By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | June 13, 2022 | Food & Drink, Parties, Restaurants, Culture, Celebrity, Women of Influence Latest, Community,
It was a night filled with empowering speeches, instant connections, and spectacular food, as the Black Food Wine Experience hosted their Solidarity Dinner Saturday June 11th at Oakland's own Sobre Mesa.
This dinner served to unite both the Asian and Black communities around Oakland and the Bay Area for a night of inspiring reflection, learning, and progress, all over an elegantly curated 7-course meal that perfectly blended and highlighted traditional Black and Asian ingredients.
Aside from Oakland native Chef Mimi, the founder of the Black Food & Wine Experience, several notable figures in both communities were dazzlingly in attendance, including CBS Journalist Betty Yu, powerful speakers from local organization Asians With Attitude, and the head chefs of the magnificent event.
On top of all their already incredible accolades and Top Chef alumni statuses, Chefs Nelson German and Tu David Phu not only graciously delivered an exceptional dinner, but also eloquently elaborated on each dishes' backgrounds, intersectional significance, and cultural stories.
"We're trying to do something positive and have these great conversations to bring us together when ppl try to break us down," Chef Nelson explains, "we have to represent each other through love and inclusiveness."
Chef David also solidified, "we want to heal in 2022 after a pandemic and a lot of injustices and come together." These many critical issues and similarities were well addressed all throughout the Pan-African and Vietnamese fusion cuisine, which truly encapsulated both communities so integrally intertwined and unique to the Bay Area's culture and diversity.
See also: 10 Bay Area AAPI Organizations To Support And Show Solidarity With
The tasting menu itself featured a wide array of both main courses and libations. With the beautiful night sponsored by Patron tequila, each exceptionally-prepared dish was periodically paired with an artfully handcrafted cocktail also utilizing classic cultural ingredients.
One of these cocktails to highlight was the "Papaya Fresca," which was a refreshingly juicy mix of Patron Reposado, papaya puree, Aperol, and more, which effortlessly suited the fourth course's Stemple Creek Ranch Oxtail "Bo Kho." This dish was notable for both its roots in Asian and Black times of hardship, elevating its comforting oxtail stew and slavery-era Johnny cake by supplementing it with Inca peppers, puffed dirty rice, and a black eyed pea and miso puree.
Other significantly divine dishes were the "Pepper Pot" Duck, Char Siu Pork Prime Rib, fresh Seafood Salad, and even their rich and gastronomically-inventive Red Velvet Bread Pudding.
"Food is that one thing that brings us together," Chef Mimi proudly remarks. "Y'all know we love Asian and soul food! These are the cuisines that are often get left off the table. All the spices and the herbs- the flavors, these are not elevated in a lot of ways."
By boldly putting these traditional flavors and comforting heritage faire in the spotlight, these talented chefs are not only making strides for cultural visibility, but also doing it in ways that are modern and cutting-edge, while still staying true to their roots.
Overall, the night brilliantly exuded a joyous sense of cameraderie, elegance, and overall prospective unity, for as the wonderful music filled the trendy venue, insightful conversations on race and social justice were shared, along with a sense that, despite the hate crimes and wrongful marginalization, our Black and Asian communities are here to persist and thrive.
See also: Sandra Oh Talks To Michelle Yeoh On Her Illustrious Career And More
Photography by: Oladimeji Odunsi/Unsplash
