" Here in the Bay Area, if you’ve feasted on a spice-laced, expertly-stuffed yellow split-pea roti sometime in the past 30 years, chances are it was scratch-made by Annabelle Goodridge."Goodridge — she goes by Chef Ann — is our region’s Trinidadian cuisine authority. Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, she first served her curry goat pelau, split-pea fritters and legendary flatbread roti wraps at her original Berkeley restaurant, LaBelle’s, before spending the bulk of her career catering for the likes of AT&T, Kaiser and Genentech. "
"While patties abound in Caribbean diasporic strongholds like London, New York City and Miami, they’ve been more of a rarity here until recent years. In the mid-2010s, native San Franciscan Shani Jones launched Peaches Patties, an homage to her Jamaican mother and one of the city’s few Caribbean food businesses. And a pop-up called Tasty Tings, by Alyssa Magdaluyo, as well as a new Trinidadian restaurant in Oakland, Coco Breeze, entered the fray last year with their own takes on the patty. Even if you’ve never had a Jamaican patty before, I think you’d still recognize them on first glimpse. It seems that many humans possess an innate craving for dough-wrapped parcels, whether we’re talking about fried sesame balls, empanadas...
"We celebrate women, womyn, womxn (however you choose to identify) as icons of Oakland as well as their establishments: the restaurants, the shops, the galleries. Learn about the different ways you can eat, shop, and enjoy the spaces created by Oakland women"
"Chef Annabelle Goodridge brings Trinidadian flavors to Oakland, expanding a diverse palette of ethnic cuisine that already exists in the city. She has been cooking since the age of 12, inspired by her mother and aunt, and has been contributing to the culinary scene in Oakland for over 40 years. Her restaurant, Cocobreeze, is an authentic Caribbean restaurant, catering service and full service standard and vegan bakery. "
“It is a whole experience for all of your senses to enjoy,” said Lyons, who was laid off at the outset of the pandemic. “We understand that people feel isolated, they feel sad or distraught, or overwhelmed, not only with their health but with their circumstances. We just want to help people in that regard”. "Knowing that so many of their neighbors are struggling, Goodridge and Lyons also collect donations and distribute meals to local families experiencing homelessness. “We are trying to be part of this community and not just located in the community”, Goodridge said. Now, less than five months into their venture, regulars can’t seem to stay away."
