Bay Times Dines

Their Pride bite is a “Rainbow Latke,” with sweet corn purée, roe, smoked salmon, and avocado.

Tribini’s canned espresso martinis (ready-to-drink vodka with espresso) come in a variety of flavors: double espresso, toasted hazelnut, and golden espresso with creamy liqueur. For every four-pack sold during Pride month, the brand is donating $1 to help queer youth at Waltham House.

Castro-based Kokak Chocolates is kickstarting Pride celebrations ahead of its third anniversary. The retailer’s queer Filipina chocolatier Carol Gancia has created special artisanal chocolates for the season. These include: the “Rainbow Love Truffle Collection,” colorfully placed in a rainbow-shaped box, featuring nine heart-shaped single-origin chocolates in hazelnut praline and kalamansi (a Philippine lime) truffle flavors; and the “Say It Louder Truffle Collection,” featuring four colorful Pride flag designs with 12 premium assorted flavorful truffles, such as vanilla sea salt caramel. Kokak Chocolates has just added chocolate pastries that are absolutely scrumptious, including a dark chocolate brownie, a dark chocolate cupcake muffin with caramel, and a dark chocolate chip cookie. Soon to come? Lunches with an Asian and Filipino twist. Stay tuned! There’s a new social hub and nightclub welcoming the

LGBTQ+ community in Oakland called Fluid510 (a nod to an open space for all genders). “We are endlessly proud of what we accomplished with The Port Bar, and we wanted to extend that sense of community with a space that celebrates the vibrant, diverse culture of Oakland and the greater Bay Area— a place where all are welcome and treated like old friends,” said coowner Richard Fuentes. “With Fluid510, we’re elevating Oakland’s nightlife experience and showcasing the incredible potential of this city as it enters its post-COVID renaissance.”

In addition to an ongoing schedule of events and shows with unique nightly themes, Fluid510 features “an expertly crafted cocktail selection from General Manager Yao Liow, formerly of Kincaid’s and Palomino, and an elevated bar food menu from chef Alessandro Campitelli, formerly of Contrasto.”

According to Eater, the food menu will offer “staple items, including a zhuzhed up grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and pizza, done in Campitelli’s style. There are also standout dishes such as grilled octopus, plus a number of options for vegetarians ... including an upcoming vegetarian moussaka dish, as well as a pea hummus dip.”

Another highlight in Oakland: The annual Oakland Black Pride Festival will take place June 28–July 2. It celebrates the moments in queer history that sparked activism and progress toward equality, and many of the Black and brown LGBTQ+ activists who have helped fight for liberation. High 5ive, the Kissel Uptown Oakland hotel’s rooftop bar & lounge (named for baseball’s first out professional player, Glenn Burke), is the first stop on the Queer Bar Crawl , which will begin Friday, June 30, at 6 pm.

Otto’s Uptown Kitchen on the ground floor of the hotel will host a Sunday brunch on Sunday, July 2.

Copra: https://tinyurl.com/y3tapw8x

One Market: https://tinyurl.com/bvjheu4j

Tribini: https://tinyurl.com/bccaa9ye

Kokak Chocolates: https://tinyurl.com/2n2xuyz2

Fluid510: https://tinyurl.com/2hcnvv28

Laura Werlin: https://tinyurl.com/4pmrzz39

Oakland Black Pride: https://tinyurl.com/ycktfab3

Kissel Uptown Oakland hotel: https://tinyurl.com/4mbxvnec

High 5ive: https://tinyurl.com/5hd47u4h

Otto’s Uptown Kitchen: https://tinyurl.com/4jd5xt3u

Queer Bar Crawl: https://tinyurl.com/yckvy22u

Robb Report Top 10 New American Restaurants: https://tinyurl.com/4p9ha685

David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

John Chen

“I am very lucky that my workplace is one of inclusion and diversity. Our corporate LGBTQ+ acceptance and advocacy policies gave me the courage to come out, offered me support and resources, and afforded me with educational advancement and equal opportunities as an openly gay employee. Now I am sharing my story and taking a leadership role in the continuing efforts of advocating for and building corporate LGBTQ+ inclusion, visibility, and empowerment.”

—Vinny DiCicco

Hawaii-born Vinny DiCicco grew up surfing, body boarding, kayaking, swimming, and playing volleyball on pristine tropical beaches. DiCicco particularly loved swimming and said with a slight sassy grin, “I did breaststroke, back stroke, front stroke, etc. If there’s stroking involved, I did it. Also, being around practically naked guys with amazing bodies all the time, why wouldn’t I take up swimming? But I was closeted and didn’t feel comfortable with the stigma of being a homosexual. I thought gay equated to perversion, not love and relationships. So, I didn’t allow myself to have any positive gay experiences such as friends and a support system.”

After high school, DiCicco moved to California and attended California Polytechnical University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) majoring in mechanical engineering. The decision was a no-brainer. Sunny California offered a similar outdoor lifestyle and had prestigious schools in his chosen field of study. Although he was academically successful and continued to swim and play volleyball at the club level, DiCicco stayed in the closet keeping one step ahead of one fastgaining truth.

Not just brawn, DiCicco had brains too. After college, DiCicco immediately got an offer from PG&E to work in the Bay Area as an Energy Solutions Engineer assisting the likes of Google, Apple, and Genentech to run more efficiently.

DiCicco recounted his early days in the Bay Area: “Career-wise, I had an excellent start. Socially, I was still in the closet, but continued to play sports such as indoor and beach