Bayview chef Dontaye Ball, the force behind Gumbo Social, is stepping in as the new owner of Café Mélange, the tucked-away café inside San Francisco City Hall, and plans to reopen the counter on Thursday. The move keeps Ball’s popular gumbo in the building while shifting the space from a multi-vendor experiment to his solo stewardship at the People’s Palace.
New Owner, Same Gumbo
Ball is taking over Café Mélange and will reopen the café on Thursday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He told the paper he is not planning major changes and will keep Gumbo Social’s chicken-and-sausage gumbo as a staple at the counter.
City Backing And The Lease
City records show the New Community Leadership Foundation, doing business as Café Mélange, holds the lease for the space, a five-year agreement adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2024. Per SF Legistar, the lease was retroactively authorized to commence March 1, 2024, and sets out terms for tenant improvements and a sales-based rent model.
From Farmers Markets To A City Hall Counter
Ball first built a following selling gumbo at farmers' markets and opened Gumbo Social’s brick-and-mortar in the Bayview in 2023, bringing his deep roux and smoked proteins to a neighborhood counter. The Gumbo Social website lists the restaurant’s Bayview address and its signature bowls, which Ball will continue to serve at Café Mélange.
A Hangout For Staffers And Supervisors
Hidden beneath the marble staircase, Café Mélange has quietly turned into a City Hall regular, frequented by officials and staffers who swing by between hearings and wedding photos. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Assessor-Recorder Joaquín Torres often goes for the old-school Cobb, Supervisor Matt Dorsey grabs a blueberry scone, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood favors a chocolate cookie, and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto is apparently the café’s biggest coffee customer. The paper also notes that Quanisha Johnson of Yes Pudding will stay on as manager, and Ball plans to display collages by local photographer Tonie Brock and host rotating pop-ups with neighborhood vendors.
What’s Next
Café Mélange’s online menu lists gumbo, salads, sandwiches and morning coffee service during weekday hours, and the soft-launch pop-up format is built to evolve with feedback from City Hall visitors. According to Café Mélange, early pop-up partners include Radio Africa & Kitchen, Tallio’s Coffee & Tea and Yvonne’s Southern Sweets, and the site lists the café’s ground-floor City Hall location and weekday hours.
