About Solfood

solfood was born from a simple truth: our communities already hold the wisdom, the talent, and the vision to build the futures we deserve. What's often missing is space.

Space to gather. Space to cook and share food. Space to teach, organize, dream, and build together.

We are residents, dreamers, and builders. Strategists grounded in community. Chefs, entrepreneurs, organizers, and creatives who have spent years showing up — producing events, feeding people, building programs, and holding space for possibility.

Through hundreds of conversations with neighbors, elders, organizers, and young people, we kept hearing the same thing: We have the people. We have the ideas. What we need is the space.

solfood exists to help create that space — rooted in a few simple beliefs:

So we steward spaces where community can gather, activate, and build together. Spaces that are open, rooted, and alive with possibility. Spaces that take their direction from the people who live here.

Because when the right space exists, community does the rest.

The Story so far

solfood began as an idea about reclaiming underutilized spaces — the churches, civic halls, and community institutions that sit empty most of the week despite being trusted anchors in their neighborhoods.

It has grown into something more specific: a place-based initiative rooted at the California Hotel in West Oakland, stewarding a 1,100-square-foot community space and garden in partnership with EBALDC.

We started here because this is where Maurice is from. This is where the relationships are. This is where the work is real.

What we believe

  • Community spaces belong to communities.
    Food carries memory, culture, and connection — and deserves to be treated that way.
    Elders hold knowledge that won't survive if we don't create space to pass it on.
    The people most affected by a problem are best positioned to address it.
    Infrastructure is not neutral. Who controls it matters.

Co-Founders

1. Consistent

A reliable calendar people can count on — not one-off events, but a cadence of gatherings that builds trust over time.

2. Partnerships

We don't try to do everything. We make space for trusted local organizations to bring their work here — and we support them to do it well.

3. Measurement

We track what actually changes for people: whether they feel more connected, whether they accessed a resource they needed, whether they came back. Not vanity numbers.

4. Storytelling

The stories that come out of this space belong to the community. We document and share them — because proof of what's possible here is how this grows.

Fiscal sponsorship

Solfood is fiscally sponsored by Brotherhood of Elders Network (BOEN), a 501(c)(3).