Cellphone (chef)
Cellphone | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Chef |
Cellphone, also known as Ginger Espice and Sofi Peligras,[1] is an American vegan chef and transgender-rights activist.
Career
[edit]In 2009, Cellphone and a partner started Hella Vegan Eats, a food truck in Oakland, California's Uptown Arts District.[2][1] In 2019, Cellphone started a vegan popup restaurant called Gay4U in West Oakland; the Latinx restaurant eventually became permanent.[2][1][3]
Cellphone created a service initiative at the restaurant, "Trans POC Always Eat Free", to address and bring attention to the disparities in food security among transgender people who are also persons of color; both groups experience higher levels of food insecurity than the population in general, and those who are members of both groups are at even higher risk.[2][1][4] The initiative was inspired by the Black Panthers' free breakfast initiative and by the activism of trans women of color Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.[2]
In 2022, Cellphone took the restaurant on a national popup tour, and the Trans POC Always Eat Free initiative spread to other restaurants in the United States.[2][4][5] Later that year, Bon Appetit named Cellphone one of their Heads of the Table.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Gay4U's Closing Is Not a Goodbye: The Trans-Centric Vegan Cafe Hits the Road". KQED-FM. 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ a b c d e Hurtado, Ludwig (2022-06-22). "'Trans POC Always Eat Free' Is More Than a Good Deed—It's a Movement". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ McElroy, Isle (2022-06-22). "How 4 Trans Chefs Are Reshaping Restaurant Culture". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ a b Kirby, Hannah. "At Milwaukee's Moon Cherry Sweets, transgender people of color always eat free. Here's why". Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ a b "This Year's Heads of the Table Awards Celebrate Five Change-Makers". Bon Appétit. 2022-09-20. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-05-11.