About Spice Monkey
THE BEGINNING: SPICE MONKEY RESTAURANT
Spice Monkey’s first incarnation started in 2007 as a restaurant which was constructed in the historic Howden Building in downtown Oakland. From the beginning it was a labor of love. When her team moved into this space, they took extensive measures to restore tiles and remodel to keep the integrity of the interiors original design when it was a 1920s tile showroom. Their goal was to create a beautiful, enjoyable atmosphere for the community with nourishing food.
Spice Monkey Restaurant was committed to creating a delicious “Globally Inspired Cuisine” utilizing California’s homegrown abundance. All of the dishes are made with great care and attention to flavor using only the freshest ingredients.
The Spice Monkey Restaurant menu, like Kanitha’s life story, was eclectic and flavorful. Throughout her life she was invited into the homes of people from around the world, blessed to experience a variety of family and cultural food traditions. She took these experiences and used them to create dishes which bring together spices, culinary traditions and ingredients form around the world.
Kanitha’s passion for blending flavors from around the world inspired her to create unique blends of spices, marinades and rubs, which was the heart of the food at Spice Monkey. The herbs used for these creations were, whenever possible, grown by Kanitha herself or sourced from organic growers. Hand crafted spice-blends, loose leaf teas, dressings and hot sauces made the magic of Spice Monkey.
THE FUTURE: SPICES AND TEAS
We are excited to announce that Spice Monkey will continue globally. We will officially launch and distribute our first packaged tea and spice line in spring of 2018. Our goal is to share Kanitha’s hand crafted recipes, spice-blends and loose leaf teas to be enjoyed in the comfort of your home, where ever you are in the world.
Spice Monkey’s first incarnation started in 2007 as a restaurant which was constructed in the historic Howden Building in downtown Oakland. From the beginning it was a labor of love. When her team moved into this space, they took extensive measures to restore tiles and remodel to keep the integrity of the interiors original design when it was a 1920s tile showroom. Their goal was to create a beautiful, enjoyable atmosphere for the community with nourishing food.
Spice Monkey Restaurant was committed to creating a delicious “Globally Inspired Cuisine” utilizing California’s homegrown abundance. All of the dishes are made with great care and attention to flavor using only the freshest ingredients.
The Spice Monkey Restaurant menu, like Kanitha’s life story, was eclectic and flavorful. Throughout her life she was invited into the homes of people from around the world, blessed to experience a variety of family and cultural food traditions. She took these experiences and used them to create dishes which bring together spices, culinary traditions and ingredients form around the world.
Kanitha’s passion for blending flavors from around the world inspired her to create unique blends of spices, marinades and rubs, which was the heart of the food at Spice Monkey. The herbs used for these creations were, whenever possible, grown by Kanitha herself or sourced from organic growers. Hand crafted spice-blends, loose leaf teas, dressings and hot sauces made the magic of Spice Monkey.
THE FUTURE: SPICES AND TEAS
We are excited to announce that Spice Monkey will continue globally. We will officially launch and distribute our first packaged tea and spice line in spring of 2018. Our goal is to share Kanitha’s hand crafted recipes, spice-blends and loose leaf teas to be enjoyed in the comfort of your home, where ever you are in the world.
Chef Kanitha Matoury
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Chef Kanitha Matoury is best known for her welcoming personality and her expression of creativity through spice-blends, loose leaf tea creations and serving nourishing food.
She has been a dynamic entrepreneur since 2005 when she owned her first cafe in San Francisco. Kanitha is a visionary, a project creator, and doer. She's passionate about building community and making dreams come true when others do not believe it's possible. As a retired chef, in 2015 she opened Howden Market and has begun a new career in commercial real estate. Her passion for Spice Monkey will continue to live on through her custom blend spice and tea line which will launch in spring of 2018. |
Taleen Qirreh - General Manager
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As the GM, Taleen enjoys supporting staff, implementing systems for greater efficiency, and always stepping in as needed! She has been in the restaurant industry for 10 years and loves food and people - her passion is bringing those two things together! When she’s not running a tight ship at Spice Monkey, she enjoys working in a variety of restaurants, traveling, and exploring new ways to educate herself in the restaurant industry.
"My passion for the food industry started when I was 5 years old. I peeled potatoes in the kitchen that my dad was managing. I've been around food & restaurants my entire life, and growing up I felt truly blessed to be surrounded by so many different types of cuisines. Professionally, I wanted to be a pastry chef since I was young. Throughout culinary school, I explored a variety of jobs and performed a number of kitchen-related responsibilities. I enjoy managing a team, taking on leadership roles, and the excitement of the multifaceted restaurant biz." She is a very passionate, empathetic, and open-hearted person, and our patrons would absolutely agree! If she’s limited to only one superpower, then it would be reading the minds and energies of others. "In an ideal world, I would have enough money, space, and time to make peace in the Middle East. There is far too much violence in the world." Drop by Spice Monkey and let yourself be greeted by Taleen’s warmth and hospitality! |
Cameron Laurendeau, Bar/Operations Manager
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The journey to becoming Spice Monkey's Manager of Bar and Operations was a fulfilling one. Growing up, Cameron fed his fascination of food by reading recipe books and watching the Food Network. This seeded his constructive culinary creativity and foundation for honing the skills of restaurant management. "When I'm not training our team on mixing alluring elixirs, I enjoy dining and tasting new creations at establishments run by fellow industry professionals." Something interesting about him is that he's an autodidactic polymath. Don't know what that is? Come into Spice Monkey, let him pour you a drink and tell you all about it. |
Christopher White - Sous Chef
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Better known as the "Kitchen Master", Chris' ingenuity is informed by his experience slicing and dicing up and down the West Coast for nearly 10 years. Like a fine glass of wine or specialty cheese, the flavors infused into the Spice Monkey menu are a product of refined skills and patience.
Prior to being the Lieutenant General of Spice Monkey's ninja cuisine creations, Chris was a private chef in Beverly Hills. After realizing that home grown cooking with a twist was more of his swansong, he returned to the Bay Area and found his home at Spice Monkey. "It all comes down to the dish, and the attention to detail going into preparation. People see and taste only the end result. I've learned to value where it all comes from, from the farm to the cooks hands. Not all dishes have to be fancy, but the little bits of love that go into the details, the planning, the layering of flavors and textures -- it's like writing a story. One day I realized I wanted to write a story everyone can appreciate and smile over." When not wielding the savory swords of spice at the restaurant, Chris enjoys drumming, reading cook books, mystery novels, history studies, and science fiction. "I stay busy with adventure, while at the same time enjoy a good whiskey and a movie on the couch. We guarantee that your taste buds will be tantalized by everything on our menu -- or you can come in and ask Chris for something special! |
Howden Building
The Spice Monkey Restaurant & Bar was located in the Howden & Sons Tile Company building. The Howden & Sons Tile Company bulding was owned and operated by master tiler, Robert Howden, Sr. from 1893 to 1926.
The 1920s were a “Golden Age” for tile manufacturing in the U.S., and this building is the only tile showroom from that era known to survive nearly intact. During the years his company was in business, Mr. Howden and his team of tile setters decorated the interior and exterior walls of the building with tiles donated from a vast array of tile manufacturers from around the country.
Mr. Howden’s intention was for his sons to continue the operation of his tile business in years to come, but his sons declined and the building was later sold. The building was declared an Oakland Historic Landmark on November 13, 1984. Fortunately, during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the building’s unique design and structure remained unharmed.
CREATING HARMONY WITH HISTORY
A few enhancements were made to the space so as to work in harmony with the original
design.
The 1920s were a “Golden Age” for tile manufacturing in the U.S., and this building is the only tile showroom from that era known to survive nearly intact. During the years his company was in business, Mr. Howden and his team of tile setters decorated the interior and exterior walls of the building with tiles donated from a vast array of tile manufacturers from around the country.
Mr. Howden’s intention was for his sons to continue the operation of his tile business in years to come, but his sons declined and the building was later sold. The building was declared an Oakland Historic Landmark on November 13, 1984. Fortunately, during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the building’s unique design and structure remained unharmed.
CREATING HARMONY WITH HISTORY
A few enhancements were made to the space so as to work in harmony with the original
design.
These included:
- Using a commercial pressure washer and hot water to clean 20% of the tiles. The other 80% of the tiles were more delicate, some of which were covered with paint; they needed to be cleaned by hand.
- Replacing missing wall tiles with originals found in the building’s basement and other areas of the restaurant.
- Reassembling and reconstructing many of the broken tiles back together.
- Re-running pipes underground to make the water fountain functional.
- Stripping paint and plaster which had covered the tiles inside of the fountain.
- Scrubbing the fireplace to remove blackened and greasy areas and restore the original color.
- Hiring a specialty artist craftsman to faux finish the walls using towels by hand in order to create a historic look.
In order to create a modern day feel, husband and wife team- Guy and Kanitha added in a bar area. The bar was built from scratch out of recycled wood and has its foundation built above the tiling using anchors between the grout. This was done so that if the bar were removed, there will be no trace of damage along the tiles which lie beneath.
Stained glass was framed and installed onto the upstairs loft windows to diffuse the view of the parking lot across the street. And, an outdoor garden on the ground floor was added to create a more inviting entry.
