Oakland Bloom in the News

Celebrating Chinatown after Dark at Oakland’s Second Annual Lantern Festival

Co-hosted by Oakland Bloom, AAPI Healers for Liberation, and Sticky Rice Club, the Lantern Festival also featured a community altar for people impacted by the war in Gaza.

“Oakland’s second annual Lantern Festival brought a bustling night market, live performances, and family-friendly activities to the Pacific Renaissance Plaza, located at the heart of Chinatown. In addition to honoring Chinese traditions, the two-day, multicultural event featured a healing space where festivalgoers could drink herbal teas, write prayers on paper leaves, meditate, and contribute offerings to a community altar for people affected by the war in Gaza..'”

February 27, 2024
Oaklandside

This radical Bay Area restaurant took home one of the food industry’s most prestigious awards

“In March, a little-known Oakland restaurant got some surprising news: It had won one of the food world’s highest-profile awards.Understory, a colorful, worker-run restaurant that opened at 528 Eighth St. in spring of last year, had won the James Beard Foundation’s emerging leadership award. It honors ‘the visionaries responsible for creating a healthier, safer, and more equitable and sustainable food system.'”

July 21, 2022
SF Chronicle

Serving More Than Food: Restaurant Co-Ops Put Economic Justice on the Table

“Co-ops are providing high-quality jobs largely unavailable in an industry notorious for its low wages and exploitation.”

January 19, 2022
Truthout

This Oakland Restaurant Was Developed in the Spirit of Mutual Aid

“It’s a food incubator, a place where refugee chefs can hone their skills, a kitchen for mutual aid — oh, and a restaurant too.”

April 8, 2021
Next City

The restaurant putting workers in charge – and inequality on the chopping block

“A rotating menu of Filipino, Moroccan, and Mexican cuisine underpins an ambition to uplift the food industry labor structure”

March 31, 2021
The Guardian

Immigrant chefs pursue their culinary dreams at Oakland Bloom

“Immigrants often face disadvantages in the food industry. This nonprofit is working to change that.”

January 4, 2021
Oaklandside