Storytelling with Cafe Ohlone

Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, co-founders of Cafe Ohlone

Vincent Medina is East Bay Ohlone, an Indigenous community from the San Francisco Bay Area. Vincent and Louis Trevino (Rumsen Ohlone) co-founded mak-‘amham, an organization and restaurant focused on reviving and strengthening traditional Ohlone foods and sharing them back with their communities, and educating the public of Ohlone culture through cuisine. He is a leader in the efforts to strengthen the Chochenyo Ohlone language. Vincent was born and lives in his family’s indigenous tribal area of Halkin (Southern Oakland/San Leandro/San Lorenzo/Hayward).

Louis Trevino is a Rumsen Ohlone community member active in the cultural revitalization efforts of his people. He is focused primarily on the revitalization of the Rumsen language and traditional Ohlone foods. He longs for a full and holistic revitalization of the lifeways of his ancestors, including language, story, song, art, food, and every other aspect of traditional Rumsen Ohlone culture.

Cafe Ohlone is located at the University of California, Berkeley on the terrace of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology.