I loved the New Years Vegan Soul Food dinner that Chef Gelb prepared! This was my first time attending one of his dinners and it won't be the last. It was a unique experience sharing a meal with kind strangers in a studio. Our chef kept bringing out one delightful dish after another. My favorite foods happen to be the cashew based macaroni and cheese and the pecan pie with pecan ice cream. I highly recommend attending one of Philip's events!!! read more

I've been attending Phil's dinners and dinner concerts since it was first called "In the Mood for Food". That's over ten years now and I have never been disappointed. He uses only the freshest ingredients and creates incredibly delicious all vegan dishes. I am not a vegan but if all vegan food were this good I would be a convert. He uses locally shopped ingredients including some of the finest local tofu and tempeh makers. He is about to publish his second cookbook and no doubt it will reflect the same rich cultural varieties he has presented in the first one and in the meals he has prepared. Vegan interpretations of MIddle Eastern, Thai, Chinese, Southern U.S., or whatever you wish all are lovingly prepared and served with both pride and joy. The music (not every meal) is an eclectic assortment of some of the finest musicians in the Bay Area and beyond. Phil, in addition to being a fine chef, is a musician, a shakuhachi player (that's a Japanese bamboo flute) and teacher. His deep connections to the music community allow him to invite some amazing colleagues who play in intimate house concerts. There is a sort of core "regular" crowd that I enjoy seeing but there are frequently newcomers and out of towners who go on the adventure to this non-descript West Oakland loft. The crowd (no more than 20) has always been a great part of the experience. I guess I drank the Kool Aid, ate the tofu, or whatever but I am forever sold on the Sound and Savor experience. This is definitely one of the great joys of Oakland and the East Bay. read more

I wrote very few reviews on Yelp; basically only when I think a business is exceedingly good or bad. I contacted Phil regarding a dinner I wanted to organize for my husband's birthday at our home. We have a 14 month old so going out can be difficult. He was very responsive at first, and then several days would go by without a response. Once price was discussed (he quoted me between $100-150 for a Thai dinner for 2) and I asked to have it done on the lower range (ie $100) he disappeared again. After emailing him and finally getting a response, he is now all of a sudden unavailable because he is out of town. Sadly, very unprofessional. Now, with only 5 days to go until my husband's birthday, I am left high and dry. I would NOT recommend Phil at all- unless, I guess, you do one of his underground dinners or he caters something more worthy of his time. Obviously, the money was not worth it and I wish he would have been honest with me from the get go about it. read more

Please sir, may I have another. Are you ready? VEGAN ICE CREAM! That is Ice Cream with no cream?? "No, it can't be," you might say. But it is, and it is delicious! Yes, yes, he makes great tofu and tempeh (from scratch) and uses quinoa and rice like a magician and includes every sort of vegetable and fruit to tickle and tantalize your tastebuds. But, did I mention the vegan ice cream!!! Delish! read more

When you are in the mood for food and fun, Phil is the man to call. Especially if you are a vegan. It does not get better than this. My vegetarian husband and I both love Phil's food. He uses the best ingredients and he cooks with passion. It shows is every dish he creates. On several occasions, we were fortunate to get a reservation to his special dinner and concert evening. I think he does one concert series dinner a month. The food was amazing and you can bring your favorite wine to enjoy. The people I met there were fascinating and I am convinced he is a magnet for interesting people that I would like to get to know more. After dinner and your sweet dessert, sit back and enjoy the music. It is always special. We will be back again and again. Next, I want to try Phil's cooking class. If I could cook like Phil ... my husband thinks we would stay home for dinner a lot more. read more

I just finished eating the noodles & made myself from the Ramen class I took on Saturday, and it was phenomenal; I will definitely be taking more classes from Philip in the future. I've been on Philip's mailing list for quite some time, but this was my first cooking class, and I loved it! It's taught in an intimate environment where you can see *everything* that's being done, and you get to participate in every part of the process, ask questions, and receive feedback. It was also awesome that we got to take the noodle dough that we made and some stock/garnish leftovers home, it definitely jump-started the process to follow up and try out the process on my own the next evening. read more

Phil's food is exquisite and unique in flavor and presentation! Who would have guessed that Pumpkin ice cream without the cream was even possible and delicious to boot! His cuisine is nothing short of amazing and, it's all completely hand crafted by Phil so you know you're only getting the very best of all natural, organic foods. I'm a raving fan - what can I say?! :) Sincerely, Michele Molitor Nectar Consulting, Inc. read more

Phil is an amazing chef! You need to get to one of his catered dinner parties or hire him to cater your event stat! (Especially because this talent may be soon leaving the Bay Area). I went over to his flat this evening for his catered Japanese vegan dinner. Just to give you an idea of how amazing he is here is the menu from the dinner: Soup: Asparagus puree, sauteed asparagus, and asparagus tempura. Turnips pickled with salt and lemon. Salad: Hijiki, collards, daikon, carrots, sprouts with cherry sesame umeboshi dressing. Small Plate: Homemade tofu with peas, shitake, shimejo and enoki mushrooms served in seaweed dashi. Chrysanthemum greens with mustard miso dressing. Entree: Homemade tempeh marinated and roasted in red miso, pomegranate molasses and spices. Green bamboo rice and Forbidden rice, burdock and lotus root kinpira Cherry wasabi sauce. Dandelion greens with walnut miso dressing, lotus root pickled in homemade sichuan chili oil, favas and wake braised in sake, beets pickled in umeboshi Dessert: Yuzu matcha cake Maple matcha ice "cream" Read bean strawberry sauce The dessert was I swear the best dessert I think I've ever had (and I have a major sweet tooth and have eaten a lot of desserts in my life). The dessert wasn't too sweet, but the flavors, texture and subtlety made it stand out. Phil makes his own tempeh and tofu and both are amazing. The tofu has a rich consistency completely unlike any store bought tofu I've ever had, and the tempeh is also much richer and flavorful than the store bought versions. It has a slightly mushroomy flavor from the culturing process. You can sometimes buy blocks of Phil's homemade tempeh and I would highly recommend doing so. The cost may seem high, but you are getting organic locally made tempeh. It is well worth it. Phil is hosting several more dinners during May, June and July. You can follow him at his facebook page at : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakland-CA/In-the-Mood-for-Food-vegan-catering-and-dinnerconcerts/141519756314?ref=ts or at his blog: http://philipgelb.blogspot.com/ Do it! *~Mimi*~ read more

Phil recently catered my husband's 30th birthday, and the food was simply amazing! Everyone loved the food, and was blown away by the homemade tofu, tempeh, and seitan. I cannot wait to have Phil's food again. Even non-vegs will LOVE the food, trust me. read more

I had the pleasure of enjoying Phil's cuisine at a private dinner at my friend's home in Pleasant Hill. one word: Ridic. If you have the chance to hire, work with, or try his food, you totally should. Do it. Do it now. read more

I've had the pleasure of working with Phil as well as enjoying one of his underground dinners. Phil, simply uses the best ingredients to create great food. As a vegetarian of 9 years, my many encounters with tofu have been boring (and maybe yours have been, too), however, one of my memorable encounters was when Phil made Tofu marinated in soy sauce/mirin smoked with oolong tea leaves. Or how about Penang Curry with Kabocha Squash, Chinese Eggplant, Lotus Root, Tofu. Let's get real - good food is good food. Phil simply uses the best, freshest, organic ingredients to create great culinary orgasms that are bound to get your taste buds moving on the dance floor. P.S. the Tofu noodles in the sesame sauce..ahhhhhhh I'm craving some right now. read more

I went to the dinner with Japanese instrument concert. The food was very fresh with nice ingredients. I never had such great vegetarian course. The peach dessert was amazing. I enjoyed very much for the food and music. It was perfect! read more

I've taken a baking/sweets class as well as a Thai cooking class with Phil and both were fantastic. Cooking classes are in a relaxed environment and extremely educational even for those not so great (me) and great in the kitchen (my husband). Phil is friendly, warm and very knowledgable about his craft! We hired him to cater my 40th birthday dinner and it was phenomenal. Phil put together a delicious Southern flavors menu and our friends ate more than what they eat at Thanksgiving! Every guest had seconds. We should've hired him for our wedding! It was one of the best birthday gifts from my spouse, a delicious meal at home catered by Phil surrounded by friends. read more

Chef Gelb is a genius in the kitchen and on the shakuhachi. A few close friends and I just attended the sound and savor series featuring Shing02. The experience is well worth the price. Amazing flavor that stimulates creativity in both flavor and sound. If you've not had the pleasure of dropping in to experience the spectacle that such a small intimate venue such as this has to offer then I suggest you do yourself a favor and do so. read more

I had the honor of attending a dinner given by Phil and I have to say it was Awesome! The food was to die for. A lotus soup cooked at the table and the bread was hot from the oven, nut crusted tempeh and the ICE CREAM was off the charts. Phil can really shake and bake in the kitchen. I love that all the food is locally grown and home made. Treat your self to some thing good that's good for you. read more

Hired Philip to cater a small private dinner of 6 for me last night at my home. The food was excellent and better than what i expected. He also interacted well with my guest and happily explained many of the dishes that were unfamiliar. Planning on having Philip continue and do these monthly dinners for me. Can't wait for the next menu proposal from him! read more

Philip's food is outstanding. I hired him to cater a private event and also attended one of his dinner concerts. In both cases the cuisine and service were top-notch, some of the best vegan food my husband and I (both mostly-vegan vegetarians) have ever experienced. Highly recommended. read more

Philip is an amazing private chef. I have now attended 3 of his delicious vegan 4 course dinners. And all were from a different region. From someone who loves her meat, Philip really shows us how vegan food can be fulfilling and full of flavor. I definitely recommend In the Mood for Food for anybody! You will not be disappointed. read more

Phil is a magician. We hired him, rather last minute, for a large catering job. To make it even more of a challenge, we added another dozen people the night before the event. Not only did Phil come through, but the food and the service was fantastic! He made the event totally stress-free for us. Phil created dishes out of ingredients that were so fresh and delicious that even the hard core carnivores were delighted. He made a quiche with tofu that was incredible. I brought some home for my husband who now wants to leave me and move in with Phil! read more

Phil catered our commitment ceremony weekend in Boonville this past October and we cannot say enough good things about him or his food. From the beginning, when he made us a sample menu, we were hooked. He prepares gourmet vegan food made with seasonal local ingredient and yet still manages to offer delicious options that appeal to vegans and omnivores alike. Meeting him in person for the tasting further confirmed our initial impression. Not only was the food amazing, Phil turned out to be so easy-going and personable - not what you would expect from a prominent chef. Phil was very flexible and accommodating during the entire planning process, and when the weekend came around the food exceeded even our high expectations. To top it off, Phil bantered with the guests and really contributed to the positive energy we so wanted to cultivate for the weekend. The food alone is reason enough to go with Phil. The fact that he is such a great person will make you glad that you did. We cannot recommend him enough! read more

I've been enjoying Phillip's food for over 18 months now and I must say that are the best meals of the month for me. Phillip serves the food every month at the Presidio School of Management and I feel alive when I have lunch at school. I am NOT a vegetarian or a vegan. But I do love flavor and variety and feeling good after a meal. I do not get the after lunch brain drain. I feel energized and satisfied and amazed. Just read the other posts. The man is a culinary genius! Thank you, Phil! read more

did you say vegetarian (my husband is such)? did you say an underground restaurant? hoooweee! we attended the valentine's day dinner and it was delish. really fun, and lots of fun people in attendance. that salad was amazing (chocolate covered peppercorns?!), the soup was fun, the entree interesting, and the dessert divine. the setting was simple, clean, chairs and table (i was thankful for this after attending a floor-cushion style secret restaurant in sf). it was really very cozy and felt like a big adventure. definitely check out phil for a special dinner, he was a great guy, and his food is fabulous! read more

When I found out that Phil had a Valentine's Dinner (Feb. 2009) I kicked myself, because I foolishly hadn't known! I had gone to another restaurant, spent way more than I would have at Phil's, and the food was not nearly as good. Phil Gelb is a vegetarian chef par excellence, and I speak from experience because not only did I live in Paris (the ultimate gourmet ghetto), but also spent quite a bit of time with the Waters family (Chez Panisse) on many dining occasions. His food is exquisitly prepared by hand from scratch, and besides, it is good for you. I have enjoyed many meals prepared and/or catered by Phil, and I would recommend him to anyone seeking a gourmet dining experience, whether or not they are vegetarian. He also runs an Underground Music series (with dinner). AND he is a world-reknowned shakuhachi player (Japanes flute). read more

I first experienced Phil's awesome cooking at a party he catered and was so impressed I brought a friend to his underground restaurant. It was such a treat for me to actually have healthy food at a party that was so delicious everyone loved it no matter what their normal preferences. The dinner/concert series included a concert which takes place after dinner and before desert. My friend and I were bowled over by the experience. An exquisite evening from beginning to end. Yum yum yum! read more

Phil makes the most delicious vegan food! He has been catering lunches to my school for few semesters, so I had the opportunity to taste a lot of different things. I crave his buckwheat miso soup with sauerkraut, often. His salad dressings are pieces of art. I am planning to take a cooking class with Phil. read more

My husband and I have been wanting to try Phil's underground music & supper club for quite a while and we finally got it together. Lucky us! When we arrived at the designated spot we were immediatey struck by Phil's warmth and generosity which affected everyone in the room. Then came the food. Dinner was a steady stream of lovingly presented, creative vegan treats which made great use of many seasonal and Asian ingredients. We loved every bite from the seitan char siu, hijiki & carrot stuffed cucumber cups with yuzu, pumpkinseed miso dressing to the homemade soba to the tempura to the star anise lemongrass tofu and stuffed yuba rolls to the phenomenal chili concoction. After dinner two members of Canconier, the medieval music quartet, played a series of songs on a variety of traditional instruments. The playing was wonderful and the discussions about music and instrument history were fascinating. We learned about Phil in part because we are fans of contemporary improvisational music, but we loved this all the same. Phil topped off the evening with healthy, but yummy vegan dessert-- cashew based pumpkin ice "cream" with walnut, oat, and raisin stuffed baked apples cooked in wine and spices. Phil orchestrated a perfect evening and we'll definitely be back for more. Kudos! read more

Phil's good is consistently good. I am not a vegetarian by any means, and I found myself asking for seconds! Please especially note that Phil's dessert menu (particularly the ice creams) is heavenly! It's a shame that Phil's place is not bigger. The musicians that he invites to the dinners are also world-class. read more

Phillip had us over to take some shots of his wonderful dishes. He prepared all sorts of stuff for us and we just sampled away, pausing to take nice photos. His homemade Tofu was great! This coming from someone who isn't really into tofu. :) Be sure to save room for that vegan ice cream! Phillip offers cooking classes and small dinners (performances too). read more

Our whole family gives a smashing 5 stars to this wonderful creative chef and his amazing preparation of unique and satisfying, as well as healthful, menues. Phil catered a special dinner for friends as well as our Granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah party in our own home. We liked it so much we had my husband's 75th birthday party at the underground cafe. The family incudes a vegan, several vegetarians and the usual assortment of other reqirements. Phil's combinations of fine dishes served with the freshest of organic ingredients, was a meal pleaser for everyone. We have attended the dinners with outstanding world class musicians and enjoyed the food, the music and the diverse diners we have met in this unique setting. read more

I've attended two of Phil's gatherings now. Phil is such an interesting chef/musician/aesthete with a refreshing irreverence for the establishment--it's great to spend time in his presence. The first was a brunch event. Everything was vegan, homemade, non-GMO, and AMAZING! We were immediately served affogato: delicious coffee with ice cream, then came freshly baked warm bagels--OMG, to die for! Sameer Gupta and Jay Gandhi, both members of Brooklyn Raga Massive, played a beautiful morning raga. The second event was a fabulous handmade ramen centered dinner. Again of course everything was vegan and non-GMO. Highlights were fresh tofu, shitake, and fresh as well as pickled greens. Aside from the attention to detail and handmaking of every condiment, etc., the dining ambiance was lovely, artsy yet casual, truly organic in feeling, very humanizing, more personal and connecting than dining in other "establishments" by far! read more

i took a japanese vegan cooking class w/ phil last weekend, and it was really great. we made a ton of different dishes and got to sit down together for a great meal after. we had phil's homemade tempeh and tofu, and both were fabulous (and i don't even love tempeh usually). the tofu really was fantastic. my faves were the adzuki bean and kabocha stew and the lotus root pickles. he puts all the recipes on his blog, so you can check them out too! read more

I just recently enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Phil of homemade seitan mole, roasted corn and pepper relish, quinoa pilaf, sauteed rappini with olives, and to top it all off, freshly prepared blueberry ice cream! It was nothing short of marvelous, and a fabulous treat. Even though I've been a vegan for almost seven years, this was my first experience with an all vegan caterer. It's going to be very hard for other's to top him in my book! read more

Loved the food, the music, the atmosphere, the company... the experience was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and celebrate V-day!!! Thank you, Phil for the delicious food, and Chris for the beautiful music which was food for the soul!!! read more

I am very impressed with Phil's Vegan food, and I am not a vegetarian at all. Some things I'm still not quite sure about -- but Phil has taught me to like some new foods. We went to a dinner/concert at his place and it was a fun evening as well as a tasty one. The mint kiwi soup is certainly something I would serve at my own table, and the fruit ice "cream" can certainly compete with the real thing. I would buy it if it were available, but of course everything he does his hand made and available only from him. Maybe he will have his own label someday. read more

Phillip provides a quality food and music experience. He is authentic, knowlegable and talented. The cooking class was inspiring. Don't miss a chance to experience his unique approach to quality food. read more

I am not a vegetarian, but after eating Phil's food I could be. The food was very good, service was great and the music was spectacular.

Not only is Philip's cuisine delicious, fresh, and unique, he's a smart, interesting fellow passionate about his trade. We had the pleasure of enjoying Philip's food today at our offices (SF-based VegNews Magazine), and the staff couldn't get enough. He prepared a five-dish vegan meal, complete with homemade setian and a spicy molé sauce; a sweet corn salad; fluffy, herb-infused quinoa; sautéed rappini with black olives; and his signature blueberry-cashew ice cream. We wish Philip could prepare our lunches every day, but we'll settle for partnering with him on future VegNews events! read more