EaRTh staff conducted an interview with Chef Dione Green (Chef Green), a chef and community leader, based in West Oakland, California (United States), who decided, several years ago, to manifest his passion for feeding others through his cooking as a portable street corner food stall in the food desert that is West Oakland.

EaRTh: Hello, we're here with Chef Green today. Hi Chef Green, how are you?

Chef Green: I’m blessed. How are you?

EaRTh: I’m well. So, you’re setting up your food stall here, right next to a Pentecostal Church. 

Chef Green: Yeah, this is our community’s church.

EaRTh: Your community in West Oakland, where you live? Yes, I understand that the church is a very important part of many African-American communities, right?

Chef Green: It all speaks gratitude to your soul. It's about what you want within your saved life, you know what I'm saying? How you see your afterlife. So, church to me is just totally different than what many people may see. Some people may only just, you know, want to go to church just because they only want to believe in God for their purposes. But like I said, this is something that's your sanity, your soul, and your forever life, you know what I'm saying? And your community. Like I said, we're Pentecostal here. 

EaRTh: I don't know what that means. How is Pentecostal different from other Christian churches? 

Chef Green: It's a different type of… pretty much, we're a Jesus named church. So, you know… the father, the son, the Holy Ghost, and stuff like that. Some other churches may believe other things, you know what I'm saying? When we’re in the church, we speak in tongues and things like that. 

EaRTh: You speak in tongues? 

Chef Green: Speaking in tongues means the Holy Ghost. Like when you catch the Holy Ghost, you know, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, you know, things like that. Everybody has their own interpretation of what their Holy Ghost is, you know what I'm saying? So, like I said, I'm just breaking down just what ours is. 

EaRTh: I see. So, you feed your community at this street corner, because this church is an important part of your community?

Chef Green: It’s like I said, you'll start seeing customers rolling in. Oh yeah, customers are coming now; they know the time. The line gets long, you know. 

EaRTh: Where do some of your regular customers come from.

Chef Green: All over the place, ‘cause they know where I’m gonna be from me social media. I get the Port of Oakland workers coming, other Oakland workers. And they expect to get fed. It feels like pressure, but it's not pressure, you know what I'm saying? As long as you got a system and, you know, I'm heavy on time orientation.

EaRTh: And you do everything yourself? 

Chef Green: I do everything myself. I prep, I cook, I shop, I wash the dishes… I do everything.

EaRTh: Oh dear. 

Chef Green: And I'm a full-time father. 

EaRTh: Oh, you have four children? 

Chef Green: I'm a full-time father.

EaRTh: Oh, full-time, sorry. I thought you said four-time father.

Chef Green: [laughing] Are you trying to kill me? No, I have one kid. I'm just you know, I'm just doing my part. I love what I do. So, everything is good. 

Chef Green deep fries fillets of fish.

EaRTh: What time do you have to wake up then to start prepping? 

Chef Green: I set my alarms. 5 or 6 in the morning, every day. It depends on how much prepping and things I have to do. But 6 o’clock is, like, really the threshold. Anything after that, I find myself, you know, getting on the late end, because I have to still wake up, prepare my son, fix him breakfast, teach him, and do all those things. Also, 6 o'clock is my own quiet time where I can meditate, you know, get ready for my day. You know what I'm saying? So, once he wakes up, I'm all about him now. 

EaRTh: You're a good father. 

Chef Green: Absolutely, yeah. I’ve learned things that I wasn't taught. Being that I didn't grow up with a father, you know.

EaRTh: Oh, I see. You have so many roles, Chef Green. You feed the community, you're a good father to your son, you're a member of your church.

Chef Green: Yes, ma'am. 

EaRTh: And I take it you're a good husband probably too. 

Chef Green: Oh, absolutely. I've been married since 2019, so going on what, 5 years now? But we've been together almost 11 years. I love my wife. She's very beautiful, very supportive, and I wouldn't want it no other way.