Breakfast and Lunch: Brenda’s French Soul Food
Brenda’s French Soul Food is inspired by owner Chef Brenda’s childhood experience growing up in Louisiana. Brenda has an BFA in Paint and Drawing from Louisiana State University and pursued her creative passion through cooking in New Orleans kitchens. She moved to San Francisco in 1997 and opened up Brenda’s first location in the Tenderloin in 2007. Brenda’s French Soul Food now has several locations, including one on Broadway in Oakland.
Dessert: Cupcakin’
“Cupcakin’ Bake Shop is the realized vision of owner Lila Owens. She started a home-based cupcake catering business in 2007. But the ultimate goal was to open a cute little bake shop where she could showcase her passion for baking to a larger audience.
Lila wanted a fun culture, adorable décor and artisan baked goods made from high quality, sustainable ingredients. With the awesome support of some key people in her life Cupcakin’ Bake Shop became a reality with the opening of the Berkeley, CA location in 2014.
With its unique, creative and eco-friendly culture, Berkeley proved to be the ideal place for Cupcakin’ Bake Shop to take root. As an advocate for sustainability and the natural and local food movement, Lila found Berkeley to be the perfect place to set up shop.”
Summary by Sylvia: Cupcakin’ Bake Shop was founded by owner, Lila Owens, proud alumni of Howard University. Lila began baking cupcakes at home back in 2007 with a goal of opening her own bake shop which became reality in 2014 when she opened her first location in Berkeley. Lila is committed to using sustainable ingredients and has opened several other Cupcakin’ Bake Shop locations around the East Bay.
Coffee/Tea: Mother Tongue
https://mothertongue.coffee/pages/story
“Jen Apodaca started Mother Tongue Coffee in 2019, she has been roasting since 2005 for a range of well-loved businesses, including McMenamin’s, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, and The Crown. She likes to think of herself as a roaster’s roaster. She is also a certified Q-Grader, former chair of the Coffee Roasters Guild of America, the 2019 US Cup Tasters Champion, and won second place in the 2022 Roasters Championship.
In 2017 she founded #shestheroaster – which is a visibility campaign that women do indeed roast coffee and also promotes and encourages women in the coffee industry to become professional coffee roasters.”