SF Chronicle
By: Jonathan Kauffman
Photo Credit: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle
Seven days a week, Fernay McPherson shuts down her Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement stand in the Emeryville Public Market for just two hours between lunch and dinner. It gives her a chance to clean the fryer, prep for the dinner rush and even step out of the 200-square-foot space. The break doesn’t stop a parade of customers from wafting over to the cash register, reading the “closed until 5” sign and moping away.
For a food-court stand that opened less than two months ago, in a corner half-hidden by construction barriers, the cycle of expectation and betrayal is a measure of just how successful McPherson’s new venture is, how enthusiastically people respond to her food.