Fat is good at Three Stone Hearth

by Jillian Keenan

Cooperative kitchen Three Stone Hearth opened in Berkeley three years ago to promote a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. Today, it’s mission to promote natural diets and sustainable ecology is becoming increasingly popular throughout the Bay Area.

Three Stone Hearth sells foods based on the diet first popularized by 20th century holistic dentist Weston A. Price. After studying the diets of communities he visited in Canada, Florida, Europe, South America, Africa, and the South Pacific, Price discovered that fats and meats, rather than carbohydrates, were the main source of energy in most of these local diets. His eventual dietary prescription, which is based on traditional cooking techniques, emphasizes high-fat consumption, slow cooking techniques, and fermentation.

“Our mission is to provide nutrient dense foods to Bay Area families,” said Misa
Koketsu, one of Three Stone Hearth’s five worker-owners. “We want to prepare foods in a traditional way, the way traditional cultures prepare food, and provide that to the community.”

The cooperative specializes in high-fat products that comply with Price’s dietary prescription: bone broth, egg pies, tropical oils, lard, and butter. The menu, which changes every week, includes jars of gelatin dessert, pork rillettes, and coconut bars.

Most customers pre-order these products online and pick them up at the store, although home deliveries are also possible.

“Our food basically supports the planet, and it supports small farms, and it supports choice,” said Koketsu. “Eating is a political act. Basically, when you eat our food you’re making a decision to support your local economy, support ecology, support community.”

Three Stone Hearth Cooperative Kitchen is located at 1581 University Avenue in Berkeley, CA.