Revolutionary Roast Redefined:
Famed Activist Son to Open Chai & Coffee Shop at Firehouse Adeline Arts Spot.
Rasa Caffe Launches Kickstarter Campaign in Partnership with Firehouse Art Collective to serve South Berkeley's most authentic cup of Indian Chai and Locally Roasted Third Wave Pour Over Coffee.
There’s a new cafe brewing in South Berkeley - Rasa Caffe - which recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help purchase equipment and inventory for it’s planned opening in October.
The word Rasa is Sanskrit for flavor, and Rasa Caffe founder Rasa Sun Mott is aptly named. A formally trained chef and professional taste tester, he has honed his culinary skills in celebrated kitchens across the country; from New York City's Windows on the World to celebrity chef Tanya Holland's Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ.
An Oakland native, Rasa has deep roots in the Bay Area as the son of two high-profile members of the Black Panther Party, educator Ericka Huggins and James Mott of the Black Panther singing group The Lumpen. "Growing up I was always surrounded by people movements , though I'm more of a culinary activist. I was profoundly impacted after attending Slow Food conference in Italy twice and will incorporate some of these principles of building community through good, clean and fair food into Rasa Caffe. It is going to be about Coffee, Chai, Community and Flavor.”
Rasa Mott has traveled globally developing his palate and collecting recipes. In addition to select locally roasted pour-over fair trade coffee, Rasa Caffe will offer authentic Indian chai – a recipe Mott learned as a child in India and perfected over the years while volunteering in ashram kitchens.
Rasa Caffe plans to open a Micro Caffe Cart at the intersection of Martin Luther King and Adeline Street this October and will work in collaboration with the award-winning Firehouse Art Collective to serve the local community. “We are excited to work with Rasa Caffe on food-related and other large capacity events after their opening,” said Firehouse Art Collective Co-Director, Tom Franco.
The company is hoping to raise $15,888 by September 22nd to meet its goals.
Donation options range from $10 up and feature rewards ranging limited edition Black Panther T-Shirts, to a catered five-course meal.
For more information and to donate to the Kickstarter campaign please click here.
Posted by: Julia Lazar
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