Bay Area Chef Launches Black Culinary Collective in Partnership with the Oakland Black Business Fund and Oakstop Alliance

OAKLAND, Calif., May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with the Oakland Black Business Fund (OBBF) and Oakstop Alliance, Bay Area business owner Reign Free has launched the Black Culinary Collective to provide a creative, collaborative, and nurturing environment for Black-owned food and beverage producers. In addition to access to a fully-equipped commercial kitchen, the Collective offers members business consultation and mentorship services, as well as opportunities for financing through the Oakland Black Business Fund's network.

The Black Culinary Collective is the expansion of Free's vision to impact her community using her experience and expertise. An Ohio native, Free relocated to Oakland where she launched a successful one-woman catering business, The Red Door Catering (TRD). Established in 2006, TRD has grown into a multi-million-dollar company serving clients like the Obama Foundation, AfroTech, Facebook, Louis Vuitton, the Super Bowl, and Blue Shield of California. In 2020, TRD partnered with the Eat. Play. Learn Foundation, World Central Kitchen, and Great Plates to serve the community during COVID-19. In April 2021, Free hosted a roundtable welcoming Vice President Kamala Harris, Bay Area politicians, and small business owners to her kitchen to discuss their experience during the pandemic and the impact of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in aiding small businesses.

"The challenges brought by COVID-19 forced The Red Door to change its business model, shifting from catering in-person events to providing healthy and locally-grown food to our neighbors as they worked from home," said Free. "With restaurants shutting down and pivoting to take-out, I could see that other Black chefs and entrepreneurs were struggling, with many of them lacking access to kitchen space and expertise on how to scale their businesses. I recognized that not only could I offer these entrepreneurs a place to cook, but we could create a space where emerging culinary entrepreneurs could grow beyond their current station."

The Black Culinary Collective has launched with support from the Oakland Black Business Fund, a Black-led investment platform providing capital, technical assistance, and growth strategy to Black-owned businesses. In order to minimize the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs looking to join the Collective, OBBF has committed to funding the first ten members, equaling more than $50k in funding for the project. OBBF is the only Black-led fund providing business grants and larger investments that address the historical lack of access to capital and control of real estate.

"We've seen studies that show 41% of Black-owned businesses closed between February and April 2020, and PPP loan data shows that only 130 restaurants listed as Black-owned received payments of $150,000 or more. These numbers reflect historically weak lending to people of color, which makes community-based funds essential to creating a new economic trajectory for Black businesses," said Damon Johnson, director of community relations at OBBF and executive director for Oakstop Alliance. "The Black Culinary Collective is one example of how OBBF's unique approach to building peer-to-peer relationships between Black business owners and service providers offers a sustainable growth model for under-funded businesses."

The Black Culinary Collective is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses, ranging from home-based operations to full-scale commercial production. The West Oakland facilities feature more than 5,000 square feet of combined commercial kitchen and pop-up market space. Members will also receive access to free consultation on topics ranging from certification, licensing, and insurance to production, branding, and distribution.

In addition to TRD, the Black Business Collective features various Black-owned food and beverage businesses, with more expected to join in the coming weeks. Current members include Baby Bean Pie, The Final Sauce, Pound Bizness, and Teas With Meaning. The Black Culinary Collective will host an open house in West Oakland this summer, highlighting the culinary offerings of Oakland's emerging food and beverage entrepreneurs.

"The foundation of our brand is intention, purpose, and wellness. By partnering with Reign Free and the Black Culinary Collective, we're able to grow our business while delivering on our goal of inspiring purposeful change within our community," said Kamilah Mitchell, founder of Teas With Meaning. "It's an honor to be aligned with this project and have the opportunity to grow alongside other Black culinary entrepreneurs."

Business owners interested in joining the Black Culinary Collective can visit www.blackculinarycollective.com for more information. To schedule an appointment to visit the kitchen, contact [email protected]. Investors or organizations interested in contributing to OBBF or supporting Oakstop Alliance can contact [email protected] or [email protected]. 

About the Black Culinary Collective
The Black Culinary Collective (BCC) provides commercial kitchen facilities and services for Black-owned food and beverage companies at competitive prices, ideal for small to mid-sized businesses. From home-based businesses to full-scale commercial production, the West Oakland-based kitchen meets the varied needs of culinary entrepreneurs. We provide a supportive environment where you can learn, grow and develop. The overall aim is to provide a creative, collaborative, and nurturing environment for the selected participants to flourish and grow their businesses. Follow the Black Culinary Collective on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For more information, visit www.blackculinarycollective.com.

About Oakland Black Business Fund
Oakland Black Business Fund redefines capital deployment systems to create possibilities for Black economic growth that defy the confines of systemic racism. The fund supports Black businesses with capital and technical assistance to elevate Black entrepreneurs as thriving leaders in the local economy.

Oakland Black Business Fund offers opportunities for tax-deductible donations through its 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Alliance for Community Development, whose mission is to increase access to capital and support for local, underrepresented entrepreneurs. Follow OBBF on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. More information available at www.oaklandblackbusinessfund.com.

About Oakstop and the Oakstop Alliance
Oakstop is a place-based social enterprise offering affordable workspace, event space, and arts programming to catalyze collaboration, professional development, and economic sustainability for creative entrepreneurs and small local businesses. Oakstop is a 100% Black-owned and operated small business, currently operating four locations in the East Bay.

Oakstop Alliance, its nonprofit affiliate organization, further serves the communities of the East Bay with free to low-cost spaces and experiences. Oakstop Alliance furthers the mission of democratizing space by actively curating social good programs with practitioners and non-profit organizations that confront and deconstruct the barriers of systematic oppression with actionable results. More information available at www.oakstop.com and www.alliancecd.org/oakstopalliance.html.

SOURCE Black Culinary Collective