A Barbecue Bash in Oakland to Lift Up Immigrant Communities

When Vibha Gupta organized the first BBQ Without Borders event in Oakland in 2019, she conceived it as a response to the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. In the era of “Build the Wall” and a Muslim travel ban, the barbecue feast celebrated Mexican barbacoa, Iranian kebabs and Indonesian grilled fish skewers — and, even more importantly, the diverse immigrant communities that brought those fire-kissed foods to America.

“No Immigrants, No Spice.” That was the name Gupta chose for her fledgling nonprofit that hosted the event, drawing inspiration from a Trevor Noah bit.

Now, six months into a second Trump presidency that has already put more than 56,000 immigrants into ICE detention centers, Gupta believes the pro-immigrant barbecue fundraiser is more relevant than ever. The 2025 edition of BBQ Without Borders takes place this Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Oakland Museum, featuring live music, kid-friendly activities and a star-studded lineup of local chefs from restaurants like Popoca and Café Colucci.

According to Gupta, the work of her organization has never felt as radical to her as it has this year. “Something as simple as getting together and celebrating the contributions of immigrants feels dangerous,” she says.

Gupta, an East Bay resident and emergency room doctor, explains that she chose barbecue because of the love that so many immigrant communities share for grilled foods. “When you say barbecue in the American lexicon, it conjures up images of hot dogs, hamburgers and, you know, brisket in the South,” Gupta says.

The idea of “barbecue without borders” was to flip that script and show that barbecue can consist of many other fire-based dishes, like Persian pomegranate-molasses grilled chicken wings and intricately spiced Indian barbecue served with gorgeous handmade chutneys.

“We like to think of barbecue as a vehicle to introduce people to different cultures,” Gupta explains. “A barbecue conjures up images of community and people sharing. And we think that that’s the perfect place to talk about immigration.”

This year’s participating chefs were chosen for both the deliciousness of their food and the fact that their community has been maligned and misrepresented by the current administration in some way. For instance, Café Colucci general manager Daniel Yeshiwas, who will be serving awaze tibs skewers, represents a story of intergenerational hustle — his auntie, Fetlework Tefferi, started the restaurant in the ’90s and eventually opened the Bay Area’s first Ethiopian spice company. Now, three decades later, she and Yeshiwas have built up an impressive Ethiopian food empire that, as Gupta points out, stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s sneering reference to “shithole” African countries. Chef Anthony Salguero will serve fresh herb–topped Salvadoran enchiladas. His Oakland restaurant, Popoca, is a love letter to the diverse, nuanced cuisine of El Salvador — a country associated, recently, with the massive CECOT prison where hundreds of alleged gang members have been “disappeared to” without a trial.

Meanwhile, Sincere Justice of Oakland’s Tacos Sincero will showcase his unique brand of “Chino-Latino” fusion cuisine — tostadas topped with braised chicken and Sichuan salsa verde, and “Thai pastor” blistered green beans. (Maria Marquez of Tacos Mamá Cuca, who was originally slated to be the third chef, had to pull out due to a family emergency, but she’ll still be featured in an art exhibition that BBQ Without Borders staff are creating to tell each chef’s personal story.)

To top things off, Third Culture Bakery will provide desserts, and, as an add-on, a limited number of guests can sign up for a pani puri party hosted by chef Preeti Mistry (Juhu Beach Club).

There’s also a fundraising element to the event: All proceeds will go toward a “Resilience Fund,” created in partnership with Oakland’s Unity Council, that will provide cash assistance to undocumented immigrants in the East Bay. The goal is to raise $50,000 to pay for these “micro-grants.” Gupta acknowledges that cutting someone a check for a few hundred dollars isn’t enough to be life-changing — “but if we can help keep someone in their apartment for an extra month, or have someone have enough food so they don’t have to go to work selling flowers on the side of the street because they’re afraid of being picked up by ICE, then that’s a win for us.”

The broader hope, Gupta says, is for the barbecue to be a “celebratory safe space” that presents a different image of immigration than the ones currently being blasted across the news media — “people being chased down, windows being broken, like these ICE raids that are happening here and in Los Angeles.”

“This event is so important because it gives some dignity back to people, and that’s why we’re doing this,” she says.

BBQ Without Borders will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 3–7 p.m., at the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St., Oakland). Each chef will offer both meat and vegetarian options. Tickets are available online.