3rd Annual Oakland Indie Awards

I am a little late to write this review but I had to back track for a moment in time and commend the Oaklad Indie Awards. They really know how to throw an event. Between the free drinks and food, to the great goodies different companies were handing out, everything was well organized and people were excited to be there.
By far the highlights: tamales from Tina Tamale, Numi tea, and Champa Garden with there yummy sausages and beer. I would make the trip back to Oaklnad just to go to Champa Garden!
My favorite above all was the band. It was called the BCO Band and they covered a ton of older songs. People were up out of there seats dancing and it really was a great finale to a fun night!

What a room full of LOOOVE for Oakland. Thanks to Erin for dreaming this whole thing up. We had a great time and it was a reminder to me how great our city is and how many talented and passionate people live & work here.

My chica Erin is the brainchild behind the whole Oakland Unwrapped/​Indie Award concept. I met her a few years ago when all of this was only a beautiful idea and just her business card. The ironic part is she wasn’t born here but has hella love for the place she now calls home. Oakland Unwrapped recently merged with OneCalifornia Foundation which also provides local community banking. The future is truly bright for this organization and ongoing event!
I’m happy that the first to review named tons of the vendors present since I didn’t get a chance to really roam the event. Not complaining, just that I was drawn to the aroma of my own tamales and wound up working the La Borinquena table while checking on the community information table with the groups I volunteer for:
,
and the Oakland Merchant Leadership Forum
.
I have to say first that the renovations at Sweet’s Ballroom are coming along on a scale that is impressive to say the least. Steve S. and co are close to completion of the major work and I know as the word spreads there will be more events that I will need to attend there!
I also need to give a massive shout out to the chicas de Unilocal who all volunteered to work the event including Berna Diva, Pookie W, Jill K (who worked my food table with me) and Lupe M. I gotta give mad props to Consuelo J. for being the food coordinator for this too. There was also a Unilocal table and I had the pleasure of meeting Cathrine O. and Natalie G.
The event after it’s initial rocky start, was an amazing snapshot of what Oakland has to offer. A diverse crowd of people, delicious food (there was an egg roll I’m still thinking about), drinks including Laotian beer from Champa Garden, lager from Linden Street Brewery and raspberry vodka sodas from Hanger One. Apparently, my dinner was mostly liquid that night, no wonder I had so much fun! The award presentation was an eye opener to how many different types of indie businesses are adding to the mix of commerce here.
The night ended with a tight band that got folks moving and a chance for those of us working/​volunteering to make Oakland an even BIGGER and more shiny jewel to chat about what’s next. The positivity about Oakland is swelling and contagious.
If you haven’t caught it already…
WATCH OUT,
Oakland Pride is gonna to get you next!

I went to the 2^nd annual Oakland Indie Awards (sponsored by Oakland Unwrapped) last night. What a wonderful event! There were a ton of local vendors giving away free samples and lots of nice people to talk to. So many favorite Unilocal spots were represented. Bakesale Betty had brownies to eat. Champa Garden had sausages and beer. La Borinquena had little tamales and lardy chips. Linden Street brewery had beer. Blue Heron Catering had black bean cakes and a tamale. Umi Tochi had great sushi. Whole Foods had veggie kabobs. Lanesplitter Pizza had huge slices of pizza. Farmer Joe’s had strawberries. L’Amyx Tea had tea. Lady’s Place had jambalaya and corn muffins. Mariposa Bakery had gluten-​free treats. Awaken Café had coffee. Enat Winery had Ethiopian honey wine. Numi Tea had tea. Crunchy Foods had biscotti. Merritt Bakery had fried chicken, cole slaw, and potato salad. St. George Spirits had Hangar One raspberry vodka. La Farine had croissants. Oh my and there was SO much more. Even Unilocal had a table (thanks for the free canvas bag and pen!). Besides all the great and plentiful free stuff (well, tickets were $ 15 so not technically free), it was wonderful to see Oakland in all its thriving glory. The award distribution was low key, but lovely. Unfortunately, the majority of people left at the end of the ceremony and didn’t stick around for the live music: the ten person-​Motown classics-​covering BCO Band. I will definitely be back next year. Great to feel a part of this magic city and people who love it.