sf|noir

Meet the Chefs: Sarah Kirnon - Miss Ollie’s

Growing up on the island of Barbados, Sarah Kirnon learned about the meaning of community from the same woman who taught her how to cook: her grandmother, Miss Ollie.

Today, Kirnon’s new restaurant, located at Swan’s Market in Old Oakland, deliciously serves up both Caribbean-style cooking and community.

“It is not just a restaurant; it’s a meeting place,” Kirnon said on a recent Thursday at Miss Ollie’s, as she deftly mixed flour into dumplings in preparation for the day’s lunch menu. “Everyday was like that at my grandmother’s house. If you couldn’t eat at home, you knew you could eat at Miss Ollie’s.”

Since opening its doors on December 4, Miss Ollie’s has quickly become a popular standout in Oakland’s restaurant scene, with customers lining up for a taste of Caribbean comfort food in a casual format. Currently open for lunch Tuesday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the menu features mouth-watering flavors inspired by Kirnon’s childhood: Curry goat with buttered collards and roasted mixed potatoes. Grits, Smithfield ham and red-eye gravy. Oxtail pepperpot, cornbread, turnips and black-eyed peas. Escoveitch fish with cassava cake. And of course, Kirnon’s legendary fried chicken, a recipe handed down from her grandmother.

“The menu reflects the Caribbean and reflects my background,” Kirnon said. “My father was born in Montserrat and raised in Antigua. My mother’s family is spread out from Barbados to <read more at the original posting of this article>

-reposted from “A Taste of Community at Miss Ollie’s” by Damon Packwood and Bilen Mesfin Packwood on Oakland Local