feeding your belly & soul

On a sunny day in December of 2014, Brady and Corinne went on their first date, which ended up lasting five days.  Five days that were filled with long walks, lots of food and wine, and a special trip to Birite in San Francisco.  Food was a favorite topic of conversation.  Corinne had the opportunity to open a cafe inside the newly reopened Rocky’s Market on Leimert (it had been closed for a couple of years after falling into dire straits) in 2015. The original Rocky(Dudum) came back to revive his first passion, at the ripe age of 81. In December of 2015, Rocky offered the entire store to Corinne, who in turn, talked Brady into quitting his office job, cashing in his 401k and buying the store with her.  They took over the store May 2, 2016.

Corinne grew up in Oakland, went to UCSB for a degree in psychology and moved right back. She started a catering company and went to culinary school. Oakland is home.  She loves exotic spices, traveling and art of all kinds. 

Brady grew up in San Diego and went to UCLA and received a degree in English.  Like most English majors, he ended up in the world of computers and cubicles.  He loves food, travel, art and doing the Sunday Times crossword puzzles.  You can often find him playing guitar outside one of the stores. 

Since 2016, Brady and Corinne have worked diligently to create a place where food meets community.  They source much of their inventory, especially, their beautiful organic produce, from local farmers and vendors, as they believe in celebrating and supporting local and sustainable businesses.  Food trucks grace the edges of their parking lot seasonally, while neighbors gather and eat food together.  School children sell their homemade goodies in front of the store.  New moms and dads meet up with their infants to enjoy free cups of coffee while lamenting over sleepless nights with other new red eyed parents.  The old guys gather in the seating area for their biweekly cup of joe and their conversations of the latest happenings in politics.  The community came together and over ten thousand dollars plus a car was raised for a family who was devastated by the Paradise Fire.  In March of 2020, Corinne and Brady started their foundation, Nourish the People, Inc., which helps get groceries to families in need.  

In April 2020, Brady and Corinne set out on their latest venture.  Rocky’s Market Brooklyn Basin is a market, much like their first, along with a social distancing restaurant on the Oakland waterfront.