Veganism Redefined

Meet the Lion Dance Cafe chef-owners who are redefining Oakland’s vegan movement. Just off the plane from Singapore, and two years after opening Uptown’s Lion Dance Cafe, chefs C-Y Marie Chia and Shane Stanbridge reflect on the synergy between Oakland’s diverse community and vegan fare.

“It’s invigorating to see so many bubbles,” says Chia, a homegrown Singaporean, of Oakland’s stream of pop-ups and restaurants. “The face of veganism might be white, but that is not true in the Bay.” Whether it’s Creole, barbecue, or a panoply of Asian flavors, Oakland’s vegan scene has moved from a niche to a thriving ecosystem, powered mostly by people of color and an energized LGBTQ+ community.

At Lion Dance Cafe, whose explosive fare was refined after nearly eight years of pop-ups, comfort fare reigns: innovative sandwiches on sesame focaccia (Stanbridge is Italian-American); coconut-rice plates; spicy noodle soups; and a wealth of small plates inspired by Singapore’s famous hawker stall fare.

After meeting at culinary school in New York, and sampling but souring on San Francisco’s “massive” tech culture, the couple found a home in Oakland.

“What we found here is a broader sense of community, especially in the food world,” says Stanbridge.

Now the chefs have a growing Instagram following, many of whom eagerly await their scores (which inform the menu’s specials) from Friday’s Old Oakland Farmers’ Market.