The Brundo Chef Residency is open to chefs of the African diaspora offering a full service dining concept, who do not already have their own brick and mortar location.

The goal of the Brundo Residency is to offer up and coming chefs a chance to try concepts in a low risk setting- with a fully equipped and licensed kitchen, access to a full bar, supporting FOH staff and advising from different industry professionals.

• It offers space on Cafe Colucci’s garden patio to showcase your vision of dinner service in a 6 month long series of dinner parties. 1 event a month.
• Cafe Colucci’s bar program will collaborate with your vision.
• Cafe Colucci will provide 1 paid server and can help with finding additional 
• supporting front of house service.
• You will have access to Cafe Colucci’s fully licensed & equipped kitchen & wholesale accounts to order food.
• Cafe Colucci will pay for several VIP guest tickets, including the selection committee and members of the press to attend the dinners.
• Brundo Spice Company will provide marketing support including; a professional food/event photographer, a videographer to capture your work and vision, press releases and more.
• The winning chef will also get an advising and feedback session from each of  the selection committee members.
• The chef will collect full ticket sales to the events, minus taxes and any receipts paid by Cafe Colucci or Brundo.
• The Chef Residency does not provide housing or a cash stipend. Please read the details below before applying. 

In addition to choosing the 2025 Brundo Chef in Residence our selection committee will offer advising and feedback as part of the program. 

Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas is a restaurateur and entrepreneur in Oakland, California. As the managing partner of Cafe Colucci and Brundo Spice Company and a board member at Mandela Partners he's deeply invested in the intersection of food, business and community.

Geoff Davis is Chef/Owner of Burdell, a Soul Food restaurant inspired by his grandmother, in Oakland California. He was a 2024 James Beard Finalist for Best Chef California.  Burdell was Food & Wine's Restaurant of the Year (2024). Before opening his own concept he worked in many Michelin starred kitchens.

Selasie Dotse is has worked in several Michelin starred kitchens and served as a James Beard Legacy Network Advisor. They host a fine dining dinner series called e le aɖe Test Kitchen that helped shape the Brundo Chef Residency in 2023.

Leonard Roberts III is chef de cuisine at Rěve Bistro in Lafayette, California and previously worked as chef de cuisine at Merchant Roots in San Francisco, California. He and his wife host a fine dining Caribbean Filipino culinary function, Silent Table. Leonard was the first official Brundo Chef in Residence in 2024.

The Details:

The Brundo Residency offers the Cafe Colucci kitchen and back patio for a monthly dinner service. This includes, use of kitchen space for prep and service, use of dishes, utensils and appliances. Cafe Colucci will staff a dishwasher, lead bartender and one FOH staff for the dinner. We can help with additional staffing but the Chef in Residence will need to cover the costs of additional labor not listed above. There will also be access to dish-ware, bar glasses and decorations available on hand. Open access to Brundo brand products and ordering through Cafe Colucci’s wholesale accounts, though food costs are paid by the chef in residence.

The Brundo Residency includes administrative support including; advising from Daniel and other community members from the industry, marketing, pr, ticket sales, and menu printing. It also includes one professional food/event photographer and videographer creating content around your dinner service. A number of VIP/Press Tickets will be fully paid by Cafe Colucci (which includes the Selection Committee, members of the press & influencers.) 

The Brundo Chef in Residence is responsible for staffing back of house staff, buying food and ingredients and any decorations or dish-ware not currently on hand at Cafe Colucci.

The Brundo Chef in Residence will keep all profits from sales minus receipts paid for by Cafe Colucci & Brundo Spices (exp, produce ordered through Cafe Colucci wholesale accounts can be subtracted from ticket sales rather than paid up front). The Chef in Residence may set the prices as needed. Cafe Colucci bar will work with the Chef in Residence to offer a beverage service that fits the dinner menu. 

The Chef in Residence agrees to provide marketing assets (photos, logos and write up) ahead of time to help promote the event. The Chef in Residence will provide a menu and do a line up with a tasting in the week prior to the event - to be scheduled with the lead bartender and supporting staff for the first dinner.

Photo & video rights of the events, as well as a full financial breakdown of ticket sales and staffing, and guest list and contacts will be shared between all three parties: the Chef in Residence, Brundo Spices and Cafe Colucci. 

Each menu must incorporate Brundo spices on the menu. You will have access to unlimited Brundo spices and will receive a private spice tasting. 

Weather or other issues may impact scheduled events. The Chef in Residence is responsible for the contingency plans which the Brundo team can assist in communicating with guests.

Chef in Residence must provide Food Handlers License, W9, Certificate Of Insurance liability for the day of the event with Cafe Colucci’s address listed.

Neither Brundo Spice Company or Cafe Colucci are responsible for the profit or success of the events.

Timeline:

• March 9th at 11:59pm is the cut off for applications.
• March 12th the Selection Committee will announce finalists. 
• March 18th in the afternoon finalist will present a dish to the Selection Committee at Cafe Colucci in Oakland.
• March 21st the 2025 Brundo Chef in Residence is announced!