{"id":200799,"date":"2026-03-02T17:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/200799\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T17:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:37:14","slug":"introducing-the-new-ohlone-crafted-cafe-at-lawrence-hall-of-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/200799\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing the new Ohlone-crafted cafe at Lawrence Hall of Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

How do a smoked duck sandwich and chia seed pudding support the aims of The Lawrence Hall of Science<\/a> (LHS), a UC Berkeley-affiliated museum dedicated to engaging learners and inspiring them with the power of science, as well as championing equity and social justice?\u00a0<\/p>\n

These traditional Ohlone dishes, now featured at \u2018ammatka, a new cafe on its bottom floor, perfectly align with those goals as part of the LHS\u2019s \u2019ottoy initiative<\/a>, whose mission is to \u201cfoster understanding and respect for Ohlone people and culture.\u201d (\u2018ottoy means \u201cto repair\u201d in Chochenyo, the language of the Ohlone people.)<\/p>\n

Behind the \u2018ottoy initiative and the new restaurant are Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, partners in life and numerous endeavors, who have had a ground-shaking effect on Berkeley and the East Bay, starting in 2018, when they opened Cafe Ohlone on the back patio of University Books on Bancroft Avenue. Their restaurant was the first in the world to serve Ohlone cuisine. The pair had met several years previously at a Cal program to revitalize indigenous languages. They are both Ohlone, from families that have called the East Bay home for countless generations.\u00a0 When University Books closed during the pandemic, they pivoted to making food boxes of their traditional Ohlones dishes and imagined their next move. Serendipitously, they were able to open their next restaurant \u201cottoyak\u2019 in 2022 <\/a>on the patio outside the Hearst Anthropology Museum (after the building was de-named for Alfred Kroeber, who had erroneously declared the Ohlones extinct). \u2018Ottoy, the name of their reopened restaurant, means \u201crepair.\u201d This led to the \u2018ottoy initiative at the LHS.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Ohlone salad at \u2018ammatka cafe features greens sourced from the Bay Area, pine nuts, black walnuts, blackberries, dried strawberries, edible flowers and more. Credit: Kelly Sullivan for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Since its inception in 2022, the director of the LHS, Dr. Rena Dorph, has championed this program of respect and repair, which is anything but a performatively mumbled land acknowledgement. Her goal: \u201cbring awareness of the Ohlone culture, resilience, and presence of the community in Berkeley today to the larger East Bay Community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Visitors\u2019 first glimpse of the LHS, which sits in the Berkeley hills with a fabulous view of the Bay, now includes a shining, golden greeting over the front door in both English and Chochenyo, aptly welcoming all into its newly rededicated space.<\/p>\n

The native plant garden, which was the first project of the \u2018ottoy initiative, has signage in Chochenyo and includes many native plants that tell the story of the land through an Ohlone lens, integrating traditional knowledge from Ohlone people with contemporary, university-based science.<\/p>\n

\"\"The native plant garden at Lawrence Hall of Science is part of the \u2018ottoy initiative. Credit: Kelly Sullivan for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

In a room dedicated to The Future of Food, Medina and Trevino are featured in a film in the Food Heroes exhibit. Plus, some classic elements of Ohlone food culture, such as digging sticks, are also on display.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you wander outside, past the bellowing animatronic dinosaurs, you may notice a small sign, labeled \u201can Ohlone Land restoration project\u201d atop an otherwise nondescript hill. Just wait \u2026 18,000 pollinator seeds and traditional Ohlone plants have been sowed with the help of Test Plot<\/a> and Terremoto<\/a>. Springtime should bring an explosion of orange poppies and purple lupin, as well as Monarch butterflies and bees.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nTable placards at \u2018ammatka explain some of the ingredients common in the Ohlone diet and their Ohlone names. Credit: Kelly Sullivan and East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Medina and Trevino are thrilled that the LHS has made this commitment to working together and can see that there is a new way forward to respect and acknowledge Ohlone culture. \u201cIt\u2019s so much more than a land acknowledgement,\u201d Medina said. \u201cIt\u2019s spreading the culture in these layered ways that teach and build up understanding. Then for Ohlone people, when they come here, they see themselves. So positive, because up until relatively recently, before the \u2018ottoy initiative, there were a lot of closed doors at the university. And not a lot of ways that we were able to see our culture represented, or engage with the institution. But now, we are at the Lawrence, which we always like to think is high above the hill, the campus proper, while still being connected to the campus. It\u2019s just the perfect place for this to unfold.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new Ohlone cafe\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a long time, Dorph had been looking to reopen the LHS cafe space, which has sat empty since the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, it became obvious that this was a match made in heaven,\u201d says Dorph. \u201cWe had the space and the need for food service, and they had the vision \u2014 something very unique that could be attractive to the Berkeley community and beyond.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although a meal at Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino\u2019s other restaurant, \u2018ottoytak, which opened in 2022<\/a>, located outside the Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the UC Berkeley campus, is an elegant repast, full of carefully prepared dishes with deep roots in an intentionally constructed site, imbued with cultural meaning, it is not a typical restaurant with regular hours. <\/p>\n

First, it is outside, and seasonal, depending on the weather as well as UCB\u2019s schedule. Since each tea or meal is presided over by Medina and Trevino, whose commentary on Ohlone history, culture, and foodways add to the experience, it is also dependent on their schedules. Additionally, at the moment, the University is in the midst of constructing a giant parking structure right next door, whose noise would interfere with the intimate meals in the garden. <\/p>\n

For the latest information on the restaurant\u2019s opening hours, check their website<\/a>, which currently says the \u201cseasonal restaurant is open to the public for occasional meals and private lunches. Our dining service will resume in Fall 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cafe opened on the bottom floor of the museum in February, and the menu features family-friendly, Ohlone-inspired fare (with no dish costing more than $15.) The tables sport colorful toppers\u00a0 that illustrate traditional foods with Chochenyo words. Additional themed decor will appear in the next few months<\/p>\n

Part of the Cal dining system, \u2018ammatka was supposed to open in December, but faced an unusual constellation of issues that led to delays. For example, \u201cWe had to find special vendors,\u201d said Dorph. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t just use the regular food vendors because the cafe requires special ingredients such as chia flour, black walnuts, and smoked duck.\u201d She added, \u201cAs you can imagine, they don\u2019t serve smoked duck in the residence halls.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, procuring the right cooking tools took time. Then, the training was especially involved at \u2018ammatka (which means dining place in Chochenyo), as Medina and Tervino went beyond sharing a conventional recipe, sharing their traditional cultural knowledge. One challenge was translating traditional measuring techniques into standardized cooking protocol. As Medina explains in a recent Civil Eats piece<\/a>, the older generation who taught him and Trevino many recipes had so much experience in the kitchen they did not need to use measuring cups. They just seasoned as necessary till the flavor was right. Louis\u2019s grandmother, Mary Lou Yamas, for example, devised techniques to measure salt and other seasonings by placing them on the palm of her hand in appropriately sized circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt \u2018ammatka, we have a culinary team in the kitchen,\u201d explained Medina in Civil Eats, \u201cand you can\u2019t always describe seasonings by the size of the circles they make. As culinary directors, it\u2019s been a very fun process to standardize our experiences in cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"The menu at \u2018ammatka includes a smoked duck sandwich (top), and tater tots with aioli. Credit: Kelly Sullivan for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

As for the menu, the classic Ohlone salad is a multi-hued bowl of East Bay greens festooned with pine nuts, black walnuts, blackberries, dried strawberries, edible flowers and more. A stand-out sandwich is the smoked duck with Mt. Tam triple cream cheese and house-made rose hip jam. Yes, dino chicken bites and tater tots are also on the menu, but accompanied by a tangy green aioli made from locally grown herbs (tarragon, oregano, sage, chives). Beverages include Elderflower soda, or a daily tea such as stinging nettle rose bud. For dessert, try chia seed flour brownies with black walnuts or oat milk chia pudding with rose hip jam. What other eatery would give you the option to \u201cadd candy-cap mushroom whipped cream to any dessert\u201d?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since \u201cseasonality\u201d is an essential element of Ohlone cooking, expect the menu to change periodically throughout the year. For example, spring will bring a blanched stinging nettle pizza, with chopped spring onions. Some of the ingredients for the dishes come from the Indigenous garden Medina and Trevino work on with the Native American Student Development Center at Cal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"(Top) Lawrence Hall of Science director Dr. Rena Dorph has made increasing Ohlone representation at the science center one of the chief initiatives of her tenure. (Bottom) Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino have worked on several pieces of the \u2018ottoy initiative at LHS, including an interactive display that includes an avatar of the 95-year-old matriarch of Medina\u2019s family. Credit: Kelly Sullivan for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the most exciting and uplifting partnerships that I\u2019ve had in my whole job,\u201d says Dorph. \u201cThe idea of repair means something to everyone.\u00a0 And that we\u2019re becoming a place where the Ohlone community feels so integrated and connected \u2026 This is a true embodiment of us trying to figure out how to make things feel right again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are many more plans for integrating Ohlone culture into the LHS. One of the most intriguing ones will be installed in the front lobby this spring. The mixed reality game was designed by a group of Ohlone teens, called the Ohlone Science Diplomats Program. When museum patrons enter, they can gather \u201cvirtual acorns\u201d from three standing trees, while an avatar of Auntie Dottie (based on the real-life 95-year-old matriarch of Medina\u2019s family) provides a lesson on how to respect nature (i.e., don\u2019t grab all the acorns for yourself; you have to share them with the forest animals).<\/p>\n

Medina and Trevino are thrilled with what the \u2018ottoy initiative has accomplished so far, as well as its future plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody benefits here, the young learners who are coming here, who aren\u2019t Ohlone, they get to see the oldest traditions of this space in innovative fun ways that teach them and will be something they remember as they grow. The parents who come here get to learn about complex topics \u2014 land stewardship, traditional foods, ecology, language \u2014 in a way that also sparks their imaginations,\u201d Medina said. \u201cFor Ohlone people, when we walk into those doors and see the acknowledgement to place, when you see Ohlone youth designing these mixed reality exhibits, that can show them that this space is working with them from these young years of their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"The watercress wrap (top) and oat milk chia pudding are two dishes at \u2018ammatka featuring ingredients typical in the Ohlone diet. Credit: KellySullivan for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Medina is especially touched to see Ohlone elders, like his Aunty Dottie, being greeted by the director of the Lawrence and walking into this space in friendship. One of the ways Medina and Trevino typically close meals at their other dining space is to remind diners that the knowledge they have just gained leaves the gated garden with them and spreads into the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same thing here,\u201d Medina said. \u201cThat knowledge spreads downhill and then teaches the populace here on Ohlone land, the richness, the sophistication, and the beauty of our culture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you just come to the LHS for lunch at the cafe, you don\u2019t have to pay for general admission to the museum. Just let the front desk know.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRelated stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"How\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tHow an Ohlone nonprofit quickly became one of the wealthiest Indigenous land trusts in the nation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 18, 2026Feb. 20, 2026, 4:34 p.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Cafe\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tCafe Ohlone\u2019s triumphant return<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 9, 2022Sept. 10, 2022, 6:50 a.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"On\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tOn Solano, Lulu\u2019s revamps and a new Mexican restaurant opens; plus a fresh matcha option in Berkeley<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 3, 2026Feb. 3, 2026, 1:03 p.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

“*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How do a smoked duck sandwich and chia seed pudding support the aims of The Lawrence Hall of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200800,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[2436,2465,2466,58510,143,145,144,149],"class_list":{"0":"post-200799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-berkeley-restaurants-and-bars","9":"tag-home-highlight","10":"tag-home-lead","11":"tag-lawrence-hall-of-science","12":"tag-oakland","13":"tag-oakland-headlines","14":"tag-oakland-news","15":"tag-uc-berkeley"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}