I moved to Riverside at the end of 2021 with my wife, child, and dog. After 25 years as a Chicagoan, starting over in a new community and building a new life as a family has been exciting and challenging. I’m very privileged that I’ve been able to pursue my passions here in Riverside: baking sourdough bread, talking and thinking about restaurants and food, spending time with my family, and getting to connect with so many fascinating people in my new home. I operate a cottage bakery from my Wood Streets bungalow: Zurer Bread (zurerbread.com). I love baking for my neighbors; every time someone walks up and says, “Hey, you’re the bread guy,” I get a real charge out of it. I write a regular column about eating in Riverside for the Raincross Gazette - I’m excited to be able to share my explorations and favorites with readers. But I’m perhaps most proud of my (nearly) perfect record-winning pub trivia at the Barn (on the UCR campus) with my team: go Backbenchers!! If you’d like to challenge us, I encourage you to come every Tuesday night at 5:30 pm.
What does Riverside mean to you? Riverside is a new frontier for me - I am getting so much joy from all the new experiences and new people I meet in my daily life here in Riverside. It was exciting to be at the epicenter of the Halloween candy quake for the first time last year: we gave out candy to 500+ trick-or-treaters in 2023 and offered Halloween-themed Karaoke on our front porch last month. I love exploring the ethnic grocery stores and bodega tacos of La Sierra and Casablanca. And I even went to my first high school football game (I've led a sheltered life): my son is playing trumpet in the John W. North marching Band - go Blue Star Regiment!
What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)? Maybe a dozen times; that's a Riverside stat I need to work on.
What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center? I'm excited lately about the Cenaduria Oaxaqueña Donaji - an informal backyard restaurant just under the 60 on La Cadena that serves incredible tlacoyos (giant charred tortillas filled with lardy beans, and your choice of meats), chapulines, fried quesadillas, and other Oaxacan specialties.
What is the most beautiful building in Riverside? The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties on Market Street catches my eye every time I pass it on my way downtown. I love the intricate decorative details on the facade.
What is your favorite Riverside small business? Gotta be Corona Farms - I'm there every week for fresh vegetables. I just restocked on zucchini, parsley, and tomatoes - gotta get 'em while they're in season!
What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization? I'm fond of the Blue Star Regiment Instrumental Music Association. The BSRIMA is the parent booster group for the John W. North HS Marching Band and does incredible work supporting the kids in their musical endeavors. If you can spare a few bucks, they are accepting donations. Donations help keep the band operating without having to charge student fees, which is a rarity in big high school marching bands.
The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday? Call me a Grinch if you like, but I stay home when my family goes to see the lights downtown. I have a complicated relationship with Christmas.
What is your go-to sandwich in town? Anything from the Euro Deli Market - cold cuts and German-style sausage on fresh bread. Yum!
What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside? I had one just last weekend: wake up early to bake half a dozen loaves of bread, meet up with customers and shoot the breeze while they pick up, do a little lawn maintenance and pool skimming, followed by a bike ride downtown to see the ofrendas in White Park at the Day of the Dead festival and a delicious home-cooked meal.
What is your favorite spot for a date night? My wife and I spend most date nights on the patio at Law's belting out karaoke. You don't want to miss her rendition of Kesha's Tick Tock or my gender-bending performance of Nina Simone's "Sugar in My Bowl.”
Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall? Tyler Mall, I guess!
What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could? I'm such a Riverside newb that all the places I have ever liked here are still open!
If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be? Try Zurer Bread!
