Sarah Kirnon is a West Indian[1] chef. Kirnon owned and operated Miss Ollie's, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant in Oakland, California, from 2012 until 2019, when she announced she would close the restaurant to reopen the space as a non-profit incubator for Black chefs, artists, musicians and other creators.
Sarah Kirnon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leicestershire, England, U.K. |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Caribbean cuisine |
Previous restaurant(s)
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Early life and education
editSarah Kirnon was born in the 1960s in Leicestershire, England. Her mother is Barbadian and her father, Antiguan. She identifies as West Indian.[1] At the age of four, her parents sent her to Gall Hill, Saint John, Barbados to live with her maternal grandmother and great-grandmother.[1][2][3] Kirnon credits her time in Barbados with instilling a love for food. Her grandmother and uncles raised produce and animals on their farm, using the ingredients in daily cooking. At age thirteen, she moved back to England.[1]
In 1999, Kirnon moved to San Francisco.[4]
Career
editAfter relocating to San Francisco, Kirnon was chef at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack, followed by Front Porch.[4] Eventually, she moved to Oakland to serve as chef at Hibiscus, where she created contemporary Caribbean food.[2] In January 2012, she left Hibiscus, announcing that she would open a restaurant in downtown Oakland named Miss Ollie's, named after her grandmother who died in 2011.[2][5]
In December 2012, Miss Ollie's opened in Swan's Marketplace in Oakland.[6] The restaurant specialized in Caribbean cuisine. Menu items included many favorites from her childhood, such as fried chicken, saltfish and ackee, and goat curry.[7][8] In 2016, Kirnon and Miss Ollie's were featured in the documentary Hungry.[9] Miss Ollie's was named one of the top 100 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018 and 2019 by the San Francisco Chronicle.[10]
Kirnon was chef-in-residence at Elda in San Francisco from September until November 2020. She served Caribbean take out meals, including dishes found at Miss Ollie's. During this time Kirnon started to re-examine the concept of the brick and mortar restaurant because of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the restaurant industry. She believed that pop-ups and smaller establishments, with lower overhead and smaller staffs, would be more common after the pandemic.[8] Weeks after the residency ended, Kirnon announced she would close Miss Ollie's at the end of the year to reopen the space as Sanctuary, a non-profit business incubator for Black chefs, musicians, artists and other creatives.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Raposo, Jacqueline (4 July 2017). "At Miss Ollie's, Sarah Kirnon Cooks With Heart and History". Plate. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Lucchesi, Paolo (26 January 2012). "Kirnon opening Miss Ollie's, with grandma's help". SFGATE. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Barbadian chef serving up Caribbean cuisine in California". Loop News. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ a b Henry, Sarah (10 November 2013). "ANY FEMALES IN THE HOUSE?". Edible East Bay. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Alburger, Carolyn (26 January 2012). "About Sarah Kirnon's New Project: Miss Ollie's". Eater SF. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Alburger, Carolyn (10 December 2012). "Miss Ollie's, KronnerBurger, Hi Tops, MORE—Now Open". Eater SF. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Miss Ollie's – Oakland - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ a b Tsai, Luke (18 September 2020). "Miss Ollie's Brings Curry Goat and Life-Changing Fried Chicken to the Mission". Eater SF. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "'Hungry' for Equal Respect, Recognition and Reward". Modern Restaurant Management. 15 November 2016.
- ^ Bitker, Janelle (17 December 2020). "Chef of Miss Ollie's is shifting away from her popular Oakland fried chicken restaurant". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Tsai, Luke (17 December 2020). "Miss Ollie's Will Transform Into a Nonprofit Focused on Providing a Platform for Black Creators". Eater SF. Retrieved 3 January 2021.