10 Bay Area Black-Owned Food Businesses to Celebrate at the Farmers Market
February 7, 2025
At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, innovative Black-owned food businesses provide much-needed representation for cuisines and flavor profiles from underrepresented communities. Whether you’re looking for warm and spicy gumbo, vegan desserts, or the fresh and seasonal produce needed to make something yourself, Black entrepreneurs at the farmers market are offering innovative foods inspired by traditions across the diaspora. Meet 10 Black business owners near you, and discover the histories, cultures, and experiences that drove them to start their sustainable food businesses.
Baby Bean Pie | Zakiyyah and Carlton Shaheed
During the pandemic, Carlton Shaheed had a craving for navy bean pies which both he and Zakiyyah, his wife, enjoyed often. After some trial and error creating a recipe, Zakiyyah began baking the navy bean pies that she treasured in childhood. Together, they established navy bean pie, and later joined the farmers market through Foodwise’s Building Equity program. Zakiyyah says that her family inspires her to keep Baby Bean Pie going. “We really love the reactions when people are like, ‘It’s beans? There’s no way!’ That’s the most rewarding feeling every time,” Zakiyyah says.
Find Baby Bean Pie on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Chef Sarah Germany
Even in childhood, Chef Sarah Germany was passionate about food as a means of caring for others and healing her community. Her sauces and marinades often work as digestive aids and decongestants. Some also have anti-inflammatory properties. After a long career supporting her East Bay food community in several nonprofits, she established her business through Mandela Partners, and later joined the farmers market as a permanent vendor. A core principle of her business is working with local farms and school gardens to find and use produce that would otherwise go to waste. “That’s the whole point,” Sarah says, “getting food to people who want it and who need it and having it actually help them.”
Find Chef Sarah Germany on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Crumble & Whisk | Charles Farriér
Charles Farriér’s cheesecakes are made with inventive and artistic styles, coming in flavors like Chocolate Marble and Beet & Berry. With help from La Cocina’s business incubator program, he has been able to offer his seasonal desserts to a wider audience over time and joined the Ferry Plaza in 2016. Now, in their brick-and-mortar restaurant in Oakland, they offer savory options like quiches and pot pies. Charles says, “I realize that not everybody eats desserts, so you have to have options. That’s always been a goal of mine, trying to do a lot more than just one thing.”
Find Crumble & Whisk on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Delightful Foods Bakery | Bilal Sabir and Rafia Sabir (shown above, far right)
In 1978, Bilal Sabir founded a baking company. Delightful Foods started with traditional pies and cookies, but 20 years in, Bilal began experimenting with vegan baked goods at a time when dairy-, egg-, and wheat-free foods were scarce. Though sales were slow at first, his signature “No Cookie” is now sold nationwide. From there, spouses Bilal and Rafia Sabir have built a business rooted in family. Their children have joined them both as the faces of Delightful Foods at Bay Area farmers markets, offering about 20 flavors of pie, from mango to sweet potato. His wife, Rafia, also makes Ghanaian shito sauce and ginger and hibiscus juices. “Whatever your passion is, don’t leave it alone,” says Rafia. “Go after it.”
Find Delightful Foods on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Starting March 20, 2025, you can also find them in the Mission Community Market on Thursdays.
Gumbo Social | Dontaye Ball
Dontaye Ball started Gumbo Social as a way to bring his community together during a time of turmoil. He is inspired by his grandmother, who made gumbo for him as a child. Dontaye’s cooking comes from his background in San Francisco restaurant kitchens, his French Escoffier training, and his knowledge of traditional African stews. “I uniquely love gumbo,” Dontaye says. “Whenever I make it, I just smile. There’s something about it that’s special: the way it smells, the way it looks, the way it makes you feel, the stories behind it.”
Find Gumbo Social on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Keep It Simple Juice | Danielle Clark
Danielle Clark began making her ginger shots with a focus on food as medicine, giving them to friends and family in the hopes of helping them recover from both chronic and temporary illnesses. After she established her business, she later expanded her line of products to include juices made from natural and seasonal ingredients. Her philosophy is in the name of her company: simple and easy-to-understand ingredients that allow market shoppers to know exactly what they’re drinking. Danielle says, “I want to educate people on how fruit juice, and vegetables can all be used as another form of healing.”
Find Keep It Simple Juice on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Mangosay | Sierra Young
Sierra Young grew up in a small, rural town in Georgia that only had one grocery store. She wasn’t exposed to farmers markets or fresh fruits and vegetables until later on in life, and she was in her twenties when she had her first mango. After moving to Oakland, Sierra set out to make an impact in our Bay Area community with a healthy and fun business. With support from Mandela Partners, she has grown her business and become a permanent food maker in the farmers market, spreading her passion for mangoes every Saturday with non-dairy mango smoothies, mango juice (which she presses fresh the same morning), and seasonal treats such as mango sticky buns and green mango noodles.
Find Mangosay on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Peaches Patties | Shani Jones (second from right)
Peaches Patties has created a space in the farmers market for a cuisine that is sparsely represented in the Bay Area. Her Jamaican patties, filled with seasoned fillings inside a golden puff pastry crust, first became popular among her friends and family. Working with La Cocina’s incubator program to formalize her concept, Chef-Owner Shani Jones named the business after her mother, nicknamed Peaches. “My mom, even though she came here in the 1970s, never let go of her culture. She would share that with us through food,” Shani says.
Find Peaches Patties on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Rize Up Bakery | Azikiwee Anderson
Azikiwee “Z” Anderson started Rize Up Bakery in 2020. Experimenting with handmade sourdough bread in his home was a productive way to process his reactions to the murder of George Floyd. One loaf a week grew into 150 orders a day as people all over the country ordered loaves in unique flavors like Ube, Gochujang, and Garlic Confit. “When I first started baking, I had never ever seen a person of color that was an artisan baker,” Z says. “I didn’t even know that it could make me so happy.”
Find Rize Up Bakery on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Balakian Farms | Amber Balakian (shown above, second from right) and Clarence Balakian
Over 80 years ago, Amber Balakian’s great grandfather emigrated from Armenia to Reedley during the Armenian genocide. He began farming grapes, following the tradition of his home country. Now, Amber runs the farm with her parents, Clarence and Ginger, and her grandmother, Stella. Balakian Farms has expanded to include crops like nectarines, peaches, plums, and tomatoes. Amber insists that increasing equity and diversity in the food system makes all of us stronger. “Because of my unique background, I’m able to connect with my customers in a different way.”
Balakian Farms is currently out for the season, but you can find them on Saturdays in the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market during the spring and summer and purchase their tomato sauces online.
Discover recipes from some of the chefs featured above in 14 Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Black Chefs.
Topics: Building Equity program, Chef, Entrepreneurship, Food makers, Small business