The hospitality group behind chef Tanya Holland's Michelin-lauded Brown Sugar Kitchen, a national destination for modern soul food in Oakland, has filed for chapter 11 protection, the San Francisco Business Times reported. The operating realities of the pandemic erased already thin margins as downtown Oakland offices emptied out, Holland said, creating a situation where "there was just no balance on the balance sheet essentially, so much debt" in the form of back rent, vendors and investors. The bankruptcy petition will not impact daily service at her flagship restaurant at 2295 Broadway Ave., currently open for outdoor dining, takeout and delivery, Holland told me in an exclusive interview. The filing for BSK Hospitality Group LLC, made Wednesday in the U.S. Northern District bankruptcy court, listed assets of under $50,000 and six creditors with claims totaling $938,314.06.
