Dakota Pekerti

Founder of Kamu Siapa Kitchen

Dakota is “centering the decentered” and exploring storytelling, memory, and community care through food.

SOCIAL FUTURES

Berkeley

ABOUT DAKOTA

Dakota is the founder of Kamu Siapa Kitchen — named for the Indonesian phrase that, to him, asks: "What food, what culture, has made you?" What began as an organic supper club has grown into a full-fledged community of cooking friends, and his work spans community-driven food projects, pop-ups, and classes for local businesses and causes across the Bay Area. Dakota is also a Master’s student in the Energy & Resources Group at U.C. Berkeley, where his research sits at the nexus of clean energy and transportation equity. His work specifically focuses on how to facilitate and equitable transition to electric two-wheel vehicles for low and middle-income families in Southeast Asia.

INTERESTS

Green Futures, Food X Land X History

VISION

A culture of deep belonging to a place resulting from overlapping layers of people, their experiences, and spaces that come together willingly and naturally without dictation. People are part of the lifeblood of the neighborhood and know that their presence will be felt when they are there and missed when they are gone.

Food for thought

Kamu Siapa Kitchen teams up with Bayview nonprofit En2action for a future-facing dinner celebrating one of San Francisco's most resilient and storied neighborhoods. The menu, a fusion of Indonesian and Southern Soul Food, was co-created with Bayview residents, advocates, and chefs to reflect the neighborhood's rich and layered food cultures, honoring where it's been and dreaming toward where it's going. Join us at the Food Pavilion's India Basin location overlooking the port, with outdoor seating, live music, and a banner to leave your name, drawings, and dreams for Bayview's food future.

Brought to you in partnership with fellows Dakota Pekerti and Salina Galea'i.

A Taste of Bayview, Past & Present

REGISTER