From left: District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Dontaye Ball, Mayor Daniel Lurie, Cheryl Shanks, Quanisha Johnson, Majeid Crawford. Photo by Noah Arroyo.
The downstairs café at City Hall can get busy, but on a recent afternoon the crowd that had gathered in the dining area wasn’t focused on their laptops or sandwiches — people were exuberant, there to mark a special occasion.
It was ribbon-cutting day for Café Mélange, and the mayor was due to present several commendations to local leaders and entrepreneurs who are part of the New Community Leadership Foundation’s business expansion accelerator program.
NCLF is a nonprofit that supports business owners in disenfranchised communities, including the Tenderloin. For the past few years, NCLF has been operating Café Mélange as a collective of Black-owned businesses from Bayview’s 3rd Street corridor in the City Hall café space.
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Chef Dontaye Ball, who made a name for himself in the San Francisco food scene with his pop-up Gumbo Social, has been a partner in that collective at City Hall since 2024. Now, he’s taken over as the business owner of Café Mélange. Quanisha Johnson, whose business Yes Pudding has been part of the City Hall collaboration from the beginning, will continue on as a team member of the café. While some of the restaurateurs who initially brought their dishes to Café Mélange have bowed out, Ball told the Chronicle he hopes to bring other local vendors, including Tenderloin favorite Outta Sight Pizza, on board in the future.
Mayor Daniel Lurie poses with Cheryl Shanks. Photo by Linda Chrisman.
Before Ball officially cut the ribbon, Mayor Daniel Lurie made an appearance to bestow official honors on four local leaders: Ball, Johnson, NCLF Executive Director Majeid Crawford, and Cheryl Shanks.
Shanks is the founder of SoulStation, a soul food restaurant and community gathering space slated to open at 210 Jones St. later this year. To ensure that good food and a safe place to spend time and eat are accessible to anyone, the restaurant will feature a sliding-scale menu and host storytelling and other events. Its commercial kitchen will serve as a springboard for food entrepreneurs. SoulStation is also part of NCLF’s business expansion accelerator program.
The commendation Lurie presented to Shanks recognizes her vision and leadership, advocacy, and service to the Tenderloin. It declares February 26 — during Black History Month — SoulStation Day.
As he accepted his commendation from the mayor, Ball remarked that Café Mélange aims to serve the people who serve the city. Lurie echoed that sentiment, acknowledging the honorees’ “spirit of service.”
I'm a journalist who has covered San Francisco and the Bay Area in writing, audio and video for about a decade; started and hosted a few podcasts; and co-founded News Relay Network, publisher of the Tenderloin Voice. Reach me at laura@tlvoice.org.
