How You Can Eat This Oakland Icon’s Food Before It’s Gone (For Now)

Fans of powerfully good Afro-Caribbean food collectively held their breath when news broke in March 2022 that Miss Ollie’s in Oakland was closing. Thankfully, in short order owner and operator Sarah Kirnon moved to Forage Kitchen for a resident pop-up, Holders House. Now, even her tenure at 478 25th Street at Telegraph Avenue is coming to an end, with the last day of service planned for October 7. A September 26 post on the Holders House Instagram announced the wrap-up. Watch the account’s Instagram for times to head over for jerk pork or fried chicken in the final week.

Before she goes, Kirnon is selling 50 jars of pepper sauce on a first-come-first-serve basis. And it might not be the end for Kirnon’s run in the Bay — if anything seems reliable, it’s that Kirnon will take her food and her passion into a new project soon enough. She says in the Instagram post she’ll host pop-ups around the Bay Area in the coming weeks and back in 2020, Kirnon told fans she wanted to transition into a platform for Black food creators, or something beyond the traditional restaurant model. Tablehopper notes Kirnon may be looking for new venues.

San Francisco doughnut entrepreneur heads to TV

Bay Area doughnut-maker Vandor Hill of Whack Donuts let fans know on Instagram he’s been selected to compete on The Greatest Baker, hosted by former Great British Baking Show winner and finalist Alice Fevronia and Sophie Faldo. The grand prize is $10,000 and a feature in Bake from Scratch magazine.

This could be why your Starbucks no longer has electrical outlets

A TikTok from former Bay Area Starbucks employee Lizette Roman-Johnston went viral regarding the chain’s lack of electrical outlets. SFGATE reports Roman-Johnston confided that an employee at the Starbucks in Oakland’s Lakeshore neighborhood told her the covering of the outlets is to keep those experiencing homelessness out of the shop. Starbucks spokesperson Sam Jefferies denied the accusation on behalf of the company.

Sacramento chef returns from survival-based TV show

Kevin O’Connor, former chef at Saison and Coi, just returned from a stint in the British Columbia woods while filming Majordomo Media’s TV show Chef vs. Wild. The Sacramento Bee reports the chef grew up in El Dorado County and cut his teeth in Sacramento kitchens. His first episode travailing through the wilderness streams on Hulu starting on October 3.

Drop by this Inner Sunset Korean bodega for cookware and other goods

Queens, the one-stop-shop for Korean soda and snacks, is apparently doing some fall cleaning and selling loads of odds and ends. The shop’s Instagram post advertises wire racks, coffee grinders, sheet pans, and more. The sale is on October 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or whenever everything sells.