Oakland chef serving up special 'Inauguration Day Dinner' featuring Kamala Harris' favorite dish
"It feels like I am representing the vice president-elect in her hometown in this monumental time."
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- An Oakland chef is celebrating the upcoming inauguration by honoring the nation's first woman Vice President-elect and Bay Area Native, Kamala Harris.
Chef Robert Dorsey is serving up a special take-out meal featuring one of Harris' favorite dish, seafood gumbo.
Harris and Dorsey attended Thousand Oaks Elementary school in Berkeley and had the same first grade teacher, Mrs. Frances Wilson.
"I had Mrs. Wilson for the first and second grade so I had the luxury of having her two years," said Robert Dorsey, Chef and Owner of Robert Dorsey Catering and Events. "It wasn't until five or six years ago that I realized that Vice president-elect also had Mrs. Wilson as a teacher. Prior to learning this, Mrs. Wilson had been one of the instrumental individuals of my life. She was one of the first individuals that gave me hope and gave me life."
Dorsey noticed that he had a lot more in common with vice president-elect, their love of gumbo.
"That is what sparked me to put that on the Inauguration Day menu," said Dorsey. "The fact that, being in Berkeley and coming from the melting pot at Thousand Oaks, where we came from, was really fitting. The true connection is our love affair with gumbo"
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Dorsey's love of cooking started over three decades ago and finds one of his joys in sharing different cultures through food.
The Inauguration Day Dinner includes an appetizer - Panko crusted crab cakes with organic coastal greens & Cajun remoulade. The main dish is seafood gumbo made with the most important ingredient, love. For the sweet finale, banana raisin bread pudding with bourbon caramel.
"It feels like I am representing the vice president-elect in her hometown on this stage in this monumental time," said Dorsey. "To have someone with vice president-elect's heritage in the White House is really huge."
While the Bay Area is sheltering-in-place, Dorsey wanted to provide his community with a delicious meal to celebrate the new administration.
"We are making it available the day before, so folks have time to prepare and watch the Inauguration and enjoy some dinner," said Dorsey. "I want to kick it off with some gumbo. We will be standing proud on the Inauguration Day. I am going to sit down and enjoy a pot of gumbo. I am going to bask in this moment and share this moment with my family and my community."
For more information, visit Robert Dorsey Catering and Events website.
