By Robbie Brown

Over the years, I’ve been consistently hearing about how remarkable the food is at Gay4U, a vegan eatery located in Oakland’s Lower Bottoms. Although Gay4U is relatively new to the area, the founder Ginger Espice has some serious roots in the East Bay. Cofounder of the closed restaurant Hella Vegan Eats, Ginger brought their love and passion for feeding the community to their new endeavor. Whether you are looking for fun and uncommon vegan food like a buffalo fried chicken donut, or a quesabirria taco dorado, Ginger’s got you covered. What makes this restaurant stand out is Ginger’s ability to foster an environment that serves as a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. When I met with Ginger, I was incredibly excited to learn more about their story and how they are filling such an important role here in the Bay.

RB: Are you originally from the Bay Area, and if not, when did you move here?

Ginger Espice: I was born in the Los Angeles area back in 1987.  I moved to San Francisco when I was 19 and I was ready to start my career as a musician, and be wacky and wild. I ran out of money because I didn’t know what I was doing, I was hardly an adult. I moved back to San Diego, where I was living before. My partner at the time and I eventually traveled to Mexico and Central America, and then I moved back to the Bay Area with my partner when I was around 21 to start Hella Vegan Eats.

RB: What was Hella Vegan Eats?

Ginger Espice: It was a fun adventure in 2009. I had just come back from this trip traveling from Mexico and Central America. I saw people hustle and bustle, and do their own thing, make their own money. They made something out of nothing. I had a lot of fun in Mexico making tamales and learning more about my own culture. I came to the Bay, selling art and tamales. It was a hit, I sold 60 tamales. I had maybe 5-6 different flavors, and they sold out within an hour. I was like, That’s like $180.00 dollars I didn’t have 5 minutes ago. I sold maybe $15.00 worth of art stuff. I was like, “okay… Well, let’s focus on this.” It was a huge drive of mine to share food, that was a language I learned pretty early on. It is how I share love. It is how I show care and affection…appreciation for the people around me. 

Hella Vegan Eats became a [food] pop up, at farmers markets and eventually as a food truck. People always credit it as one of the first vegan pop ups to really make it and transcend the whole vibe. People tell me that Hella Vegan Eats was the inspiration for their food projects all over the country. What the food was, really set the trend for how vegan food was marketed and formatted. A lot of the silly things we were doing at Hella Vegan Eats still lives in a lot of other peoples’ food. That’s exciting to see. A lot of people are good at playing the old capitalism game and figuring that out. Hella Vegan Eats closed in 2019, we got kicked out of the space we were at. It was a crazy time but I’m glad it happened. I’m glad for all the experiences I was able to have with it. I loved the people that I worked with so much. 

RB: When did you start your current restaurant Gay4U? What is the history behind this restaurant?

Ginger Espice: [After Hella Vegan Eats closed,]  I decided to put things off with my partner. I also took off on a trip to Colombia  and Cuba to kind of get my head straight, that was fun. I decided I would do something else on my own. In 2019 I was offered an opportunity to open a spot within the Garden House on 15th and Franklin [Oakland, CA]. I started doing pop ups in May, and then by October after doing a few pop ups all over town, like at the Animal Place’s Vegan Republic, Eli’s, Analog, and a couple other places, I opened up Gay4U. The whole idea behind Gay4U was like Hey! I’m in my 30s and I didn’t expect this at all. I did not plan to be at this point [in my life]. 

What I really didn’t plan for was [with all that] food I was making and serving for people. [I started] feeling like  maybe this isn’t what people are supposed to be eating anymore, including myself. [For example] I made a vegan donut burger, with kale instead of lettuce, a sugar donut, some silly sauce and all sorts of wackiness. I had to learn about nutrition and what it is that people are surviving off of and what they actually eat when they are making food for themselves, and not coming to my weird alternate universe of magical bar silly food, truck food. 

I’ve been really incorporating a lot more things that are good for your heart and soul. Ever since Gay4U started it’s been half party food, half food for your longevity that is still bright and flavorful. I grew up eating Mexican food and fast food. The food that always hit was the food that grabbed you and kept your attention and made you obsess over it. It’s not addictive, but slightly. And that is what I kinda still do. I’m serving up organic cashew-coconut yogurt made with unrefined coconut sugar. The granola has hemp seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and all these crazy nutritious seeds. It’s got turmeric and ginger. There is a lot of brightness in all that, but something you would actually eat, not just on a cheat day. 

RB: When you say brightness, do you mean that your food brings a sense of excitement because of all the flavors and variety that are in your dishes?

Ginger Espice: [The food] is meant to tickle all your fancies, put a little smile on your face, brighten up your existence, maybe not think about the inevitable death that will come. It’s meant to take your mind away from the wackiness and fill up your conversations so that you can have fun hangs with your friends. 

RB: All across the board, people are raving about the food from Gay4U. Whether it is a yelp review, google, or reddit. When I interviewed Annie Wang – which you can read here – she mentioned that Gay4U was one of her favorite places to eat at in Oakland. Can you explain how you make some of your delicious food?

Ginger Espice: I use Layonna’s chicken. That is the best stuff in the world and they are the greatest people. They have been consistent supporters of all the food that [I am making]. Noone ever gives them a shoutout. The true fans know that Layonna’s is where it is all coming from. It’s non GMO and they are a woman owned business. 

The chilaquiles are saucy and eggy. It’s not quite nachos, it’s not quite soupy, it’s not quite eggtown. It’s a good variety of it all. It has housemade cheese, black beans, broccoli, kale, and carrots, all organic from the farmers’ market. It’s got blue corn tortilla chips. It’s all the things, it’s all local. It’s got kimchi that has been fermenting forever. The egg substitute that we make in house from mung beans. Everything is made from scratch in that dish. It’s delicious, spicy, creamy, cheesy, and warms up your heart and soul. It’s good in the summertime, it’s good in the winter, it’s good in the fall, watch out for Spring! 

RB: Words of advice to those that are new to this style of cooking, but that want to venture into it

Ginger Espice: There is a reason why I make food, it’s because I have the patience to put it all together. Luckily these days, everything is so accessible. The world needs more non animal-based options. Let’s stick to being sweet to the world. To me, learning about flax seeds or coconut milk or making your own hemp milk… learning about a mushroom or two is not terribly difficult. Luckily these days there are so many alternatives and ways to gather things, I don’t think it is very difficult to find alternate versions.

You are living in the future, it used to be harder, but it is so easy these days. There’s an alternative for everything and it is most likely affordable and available at your local discount retailers even. I’ve seen plenty of widely vegan options at Grocery Outlet. 

What’s an easy trick? Throw some apple cider vinegar into your milk and now you have buttermilk.

If you’re intimidated by veganism, just walk out the door and be free.

RB: Gay4U is a safe space for the LGBTQIA+  community. Trans POC can even eat for free. How did you foster this kind of environment?

Ginger Espice: I really appreciate all the people that have been supporting me for so long. It’s really beautiful that I have literally been feeding them and their children, and watching their kids grow up. I’ve always fostered a good environment for everyone out there. I wanted to show huge solidarity to my community of people. When I was a baby trans, it was really difficult for me to find affordable meals [and] a place that was sweet to me, even here in the Bay Area. I wished that someone would have hugged me and kissed me, a little squeeze and a simple I love you. There I was making food for people at that time. It’s nice to be able to share what I do and be seen by my own community. Hey, I’m here for you just as much as you are here for me. 

What would I want in the world? I would want everyone to be able to eat free and not have to think about it too much. So, start small. Feed some of the people that are not necessarily always seen and held. I knew if I did this, it would get the conversation as far as like: Hey, Trans POC are not always protected, or have a higher risk of facing a lot of bullshit from the world and having difficult realities. I find my own opportunities and try to lead by example. There are hardships that some people face that can lead to a lot of difficulties. I want to provide and be mother to a lot of different energies out there in the world. I think feeding people is a powerful thing that I get to do. When you feed people, you not only nourish them for the day, but you also have the opportunity to nourish them for a lifetime. 

RB: Tell us about Gay4U’s fundraiser on GoFundMe

Ginger Espice: Gay4U is a silly endeavor, something that I have been doing basically on solo mode. I have people coming and helping me during service. 95% of what you are consuming comes from my hands. But this is only one facet of what I want to do. I want to transform this into a cooperative. I’m in the works with other Trans POC and other creators who are trying to make Gay4U into a lovely cooperative. Self actualized, autonomous, socialist, fun zone. Where there is no hierarchy and we all get to be ourselves. I want this to be a larger experiment with the world. Gay4U is an idea that is meant to be shared. It’s an idea that you can exist and still care for your community. I want it to be beyond me. 

[The funding will help make this project becoming a reality]

Robbie Brown is Acterra’s Healthy Plate, Healthy Planet Program Manager responsible for programming on food sustainability and ensuring access to healthy food. When he isn’t working on sustainable food-related initiatives, or playing in his band, he is often busy in the kitchen, developing and trying new recipes.