character. All three provide simple, honest, approachable food and beverage with an emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients. The name, Always Fishing Hospitality Group, was inspired by Wilson’s love of fishing, which is rooted in memories of fishing with his grandfather on the reservoirs of Missouri.