Brown Sugar Kitchen: Soul Food with a Modern Edge
Even disguised among the former warehouses on Mandela Parkway, Brown Sugar Kitchen can’t escape attention. Its nondescript façade has a simple, wholesome quality about it; the wood-beamed exterior is the color of brown sugar. Yet there’s something artistic about the clean lines, interrupted by a single sign that reads: “Sweet West Oakland; New Style Down Home.”
Inside, Brown Sugar Kitchen will remind you of a comfortable, casual diner, with fresh flowers in vases and olive-green accented walls. The diverse crowd consists mostly of locals, driving in from all over the Bay and sometimes farther because they know this restaurant’s got an original twist on comfort food, whipping it up with organic and locally grown ingredients without getting too fancy.
Chef and owner Tanya Holland grew up in New York, where her parents hosted a gourmet cooking club. She has an African American heritage, and her menu shows Southern influence as well as the international touch of a chef who was formally trained at La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in France. Her experience includes cooking in professional kitchens from Manhattan to Berkeley. Holland no doubt has numerous culinary influences to draw from.
Her oyster sandwiches have gotten special mention in San Francisco Magazine. Her creative cuisine includes waffles made from cornmeal, with brown sugar and apple cider syrup, along with traditional favorites like cheesy grits and crispy chicken with waffles. Her jam’s homemade, melting flawlessly into warm and fluffy beignets baked from scratch.
Lunch is on the menu, too, with offerings like gumbo, jerk chicken, and brown sugar and pineapple glazed baby back ribs. International wines and microbrews are on hand to wash it all down. Call it organic soul food, Southern food fusion, or what you will.
Among the diverse crowd waiting in line for a table, you’ll find locals familiar with the oldest part of Oakland, as well as more distant visitors and residents on their way to do some Emeryville shopping. You’ll be greeted and seated as soon as possible, and that can take awhile, especially on a Saturday morning. Bon appetit!
Posted by Renee Rutledge
