TASTE
Alex Sherry makes 50 pizzas a day at Majka Pizzeria & Bakery in downtown Sacramento .
where they now live with Sae Tong ’ s mother . The couple wanted to bring their East Bay pizza sensibilities to Sacramento , offering a limited menu : a daily vegetarian pie made with local organic vegetables and California cheeses on a fermented whole grain sourdough crust , as well as a nearly identical vegan option with Majka ’ s own house-made plant-based cheese .
While they ’ d originally planned to launch Majka ( pronounced “ mai-kah ”) in December 2019 , construction delays pushed the opening back to May , and then , amid the pandemic , to June . As they finally prepared to open , however , it quickly became clear that their 1,500-square-foot space couldn ’ t comfortably accommodate multiple employees and diners . “ One of the bright spots of ( the lockdown ) was realizing that the space wouldn ’ t work ,” Sherry says .
And so they adjusted . Since opening , it ’ s been just Sherry and Sae Tong in the kitchen . He makes the pizzas — 50 a day — while she bakes batches of chocolatechunk miso cookies . Each week , they post menu updates to Instagram , allowing customers to order in advance online and pick up at a designated time from Majka ’ s takeout window .
Eventually , they ’ d like to add outdoor dining , but Sherry says he can ’ t imagine revisiting their old concept . Rather , he expects shutdown-induced dining changes will have a lasting effect on the industry . “ I think the pandemic has changed food service for good ,” he says .
In many ways , the shutdown didn ’ t just push Nkoyo Adakama to reimagine her Compassion Meals concept , it made the self-described “ veganprenuer ” think bigger . Adakama says she decided to go vegan after a sexual assault left her feeling voiceless . “ I felt connected to the animals because they didn ’ t have a voice either ,” she says .
Experimenting with new vegan dishes became part of that healing process . At first , she just cooked for her friends but wanted to reach more people . She landed on the idea for Compassion Meals , with a focus on Southern-comfort-inspired dishes .
Adakama was close to opening her cafe in Midtown Sacramento shortly before the pandemic hit , but she worried that the lockdown would prove dire for her fledgling business . After switching to delivery and pop-ups , she realized she ’ d found a sustainable solution . While she is still planning a physical location , she ’ s
now selling her popular vegan dishes out of Tiger Bar and Food Hall , a downtown Sacramento dining hall and ghost kitchen .
Adakama , who has eight employees , will open a brick and mortar spot on J Street in the fall . In the meantime , she ’ s rebranded the business , renaming it Don ’ t Be Chick ’ n by Compassion Meals , and narrowing the focus to the most popular dishes with options that include fried chick ’ n buckets and sandwiches , as well as sides such as mac and cheese and biscuits and gravy . There are also plans to open Koko ’ s Vegan Market , a specialty shop , in Midtown Sacramento this month , as well as outlets in San Francisco , Los Angeles and Atlanta .
As nerve-wracking and life-changing as the pandemic has been , Adakama says it ’ s also underscored her resilience . “ I was scared to go through with opening a restaurant ,” she says . “ But once I saw that my company could survive COVID , I thought , ‘ OK , you know , I got this .’”
Rachel Leibrock is a writer and editor who covers arts and culture , food , and current events . She has worked at the Sacramento News & Review and The Sacramento Bee . More at www . rachel-leibrock . com .
28 comstocksmag . com | October 2020