“It’s all about hospitality and inclusivity.” 

Hannah Black, Carla Perez-Gallardo and Wheeler are partners at Lil Deb’s Oasis in Hudson, New York - a restaurant they imagined would serve as an oasis where people from all over the world could exist. Hannah and Carla, two art school graduates, met while working on a Vietnamese-inspired food truck in the Catskills and quickly realized that their language about cooking and sensibilities were well matched. 

First running a catering business, then hosting a weekly pop-up dinner series together, the two finally got the opportunity to open up a restaurant of their own. After years of executing on others' visions and feeling like the landscape was impossible to exist in as a person of color or as a woman, they were ready to create something different. Hannah and Carla, semifinalists for the 2020 James Beard Award: Best Chef New York Category, met Wheeler along the way and the duo soon brought them in as a third partner in the oasis. In this episode, we discuss the evolution of Lil Deb's, the type of tropical comfort food and wine they serve up and how they’re adjusting to the current climate. Tune in and follow @lildebsoasis and @fromthegrounduppod on Instagram!