WHO WE ARE
Community & Connection
At the core of The Radical Beet is the belief that real change starts with local communities. We're here to connect people with volunteer opportunities that uplift and strengthen San Diego. Whether it's lending a hand or sharing a meal, we believe that building relationships is the foundation of creating lasting, impactful change.
Purpose-Driven Food
Food has always been more than sustenance—it’s a tool for connection, conversation, and action. Through our sustainable, locally-sourced pop-ups, we not only serve plant-based meals but also create spaces where people can engage in meaningful discussions about the social and environmental issues that affect our communities. Every dish is an opportunity to fuel the movement for change.
Action Through Education
At The Radical Beet, we believe education is the catalyst for transformation. Our platform amplifies the voices of organizers, educators, and changemakers, creating a space where their insights inspire meaningful dialogue. Through shared learning and collective action, we aim to raise awareness and drive change on social, political, and environmental issues.
Radical simply means, ‘Grasping things at the Root.’
Angela Davis
How it all started
2020 was… really f*cking hard.
Since moving back to California in 2017, I’ve been managing in the food industry. But when Covid-19 hit, running a small coffee chain became the most chaotic, disheartening challenge of my life. The uncertainty, the heartbreak—it all forced me to reflect on what we give our time and bodies for, the jobs we do just to survive, and the truth that we are all, in some way, replaceable cogs in the system.
But my passion for social, political, and environmental issues never left me, even as I hustled to keep up with life in California. The summer of 2020 was a wake-up call. While BIPOC organizers have been leading the charge for years, the collective consciousness seemed to finally catch up. The movement against systemic racism grew stronger, and for the first time, I felt the power of marching alongside thousands of others—people who were tired of the same systems, demanding accountability, and exhausted by state-sponsored violence.
But when the noise died down and many retreated into the comfort of "normalcy," I couldn’t. The questions kept gnawing at me:
How can we just go back? What was the point of it all? What do I have to offer?
Here’s the truth:
I’m not an expert organizer or a well-versed educator.
I’m not a lawyer fighting in the courts, or a scientist with solutions for climate change.
I’m just a millennial, mid-existential crisis, trying to figure it all out.
What I do know is restaurants. And I can occasionally be funny—YUP, that’s about it. But The Radical Beet is the most honest contribution I have to offer. It’s not a revolution on its own, and it will never compare to the decades of work put in by those who’ve paved the way for us.
But my dream for The Radical Beet is simple: to create a platform for those who are experts—to amplify the voices of organizers, educators, and change-makers. To offer a space where we can share meals, build empathy, and scrape together some hope in this devastating world. A place where good food and real conversations inspire change.
I hope we can build something special together.
- Mandy
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