FOOD STORIES: Oakland Bloom
Oakland Bloom’s mission is to advance economic equity in the food industry. It aims to support poor and working-class refugee, immigrant, and BIPOC chefs to launch their own food businesses, and to reenvision and reshape what a healthy and just food service industry could look like.
Cafe Dandelion
Cafe Dandelion was created with hopes and dreams to nourish and feed the qtibipoc community. Saguaro and Yoyo operate under a sliding scale for their food pop-ups. The name Cafe Dandelion also comes from Saguaro's cat, Dandelion, but also the magical and medicinal properties that dandelion has as a root and a flower. It's important to bring food to the world because it is the one connection we can all have together. We can all sit for a meal, honor the work it took for us to create and sustain ourselves, but most importantly it is a center of community, the family meal. My connection to food is deeply connected to my ancestral roots from so-called Mexico, and deeply connected to my mother and grandmother's food. I love cooking as an outlet to share my art and my spirituality
Yo Mamma's kitchen
Chef Linda Grant’s food journey has been rooted in continuing the legacy of her family's cooking, and remembering the smells and flavors that molded her into the chef she is today. Prepared with freshness, soul, and an East Oakland vibe – the mission of Yo Momma’s Kitchen is to fuse traditional southern soul food with healthier food alternatives in order to transform the life expectancy for black people in Oakland. At the age of five, Chef Linda remembers waking up to the smell of smoked meats, homemade crusts, and sweet potato pie from her Granny and Grandpa’s kitchen. As much as life around her changed, the one thing that stayed the same was the space that cooking gave to her and her family: to be safe, grounded, and continue the legacy of down-home, back-south cooking. Chef Linda is a proud mama of 6 and a dedicated advocate for disrupting food-apartheid.
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Choc'late Mama Cookie Co.
Kehinde Koyejo's business has its roots in her background as a Nigerian-American from Oakland, CA, where her journey towards health-conscious baking began in her mother's kitchen. She was inspired by her own health struggles with processed ingredients to create vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free cookies that not only taste delicious but also accommodate various dietary needs. Kehinde's deep connection to food is rooted in her love for baking. Her approach of incorporating African-American flavors and food justice results in delicious treats that also advocates for wellness and sustainability. For Choc’late Mama Cookie Co., bringing food to the world means healing and restoring.
Fun Facts
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