In Oakland’s Lower Dimond neighborhood, a single-story building sits alone on a triangle-shaped plot of land where McArthur Boulevard, Coolidge Avenue and Hopkins Place meet.
The exterior is painted black, with a mural along the back wall depicting people of a variety of races and ethnicities, Oakland’s melting pot, all eating together around one table. Inside live multiple food businesses, all overseen by Marisa Gittens.
In July 2023, Gittens lost her commissary kitchen space in San Leandro and immediately set out to find a new location for her catering and professional chef business, Cook and Run.
CAfe Noir
2818 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland; www.cafenoiroak.com
Open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
She did five walk-thrus and immediately knew the funky spot near Bret Harte Middle School and across from a gym, auto body shop and aquarium supply store, was the right fit. Gittens had no investors or big stash of savings to rely on, so she was focused on buildings that could be up and running quickly, and the space was formerly a commissary kitchen
In 2020, as Cook and Run transitioned from catering to large-scale meal service through World Central Kitchen’s work during the early stages of COVID-19, Gittens’ husband, Stephen Mihedji, came on board as executive chef. As they relaunched Cook and Run in summer 2023 at the new space they had all to themselves, the couple also developed a new concept for a take-out and delivery spot. They named it Cafe Noir.
“It’s a Black-owned-and-operated French bistro-style cafe where we make everything from scratch, including our breads and sauces,” Gittens said. “It’s food familiar to Oakland, with a soulful twist to it.”
Cafe Noir opened in September 2023, and Gittens says they have steadily built up a customer base. As she spoke, an order came in over the phone.
“That was Frank from yesterday,” Gittens tells Mihedji. “He wants his burger super dry.”
One of the more popular items on the menu is the burger with bacon jam. Mihedji makes the jam by cooking bacon about 80% of the way, separating out the meat and using the fat to make a caramel with balsamic vinegar and spices. He adds the cooked bacon back in, and then strains and purees the mixture.
“It’s been so popular, we’re working on plans to sell it in jars,” Gittens said.
Mihedji was born in Nigeria and went to culinary school at the Academy of Arts in Atlanta and California Culinary Academy. Gittens, who was born in Redwood City, worked as a chef at restaurants and corporate cafeterias before starting her own business, including Noble Bar in San Francisco and running kitchen logistics for Uber and LinkedIn for the Bon Appetit Management Company.
Their new space in Lower Dimond supports three revenue streams—catering, government and other large-scale contracts, such as summer school lunch programs, and the cafe.
The Cafe Noir menu has a mix of salads, sandwiches, entrees, sides and sweets, with a good blend of both meat-centered and vegetarian options. There is a jerk salmon with coconut rice and fried plantain, a fried chicken sandwich with chipotle aioli and pickled jalapeños, farro with roasted carrots and broccoli, chili crips, toasted almonds and a sunny-side-up egg on top, chicken wings with choice of four different sauces and ricotta donuts or bread pudding for dessert.
They serve Duran Coffee from Panama, which Gittens, whose father is from Panama, prefers because “it’s got no tannin in it, so it’s a smoother feel.”
They also offer a Saturday brunch menu, including omelets, banana bread french toast, potato hash with sausage crumble, and apple cinnamon buttermilk pancakes.
“A lot of people want that fun brunch experience but they don’t want to wait forever for a table and deal with the hassle of going out,” Gittens said. “You can get Cafe Noir, have your friends come over to your house and relax.”
Gittens, who hurries around the tight space from the service counter, to the kitchen, to the office and back again over and over again, one task to another, has even more plans for the business and space.
“We’re planning special meals for different holidays or events, and we want to do cooking classes right here in the kitchen,” she said.
