Thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions for us! Please introduce yourself! What’s your story? Where are you from and what brought you to Downtown Berkeley?

We are brothers from the South Bay who come from a retail family. Before moving to Berkeley and taking over Bobby G’s in May 2016, Karan was working at the family wine shop in Cupertino while Randeep was working as a financial analyst in a Denver. Both ready for a change and to branch out on their own, we started to look into opening a beer garden somewhere in the Bay Area. We quickly found that our lack of industry experience was a problem, so we decided to look for an existing business to learn the ropes. That’s when we found the Berkeley institution that is Bobby G’s Pizzeria and Draft House. Read more…

Getting to know Studio KDA is such a pleasure. After reading this interview with Marites Abueg & Keith Morris, you’ll recognize Studio KDA’s style as soon as you walk into a room of one of their design projects.

Thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions for us! Let’s start in the beginning. Why don’t you introduce yourselves, what you do, where you went to school, and how long you’ve been designing together? I’m Marites (mary-tess) Abueg and my architect/business partner and husband of 26 years is Keith Morris. We design restaurants and all things fun and food together. We met at the University of Cincinnati’s Architecture school in the mid 80’s (and started dating our very first year!) We’ve been working and designing together since our younger daughter was born, almost 15 years ago. Two years ago Keith and I merged our firm Abueg Morris Architects with Kahn Design Associates and we’re all now Studio KDA…. Read more.

Madeleine Oldham is the Director of the Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep Theatre in Downtown Berkeley. This innovative program is the Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work and seeks to enhance and expand the way the Berkeley Rep makes theatre. Learn more about Madeleine and her theatre journey thus far!

First tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? When did you first become interested in theatre?
Thanks for talking with me! I grew up in Pelham, New York, which was a 30 minute train ride to Grand Central Station. My parents took me to see Cats at the Winter Garden Theater when I was 9. I don’t think I ever forgave my mother for refusing to dance with the Rum Tum Tugger, because she had a chance to be part of that magic and turned it down. But for me, it was game over. The theater bug bit hard… Read more.

Joshua’s next big show is at Studio Grand in Oakland on February 5th. He’s playing with his quartet, The Deconstruction of What You Know with Henry Kaiser on guitar, and William Winant and Aaron Levin on drums! 

You’ve been a fixture in Downtown Berkeley for quite a few years now.  How did you get started and how would you describe your playing style? 
After I left San Diego State, where I was studying Jazz performance and composition and doing extensive studio work in LA, I ended up at Sonoma State. While I was there I began studying and playing with the saxophonist Marco Eneidi. He had come back to finish his degree after having spent 20 years in…. Read more.

Nigel’s work can be seeing throughout Berkeley and most recently in his newly published portfolio out now.

Congratulations on doing so much work around Downtown Berkeley. What do you think it is about your work that people love so much?
I like working locally because it is a really good way to give back to my immediate community in the most impactful way I know how. I like to think that my work is relatable because it is bold, whimsical and deals with universal themes like food, music, and animals… Read more.