Chef Tanya Holland tapped for cafe at Oakland Museum
Tanya Holland’s soul food is going to the museum.
The Oakland Museum of California announced Wednesday that the noted chef will create a new cafe, Town Fare by Tanya Holland, for the museum.
The restaurant is part of a large renovation project at OMCA. Construction on Town Fare and other work will begin the first week of March.
When the cafe opens in August, diners will find Holland’s most famous dishes — think fried chicken and waffles, gumbo, biscuits — along with seasonal California fare on the menu. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served, and the cafe will stay open late for Friday Nights at OCMA events.
Museum officials envision Town Fare’s role to become that of a downtown gathering place.
“At the heart of our All In! campaign for the museum is a commitment to increasing our position as a town square in Oakland and our role as the museum of the people — and great food definitely brings people together,” OMCA Director and CEO Lori Fogarty said in a statement. “Tanya’s vision and commitment to community are also closely aligned with the museum’s mission.”
Holland burst onto the West Oakland scene more than a decade ago, introducing diners on Mandela Parkway to her new-style soul food. During those years, she earned Michelin Bib Gourmand honors for fabulous but affordable food, published a cookbook (“Brown Sugar Kitchen: Newstyle, Down-home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland”) and appeared on the Food Network’s “Top Chef.”
In 2017, she announced plans to take over part of the Uptown Oakland space that formerly housed Pican and Ozumo. That Brown Sugar Kitchen opened in early 2019. She later opened an outpost at the San Francisco Ferry Building but closed that in January to focus on other ventures.
Town Fare by Tanya Holland will be managed by her Brown Sugar Kitchen Hospitality Group, which is based in Oakland, in partnership with Salt Partners, a food/ beverage hospitality group.