Bay Area residents looking for something new to try this Fall should head to Oakland, where Afro-Latin flavors are fresh on the menu. The Damel recently opened a new location in Oakland, California, bringing a multicultural mix of Senegalese, Argentinian, and Brazilian flavors to the Bay area. Senegal born chef-owner Oumar Diuf started cooking at the age of 13 and after cooking in hotel restaurants in Brazil, he decided to open his first restaurant in Oakland, a place where he says that people are open-minded and willing to try new foods.
His menu fuses West African and South American flavors with Argentinian empenadas, coxinha, a Brazilian favorite made with battered flour dough filled with chicken and cream cheese, and pao de queijo, a traditional Brazilian cheese bread.
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In addition to serving up new flavors in the community, The Damel is also one of the restaurants participating in Restaurants for the People, the team effort from Ayesha and Steph Curry of Eat Learn Play and Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen, which has committed to serving two million meals to residents in need.
With the current pandemic, Diuf has been forced to slightly change his approach with the health and safety of his patrons in mind. He tells Eater, “The Damel Oakland was intended to be a fast-casual restaurant, where diners order at the counter, and take a seat to wait for their food. Given the current coronavirus restrictions, he’ll instead focus on takeout orders, curbside pickup, and delivery through a few different apps.”
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Continuing to grow his businesses is certainly top of mind for chef Diuf. According to Eater, he plans to roll out a food truck, a cloud kitchen in San Francisco, and dreams of opening 10 locations by 2022.