A core program of Oakland Bloom is Open Test Kitchen (OTK), its shared culinary space: a café in the front, and a commercial kitchen in the back. We offer low- to no-cost kitchen access, business coaching, marketing, and event planning support to Chef-entrepreneurs facing systemic barriers in the food industry. Through OTK we are supporting chefs not only to grow their businesses, but to deepen their organizing, storytelling, and connection to community.

In just six months, OTK has hosted over 10 BIPOC and migrant-led businesses in creating powerful offerings that intersect food, identity, and community:
– That Hausa Vegan (Nigerian vegan food) hosted weekly “Muslim & Chill” nights, creating an inclusive space with games and a prayer area for local Muslim communities
– -ASÚKAR (Palestinian-Cuban fusion) hosted film nights and educational dinners on Palestine
Café con Cariño led youth abolitionist teach-ins, community crafts, and events honoring diasporic Chilean and Salvadoran traditions
– Chiricana Cocina Panameña held a fundraiser for a Panamanian elder, raising awareness around healthcare inequities in Black communities
– TurnipThatBeet curated an Arab Brunch Experience, celebrating slow food rooted in Syria and Lebanon
OTK also hosted Know Your Rights workshops for undocumented workers and de-escalation training for staff and community safety. Most recently, we completed a mural project in collaboration with youth from 67 Sueños, rooted in storytelling and ancestral food practices. The mural stands as a living altar for our visions of food sovereignty and community care. These are just some of the ways we bridge food as cultural expression, and political education.