Dontaye Ball Takes Over SF General's Hearty Cafe

Urban Gourmet Kitchen at Hearty Cafe. [Photo: Courtesy SF General Hospital]

Dontaye Ball of Good Foods Catering, a pop-up specialist and Alemany and Stonestown Farmers Market staple, is taking up some fresh roots at the Hearty Cafe trailer near the 23rd Street emergency room entrance at San Francisco General Hospital (1001 Potrero). Beginning June 1, the new Urban Gourmet Kitchen at Hearty Cafe will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 6 AM to midnight.

He has worked with hospital nutritionists to develop a low-salt, no trans fat menu of what he's calling "local fast healthier food," such as soups, filling salads, sandwiches, lean proteins, whole wheat pancakes, vegan scrambles and vegetarian options. Ritual Roasters will be a featured coffee selection, and Ball also hopes to rotate in various pop-up vendors for unusual food specials.

The busy Ball also plans to do some more future pop-up meals at Wing Wings in the Lower Haight and is working on extending his catering services to a greater network of small businesses. And although it won't hit the streets for several months, he's just purchased a food truck. The mobile eatery will also sell some of the heartier fare that Ball is known for, including his own pork belly and bacon. Life is all about balance, after all.

All Coverage on Dontaye Ball [~ESF~]