‘We’re not trying to disrupt the industry’: How a Y Combinator-backed food hall startup is bringing a ghost kitchen alternative to the Peninsula  

When COVID-19 hit and restaurants began closing down left and right, Mountain View resident Divyang Arora and his startup co-founders saw it as a call to action. Two years and a trip through the famous Y-Combinator startup accelerator later, he's now CEO of Byte Kitchen, a startup helping independent restaurants scale up and get their dishes offered in other communities. 

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Baker’s dozen: 13 doughnut destinations around the Peninsula

For those who crave a more down-to-earth delicacy, or a better indulgence-to-dollar ratio, there’s nothing like the humble doughnut to satisfy that urge for carbs, oil and instant gratification. I went in search of where people can go to get their deep-fried dessert fixes, mapping out many of the Peninsula’s doughnut spots and sampling some of the best doughnuts in the region in the process.

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Why the owner of Burlingame’s Rasa gave up a Michelin star

Twenty years ago, Ajay Walia left the lucrative worlds of finance and tech to open a restaurant and spread awareness of the diversity of Indian cuisine. He wanted guests to forget images of steam-table buffets, and winning a Michelin star at his South Indian Burlingame restaurant Rasa in 2016 should have authoritatively proven his success. So why did Walia close down Rasa to reopen it as a second location of ...

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Your complete guide to summer 2022 on the Peninsula

With the last couple of summers of COVID canceling or limiting many events, many are looking forward to the return of signature summer festivities like Shoreline Ampitheatre’s Fourth of July fireworks show and the San Mateo County Fair. Check out our guide to summer fun to fill your calendar from June through September.

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Hit the books: 9 places to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on the Peninsula

Local independent bookstores have helped keep many a restless mind grounded during the unpredictability of the past couple of years with a steady supply of compelling reading material, along with hosting a variety of online author talks and events. And for the first time in two years, there's ample opportunity to celebrate these businesses in person, on Independent Bookstore Day, which takes place on Saturday, April 30. 

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Just our luck: St. Patrick’s Day events are back in the 650

For the first time since 2019, St. Patrick’s Day festivities are back without restrictions on capacity or county mask mandates in place (individual business and event rules still apply, of course). So don your green apparel and celebrate on the Peninsula at one of these upcoming events.

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