Fried chicken from Miss Ollie’s at Swan’s Market in Old Oakland.
Jen Fedrizzi / Special to The ChronicleThe Miss Ollie’s that fans have come to love over the past eight years — with its pink walls, funky vibe andessay-inspiring skillet-fried chicken— is coming to end this month.
Chef and owner Sarah Kirnontold Eater SFshe was hesitant to say Miss Ollie’s is flat-out closing, but it’s highly likely the restaurant will shut down at the end of December. That’s in part because of the financial challenges the pandemic has created for all restaurants and in part because Kirnon wants to focus on a new project called Sanctuary. And if there is some miraculous infusion of cash to keep Miss Ollie’s alive longer, Kirnon wouldn’t get too involved in favor of getting Sanctuary off the ground.
Instead of a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Sanctuary will function as a series of outdoor pop-up events throughout Oakland that highlight Black chefs, artists and other creatives. The goal is to “preserve and really hone the culture for the future in a way that’s meaningful,” said Miles Dotson, Kirnon’s partner for Sanctuary.
That means saying goodbye to Miss Ollie’s, one of the Bay Area’s few Caribbean restaurants and an homage to Kirnon’s Barbadian grandmother, specializing in classics like salt fish and ackee, curry goat and garlicky plantains. Located in Old Oakland’s Swan’s Market, it has earned a spot onThe Chronicle’s Top Restaurants listthe past two years.
Sanctuary’s first event, called Kindred, will likely take place in February — pending safety-related restrictions on gatherings — and bring together food and art installations while also providing meals to community members who can’t afford them. Dotson is applying to formalize Sanctuary as a nonprofit.
Most events will be free for the public to attend with food for sale. Others might be ticketed. The locations aren’t set yet, but think along the lines of a big empty parking lot.
Christian Washington, a former Chez Panisse chef, will be in charge of inviting guest chefs to collaborate on events.
“多年来,莎拉曾与许多talented folks that paid their dues in the restaurant business in the San Francisco Bay Area, and there are opportunities to give them a moment to shine and impact the community,” Dotson said.
Chef Sarah Kirnon sits at her restaurant Miss Ollie’s in 2013. After eight years, the Oakland restaurant is likely closing this month.
John Storey / Special to The Chronicle 2013当然,这是可能的流感大流行不允许Kindred to go on exactly as planned — but that’s part of the point of Sanctuary. Even before the pandemic, Kirnon found she wanted a more flexible and versatile business model, as it was tough to accept invitations to speak at events, cook for private parties or conduct separate pop-ups while running the restaurant, Dotson said. Then, of course, the pandemic made running Miss Ollie’s exceptionally difficult.
“The restaurant model is not able to tolerate a lot of variation when it comes to market economics or changes to city landscapes,” Dotson said. They hope operating a nonprofit will provide more flexibility and deeper community engagement compared to a for-profit restaurant.
The likely end of Miss Ollie’s doesn’t mean the end of Kirnon’s food being accessible to the public though — it just won’t be available from a specific location at regular hours every week as fans have grown accustomed to. And it’s unclear what shape her dishes might take, whether they’re occasionally available at Sanctuary events or elsewhere.
“Maybe the Miss Ollie’s brand can live on and be something different, not stuck in a shell of a brick-and-mortar,” Dotson said. “Likewise, Sanctuary can evolve to let us impact more lives beyond the restaurant alone.”
Miss Ollies. Takeout only likely through December. Noon-7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and Sunday, noon-9 p.m. Friday. 901 Washington St., Oakland.realmissolliesoakland.com
Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email:janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.comTwitter:@janellebitker
