Chef Eddie Blyden, Teresa Goines, and Old Skool Café, Part 2 (S6E1)

In Part 2, Teresa shares how she came to find out about Chef Eddie Blyden through a mutual friend. She was persistent in her efforts to track Eddie down, and once she did, she asked him to teach the youth in the nascent Old Skool program, which was still taking place at Teresa’s house.

Eddie agreed to join the Old Skool crew and he brought in other SF chefs. They did supper salons and pop-ups as well as gala fundraisers with as many as 250 guests. Chef would cook outside the events, which were volunteer-run and meant to raise money for their own brick-and-mortar space. Later, years after Eddie had moved on and as she was preparing for the 10-year anniversary of the Old Skool spot just off Third Street, Teresa reached out again to her chef friend.

Eddie Blyden was born in Nigeria. His dad was born in Sierra Leone, and his mom was from Massachusetts. He has lived in the US, the Virgin Islands, Africa, and Europe. He was living in Zurich, Switzerland, when a friend told Eddie he was opening brewery in The City. This is what brought him to the Bay—he moved here to help open 21st Amendment.

Eddie says that he has remained here for nearly three decades because of the beauty, the proximity to so many diverse landscapes, the food scene, and the laid-back way of life we enjoy. After they opened 21st Amendment, he left briefly to work in Philadelphia, but came back to work at Magnolia Brewing as they were ramping up to open The Alembic.

He lists off many restaurants and hotels, in SF and the East Bay, where worked for years before going private as well as doing some catering.

The Old Skool chef tells us that the menu at the supper club was inspired by the youth who've worked there, drawing from several family food lines from Central America and other parts of the world. He cites three challenges of running the kitchen at OSC: 1. the food itself; 2. working with youth around the food; and 3. the youth and their life challenges. He enjoys it to this day, pointing to what he considers a “village of people, adults and youth.”

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather