Cellphone (chef)

Last updated
Cellphone
NationalityAmerican
OccupationChef

Cellphone, also known as Ginger Espice and Sofi Peligras, [1] is an American vegan chef and transgender-rights activist.

Career

In 2009, Cellphone and a partner started Hella Vegan Eats, a food truck in Oakland, California's Uptown Arts District. [2] [1] In 2019, Cellphone started a vegan popup restaurant called Gay4U in West Oakland; the Latinx restaurant eventually became permanent. [2] [1] [3]

Cellphone created a service initiative at the restaurant, "Trans POC Always Eat Free", to address and bring attention to the disparities in food security among transgender people who are also persons of color; both groups experience higher levels of food insecurity than the population in general, and those who are members of both groups are at even higher risk. [2] [1] [4] The initiative was inspired by the Black Panthers' free breakfast initiative and by the activism of trans women of color Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. [2] The initiate has inspired other restaurants, with Mis Tacones implementing a "Trans POC Always Eat Free" rule at their restaurant after visiting Gay4U. [5]

In 2022, Cellphone took the restaurant on a national popup tour, and the Trans POC Always Eat Free initiative spread to other restaurants in the United States. [2] [4] [6] Later that year, Bon Appetit named Cellphone one of their Heads of the Table. [6] Gay4U was awarded a Now Award by Them in June 2022. [7]

In addition to running Gay4U, Cellphone hosts trans skate events, helping raise money for organisations that support the transgender community. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Gay4U's Closing Is Not a Goodbye: The Trans-Centric Vegan Cafe Hits the Road". KQED-FM . 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hurtado, Ludwig (2022-06-22). "'Trans POC Always Eat Free' Is More Than a Good Deed—It's a Movement". Bon Appétit . Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  3. ↑ McElroy, Isle (2022-06-22). "How 4 Trans Chefs Are Reshaping Restaurant Culture". Bon Appétit . Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  4. 1 2 Kirby, Hannah. "At Milwaukee's Moon Cherry Sweets, transgender people of color always eat free. Here's why". Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  5. 1 2 Woodstock, Tuck (2022-06-13). "At Gay4U, Trans People of Color Always Eat For Free". Them. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  6. 1 2 "This Year's Heads of the Table Awards Celebrate Five Change-Makers". Bon Appétit . 2022-09-20. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  7. ↑ Burke, Sarah (2022-06-13). "The Now Awards: 12 LGBTQ+ People Reshaping Our World". Them. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
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