AboutUs
Our team is driven by a passion for food, a love of hospitality and entertaining, and a commitment to community and sustainability.
ChefRobert Dorsey
Robert Dorsey has honed his technique in some of the best restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as Embarko, Café Pescatore, Firefly, Cafe Rouge, Elroy’s, Kuletos, and Garibaldi’s. His first Executive Chef position was at the at Elysium Café in San Francisco, where San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer awarded him a 3-star review, and the accolade “Best Burger.” Soon after, Dorsey was invited to become a chef at the storied Bay Wolf Restaurant in Oakland, mentored by Michael Wild. There, he helped develop seasonal regional Mediterranean menus and assisted with the Bay Wolf cookbook.After his stints in top kitchens across the Bay Area, Dorsey embarked on his first solo venture, Blackberry Bistro. A community focused, California-French inspired concept in Oakland’s Glenview district, the restaurant became an immediate success and quickly earned the award for “Best Breakfast/Brunch” from the East Bay Express. Chef Dorsey went on to open the Blue Oak Café at the Oakland Museum, where he created a unique culinary style highlighting California’s cultural melting pot, and designed menus to link the museum’s exhibits to the cuisine at the café. Dorsey’s passion for food and community is the driving force behind his company. Through his cooking, Dorsey delights in the opportunity to share culinary cultures from around the world.
Inthe Community
Founder and Creative Director Robert Dorsey believes strongly in giving back. His community work has ranged from creating the Junior Chef’s Society, (dedicated to helping underserved youth pursue careers in the food industry), to volunteering with 100 Black Men of the Bay as a mentor, to working with various organizations to help create access to fresh fruits and vegetables.His commitment to service is woven into the fabric of our company, and supporting our local community is a core component of what we do. A portion of our proceeds are dedicated to initiatives that help mitigate hunger and food insecurity in our local communities, with a focus on at-risk youth.
OurValues
We believe that a business is more than just a business – it is a community that has the power to impact the world in many different ways. Our company is an active expression of those values, putting them into practice with each and every meal cooked, event created, and client served.People are the anchor for everything that we do. From working with our team, to nurturing connections with farmers, vendors, partners, and clients, relationships are the driving force for our company. We actively work to support other local businesses, creating an ecosystem that benefits everyone in their community.
We integrate sustainability into every element of our company, and approach ingredient sourcing with an organic, local, farm-to-table sensibility. Stewardship of the land is an important value for our team, and we weave it into our daily operations, taking actions such as composting, recycling, and leveraging reusable or biodegradable products to keep the carbon footprint of the company as low as possible.