Sparked by 'terrible' dining hall food, Dakota Pekerti builds pop-ups that inspire

"Dakota Pekerti, who runs Kamu Siapa Kitchen, a Berkeley-based Indonesian pop-up and cooking class series, won't call himself a chef, but he's spent years cooking for others and helping them develop their own cooking skills and concepts. He teaches small classes of up to four people on how to plan a pop-up event, recipe development consultation, Sambalogy (an intensive study of Indonesian Sambal), and meal prep. Kamu siapa means who are you? in Indonesian."

"Leila Winn, who is in Pekerti's grad program at UC Berkeley, is a passionate baker and has always thought about opening a high tea concept. She took Pekerti's class and then asked if he would help her out the first couple of times, and now has hosted three pop-ups under the name Cafe Goblin, all of which have sold out. She now plans to hold quarterly pop-ups centering seasonal ingredients, complex tea pairings, and general yumminess."

"He grew up in Texas as one of the only Asian families in his neighborhood. His parents are huge foodies, Pekerti said. Food for them was a way of not just escaping the little bubble we lived in but also keeping a connection to Indonesia, Pekerti said. His parents would take him to other parts of the Dallas region to go to Vietnamese, Indian restaurants other Immigrant enclaves, as Pekerti described."

Dakota Pekerti runs Kamu Siapa Kitchen, a Berkeley-based Indonesian pop-up and cooking class series that teaches small classes of up to four people. Classes cover planning pop-up events, recipe development consultations, Sambalogy (an intensive study of Indonesian sambal), and meal prep. Pekerti helps participants turn pop-up ideas into reality and fosters a community of food-minded people through teaching, volunteering, and cooking. Students like Leila Winn have launched successful pop-ups such as Cafe Goblin, selling out multiple events and planning quarterly seasonal pop-ups. Pekerti grew up in Texas as the son of Indonesian immigrants and was exposed to diverse immigrant cuisines.

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