Extra Spicy

Eat MSG with Me: With Goop Power, Comes Goop Responsibility

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

Jenny Yang is waiting on an RSVP from the “Goop” goddess and L.A. queen of clean eating, Gwenyth Paltrow. Why? To have a fact-based conversation about MSG. A seasoning and flavor enhancement, monosodium glutamate has a bad rap stemming from racist and xenophobic rhetoric. On the Season 3 finale of the Extra Spicy podcast, Yang talks to Extra Spicy host and Chronicle food critic Soleil Ho about the world of wellness, who decides what is “clean” in “clean eating,” plus the importance of cultural representation.

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Can a Bake Sale Fight Racism?

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

In early 2020, Paola Velez was inspired to bring Bakers Against Racism to life. It's an organization she co-founded with chef Rob Rubba, to fundraise for causes they care about, like their latest fundraiser in support of Ukraine during the Russian invasion. They've also baked for Black artists and Haitian refugees, raising over $2.5 million in the process. Host Soleil Ho speaks with Velez about how she got started in the industry and her goal to remain a "good person" throughout her career. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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The Seattle Chef Building a Platform for Secret Cookies

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

Chef and newly minted tech entrepreneur Eric Rivera has done everything in the food world from running his own restaurant, to cooking 12-course tastings in people's homes, to publishing e-books and selling Puerto Rican seasonings online. Rivera speaks with host Soleil Ho about his latest project, Beet, which is a foray into the tech industry. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Introducing Fixing Our City

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

New Chronicle podcast: Host Laura Wenus and producer Cintia Lopez are on a quest to find out why one of the wealthiest and best-educated cities in America, one where most people belong to the same political party and subscribe to the same basic values, has so many intractable problems. And more importantly: Can they be fixed? Join us as we find out, one San Francisco story at a time. Coming June 21 from the San Francisco Chronicle’s SFNext project. Follow Fixing Our City on your favorite app.

Got a tip, question, comment? Email us at sfnext@sfchronicle.com

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Optimism Warning: Diversifying the Coffee Industry Might Be Working

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

High-pressure, super-structured coffee competitions consist of baristas making coffee for a panel of judges who scrutinize everything from how many times a cup is tapped to the color of someone's pants. These events prompt the question: who determines what is "professional" and who can access this field? On this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho speaks to Veronica Grimm, founder of Glitter Cat Barista, a non-profit organization reimagining the coffee industry by providing support, resources, and mentorship for marginalized hospitality professionals. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Hella Good Mold: A Couple Gets Creative with Koji

Tue, 31 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000

On this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho speaks to Shared Cultures founders Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo about their use of local, seasonal ingredients in products like miso and soy sauce. Koji is the star microbe popping up at restaurants all over the Bay Area, made by artisans who have taken up traditional fermentation methods with deep roots in Japan, Korea and China. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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The Youth Movement Behind Starbucks Organizing

Mon, 23 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000

At Starbucks locations across the country, workers are unionizing. Dozens of stores have joined the union, and many more are scheduled to vote soon. One of those is in Mill Valley, California, where high school junior Ella Clark is leading the efforts to organize. Ella joins host Soleil Ho to talk about holding Starbucks accountable to its values, then UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education chair Ken Jacobs explains why the wave of Starbucks unionization is spreading — and why it’s unlikely to end anytime soon.

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Are Mushrooms Socialist? Inside the Mania on TikTok and Beyond

Mon, 16 May 2022 09:00:00 -0000

On this Extra Spicy episode recorded in front of a live audience, TikTok mycologist Dr. Gordon Walker (@FascinatedbyFungi) joins host Soleil Ho to discuss what’s behind the mushroom mania. From gatekeeping in the foraging community to mycophobia and why fungi can be considered socialist, they dive into all the magic of mushrooms. Plus: stay tuned for an after-show special sponsored by Alaska Airlines with “Your Korean Dad,” Nick Cho.

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Taxing the Rich at the Dinner Table

Mon, 09 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000

“High-quality meals for those who aren't expecting it.” That’s the idea behind Community Kitchens, an Oakland organization that provides restaurant meals to community members in need. During the pandemic, co-founder Maria Alderete leveraged her restaurant-industry colleagues to cook for their most vulnerable neighbors and add a 1% surcharge to their bills to subsidize the meals. Now a question lingers: Can pandemic solidarity outlast COVID? | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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The Masa Evangelist Finds His Roots

Mon, 02 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000

Emmanuel Galvan didn't set out to become San Francisco’s “masa guy.” But after starting to experiment with nixtamalization, he felt an obligation to share what he was learning with others. Now his company Bolita Masa is introducing Bay Area customers to the wonders of fresh masa, connecting him with his culinary heritage and creating a community of maiz geeks. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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A Cookbook Made for Sad Brains

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000

If you consider nuking a can of soup cooking dinner, if you live off takeout or drive-thru, if your plates never live up to their Instagram inspiration, Leanne Brown understands. The author of budget cooking guide "Good and Cheap" and new book "Good Enough," Brown is dedicated to understanding the reasons people don't cook and helping them surmount them. On this episode of Extra Spicy, Brown and host Soleil Ho get "subterranean" on the issues that keep people out of the kitchen, TLDR recipes and how eating an apple can fight capitalism. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Instagram's "Food Antagonist" is Keeping Receipts

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000

“Is anyone actually really canceled?” That’s the question today’s guest, Joe Rosenthal, ponders while discussing his work as a self-proclaimed “food antagonist” on Instagram. Rosenthal is what host Soleil Ho calls a “serial receipt-keeper,” documenting and shedding light on food-world wrongdoing — and much more. On this episode of Extra Spicy, Rosenthal and Ho dive into accountability, the fallacy of cancel culture and why people don’t want to give up their problematic favorites. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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From Oakland to Top Chef: Bringing Afro-Latin Food into the Spotlight

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000

For chef Nelson German, it's important that his restaurant, Sobre Mesa, is a welcoming space that reflects his African and Dominican ancestry. On this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho sits down with chef Nelson German to discuss his stint on Top Chef and the importance of cooking food that's close to your heart. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Smash Burgers and Stockholm Syndrome

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000

On this episode of Extra Spicy, Lil’ Eagle Burger founder and chef Zack Fernandes joins host Soleil Ho to discuss his first smashburger, why San Franciscans like standing in line and the therapeutic effect of working the griddle in the middle of the pop-up crush. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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How Chef José Andrés Uses Food as a Force for Good

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0000

“We need longer tables, not higher walls.” Chef José Andrés and his organization, World Central Kitchen, emphasize the importance of human connection through food, from aid to Ukrainian refugees to backyard paella on social media. On the Season 3 launch of the Extra Spicy podcast, host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho sits down with Chef Andrés to discuss his work, why charity isn’t about making you feel good and the danger of taking food for granted. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Extra Spicy Season 3

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho returns for a brand new season of The Chronicle’s food and culture podcast, Extra Spicy. Launching March 28, 2022, Season 3 dives into topics like the food world’s unionization boom, the intersection of mental health and cooking, plus foraging for fungi on TikTok. Guests this season include renowned chef and philanthropist José Andrés of World Central Kitchen, Oakland restaurant owner and community organizer Maria Alderete, chef and author Leanne Brown, and many more! Subscribe and listen to new episodes each Monday wherever you get your podcasts. | Unlimited Chronicle access:sfchronicle.com/pod

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Extra Spicy Season 3 Is Coming Soon!

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0000

Soleil Ho, podcast host and restaurant critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, is back with a fresh, new season of The Chronicle’s food and culture podcast, Extra Spicy. They’ll be diving into topics like the intersection of mental health and cooking, the dream of sustainable shrimp farming, how local food workers are unionizing their workplaces and what makes a great restaurant chair. Season 3 launches March 2022.

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Two Bumbling Fools Talk About Stupid Stuff

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000

In the Season 2 finale, Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk about, in Soleil's words, "the cream of the chaff." The most nonsensical food world nonsense from the last five months. It's a What Is This Nonsense field day, with topics running the gamut from mac and cheese ice cream to mac and cheese Oreos. And TikTok. And boiled Hot Cheetos ... in mac and cheese. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Dealing Eels: Inside a Multi-Billion Dollar Black Market

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000

The global black market for eels is a multi-billion dollar industry. Food systems writer Karen Pinchin discusses why the industry is riddled with crime, plus how a biological mystery and capitalism jeopardize the sustainability of these creatures.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Food Meets Music Meets Pinterest

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Before he launched his music-meets-food podcast, Peter J. Kim was the founding director of the Museum of Food and Drink. He talks to Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips about why such a museum was needed, his favorite exhibitions there, and what the food culture is like at his current gig, food creator lead at Pinterest.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Redefining Food Criticism

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000

British restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa talks about how he became the U.K.’s first Black food critic at London’s Evening Standard — a journey co-host and Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho is all too familiar with. This is the last of two episodes that go into the many differences between U.S. and U.K. food criticism. Plus: Why Jimi and Soleil are excited about writing bad reviews again. Plus: Why Jimi and Soleil are excited about writing bad reviews again.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Becoming the Food Critic

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000

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You’re White and Own an Asian Restaurant: Let’s Talk

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Irene Li, chef and co-founder of Mei Mei restaurant in Boston, wrote about 8 Totally Achievable Ways to Show Up for Racial Justice… When You’re White and Own an Asian Restaurant! Li breaks downs each item on her list, the difference between appreciation and appropriation, and how white chefs can use their power to work toward racial equity.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Are Alternative Foods the Future?

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Will future generations only know meatless burgers and other food alternatives? It sounds dystopian, but that is a legitimate possibility if Silicon Valley gets their way. Hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk with author and journalist Larissa Zimberoff about her latest book, “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat” and whether demand for “alternative” foods will overcome California’s farm-to-table culture.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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ICYMI: America’s Minimum Wage Debate Is Tipping Over

Mon, 31 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Tipped workers, like servers and bartenders, can be paid as low as $2.13 per hour in some states. Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips trace the origin of America’s tipping culture back to slavery, and how minimum wage politics mostly impact Black and female livelihoods. Plus: how the fight to raise the federal pay floor goes beyond the restaurant industry. This episode first aired in April.

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Food as Love Language

Mon, 24 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000

During this crazy, difficult and strange pandemic year, cooking and eating has helped many of us take care of ourselves and each other. So we’re devoting this week's episode to talking all about food as a love language. You’ll hear from Danny Lavery and Chronicle reporter Annie Vainshtein, who have found joy, comfort, and sometimes even anxiety at the thought of having to prepare a meal. And we’ll get to know Susanna Zaraysky, a San Jose woman who prepares and delivers elaborate meal packages as a way to stay connected with her father, who lives in a nursing home.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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How a Podcaster Designed a New Pasta

Mon, 17 May 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Cascatelli, a new pasta shape created by Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful podcast, is making waves. Pashman joins Extra Spicy hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips to discuss his multi-year creation process with the company Sfoglini, plus the criteria — ‘forkability,’ ‘sauceability’ and ‘toothsinkability’ — that led to the world’s newest pasta shape.

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The Doctor’s Orders

Mon, 10 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Doctor Linda Shiue had a revelation: her prescription pad could motivate patients towards better eating habits. First, she wrote a prescription for kale chips; now her new cookbook, "Spicebox Kitchen," bridges her medical expertise with the joy of cooking healthy, plant-forward meals. She talks to hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips about her journey from doctor to chef and the ancient tradition of food as medicine.

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Crying in H Mart

Mon, 03 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner, known by the moniker, “Japanese Breakfast,” discusses her memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” The book explores Zauner’s complicated relationship with her late mother, Korean identity and processing grief. At the time of the interview, the topic was abstract for host Soleil Ho – until her own grandfather got sick. Extra Spicy dives into the complexities of food, family and finding solace through storytelling.

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Cooking REAL Hawai’ian Food

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Sheldon Simeon, chef and owner of Tin Roof restaurants and two-time "Top Chef" finalist, talks all about Hawaiian food: what it is, what it isn’t, and how you can learn to cook it through his new cookbook, “Cook Real Hawai’i.” Sheldon addresses the relationship between tourism and the mainland’s image of the islands’ cuisine and how chefs like him are on a quest to reclaim the cuisine for his fellow Hawai’ians — to really capture the multicultural nuances of what people actually eat there.

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America’s Minimum Wage Debate Is Tipping Over

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0000

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Can Chocolate Be Ethical Under Capitalism?

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0000

There are 1.5 million children harvesting cocoa in West Africa. Major chocolate companies now face child slavery lawsuits, marking the first time a class action of this kind has been made against the cocoa industry in the United States. Simran Sethi, professor and freelance journalist, joins Soleil Ho to discuss the problems within the industry and what consumers can do about it.

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Asian & Black People Are Hurting. And It's Complicated

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips have a frank conversation about the tensions between Asian and Black communities, the dangers of a widening rift, and the media’s role in perpetuating misunderstanding.

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ICYMI: Can Free Fridges Avoid “Poverty Porn”?

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000

So this week, we were planning to publish an open conversation between Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips about crimes against Asian people, from the March 16 Atlanta shootings, to high profile violent incidents in the Bay Area captured on video that often showed Black aggressors. And we’re going to be honest: we weren’t quite sure how to put our feelings into words. We had recorded one version of this episode, but we realized we needed more time to process so we’re going to take another week.

So in the meantime, we would love to hear from you: What do you make of all this — and how do we end it? You can send us your responses by sending us a voice recording to extraspicy@sfchronicle.com, or you can also leave us a voicemail at 415-777-6156. We really hope to hear from you, and we look forward to including your thoughts on next week’s episode.

For now, we want to leave you with a longer version of one of our favorite episodes from Season 1. Gabriela Alemán of the Mission Meals Coalition and Ashley Rahimi Syed of SF Community Fridge teamed up to bring a fridge stocked with fresh food to San Francisco’s Mission District amid the pandemic. They talk about protecting the dignity of those they serve, and mitigating the “performative” aspect of some of the giving.

Read a transcript of our conversation with Gabriela and Ashley, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you're obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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What Will Food Historians Say About the Pandemic?

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

What is the culinary equivalent to sweatpants? Katherine Spiers, the woman behind the food history podcast and newsletter Smart Mouth, joins hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips to discuss the pandemic effect, food access issues and whether this past year has helped facilitate more empathy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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The Hidden Labor Behind Cookbooks & Recipes

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Julia Turshen – a bestselling cookbook author, food writer and food equity advocate – joins Justin and Soleil to discuss all the considerations of recipe making. From pitch to publication, Turshen shares the steps of making her latest cookbook, “Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food.” Plus, hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips take on the headnotes debate.

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Pandemic Pivot to the Worker-Owned Restaurant Revolution

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Reem Assil, chef and founder of Reem’s California, talks about the struggle and necessity of transforming her Arab bakery shop in Oakland into a worker-owned operation amid the coronavirus pandemic. Assil’s restaurant models subvert and redefine the traditional definition of what a restaurant can and should be: Her team has been hard at work making meals for frontline workers, unhoused people and low-income community members while also cooking meal kits for customers. Plus: Hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk about capitalism and how the way we shape narratives can unintentionally perpetuate and reinforce it’s agenda.

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Chuck E. Cheese & Ferrero Rocher: How Immigrants Learn to be American

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

The child of Iranian-Armenian refugees, writer and journalist Liana Aghajanian shares stories of growing up in the United States, the role that places like Chuck E. Cheese, Sizzler and IKEA have in teaching immigrant communities how to be American, and how she approaches writing about immigrant experiences in a way that embraces their nuances. Her multimedia project, Dining in Diaspora, documents the Armenian experience in America through food.

Related: Read Liana Aghajanian’s piece about Ferrero Rocher at Thrillist.com.

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Finding Wild Food with @BlackForager

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Alexis Nikole Nelson – @blackforager on TikTok and Instagram – talks about the racial history of foraging laws in the United States and what it’s like to teach people how to identify and cook wild foods. Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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The Fight to Save Chinatown

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:00:00 -0000

The 2021 Lunar New Year marks a full year of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on San Francisco’s Chinatown. Well before the Bay Area shut down, America’s oldest Chinatown experienced reduced business and xenophobia. With thousands living in single-room-occupancy hotels and legacy businesses on the brink of closure, the neighborhood is fighting to survive.

Related: Fifth & Mission podcast: Chinatown's Endangered Banquet Halls: pod.fo/e/b68e0

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Brogurt & Burgers: Dude Food, Explained

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

What is “dude food” and where does it come from? Dr. Emily Contois explores these questions and more in her new book, "Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture." She dissects how Powerful Yogurt was created to appeal to men, the power that marketing departments have in upholding the patriarchy, and the many ways that “the dude” remains a privileged masculine figure.

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The Restaurant Apocalypse Is Upon Us

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry since its outset in March. In the wake of shutdowns, paired with little material help from the government, more than 1,000 restaurants and bars have permanently closed across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands of people out of work.

Restaurateur Samir Mogannam of Beit Rima, former restaurateur Hetal Shah of August 1 Five, Golden Gate Restaurant Association Executive Director Laurie Thomas, and former restaurant and cafe worker Adonis Valentine share their thoughts on how the pandemic has affected the restaurant world and their relationships to it. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Extra Spicy Season 2

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 16:38:00 -0000

A new season of Extra Spicy is coming soon! Join hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips as they attempt to decipher the bizarro happenings of the food world alongside a mix of fascinating folks. They dismantle diet culture and angry chefs, cover the restaurant apocalypse and pandemic pivots, and dish out advice you didn't know you needed. Extra Spicy will stimulate your mind and your appetite.

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2020: What Was This Nonsense?

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

In the final episode of season 1, hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips apply their question, “What is this nonsense?” to the year 2020. From a KFC movie to the politics of French Laundry dinners, the hosts are wrapping up their top nonsense from a year like no other. Extra Spicy will return with season 2 on January 25, 2021. Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Kevin Vaughn Talks Travel Writing

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

In this week's episode, hear Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips' full interview with Kevin Vaughn: a writer, cook and tour operator based out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vaughn discusses travel writing, the problems within travel media and deconstructing ideas of how to tell the story of another place. Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Aubrey Gordon Discusses Anti-Fat Bias

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

The author who until recently wrote under the moniker Your Fat Friend talks to Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips about the social realities of being a very fat person, the fallacy of tying morality with health, how fat people have difficulty getting the healthcare they actually need, and much more.

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Bonus: Chef Anthony Salguero on Salvadoran Food in the Bay

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Anthony Salguero, chef / founder of Popoca in Oakland, was a guest on Extra Spicy back in August. In this bonus episode, you can hear Soleil Ho's full interview with Salguero, who talks about bringing traditional Salvadoran wood-fire cooking and recipes to the Bay Area and an evolving restaurant culture.

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Bonus: Dessert Potatoes with Daniel M. Lavery

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

Extra Spicy is off for the season, but we're leaving you with a series of bonus episodes during the holidays. In this week's episode, we're bringing back Soleil Ho's full interview with Daniel M. Lavery, a writer and advice columnist who has produced satirical writing on the rhetoric of beans, breasts and "Columbo" in his newsletter, Shatner Chatner. Lavery talks about potatoes for dessert, imaginary restaurant ideas and the persistence of the dinner table as the place where family tensions come to a head.

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Roman Mars: How the Pandemic is Transforming Restaurants

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

The author and host of the design and architecture podcast 99% Invisible talks about how the pandemic creates an opportunity to make restaurant design more resilient by innovating parklets and reclaiming outdoor space. He also digs into how delivery apps and contactless delivery are destroying people’s empathy towards restaurant workers.

Plus: This is the last episode of the season! Hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips will release bonus episodes for the rest of the year and are preparing for a revamped — and extra spicy — Season 2. Stay tuned!

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Breaking Up with Diet Culture

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

Virgie Tovar, author and podcast host of the Rebel Eaters Club, talks about diet culture: what it is, how it feels and how we can push against it in favor of a less punitive way of thinking about how we eat. Battling fatphobia is about more than just changing attitudes on a personal level, she says. Hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips also discuss how food writers and food media at large have perpetuated myths about diets and eating.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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How a Recipe Can Become a Protest

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 12:00:00 -0000

“Chinese Protest Recipes” is an antiracist zine from chef and activist Clarence Kwan, who insists food and cooking are political. Kwan joins hosts Justin Phillips and Soleil Ho to discuss his project, the recipes and anti-Black racism within Asian communities. Plus: some tea is spilled about Drake, Kwan’s fellow Torontonian.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Food Photography Is a Meritocracy — If You’re a White Person

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

Food photographer Oriana Koren talks about their work researching and documenting Black contributions to American cuisine, including their notable feature on underground chefs in South L.A. As a Black, non-binary professional, they talk about the politics and power behind the camera — including the extra work it took them to establish a career in food media.

Plus: Co-host Soleil Ho got an orb.

Send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Food Pop-ups in Legal Limbo

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:00:00 -0000

While AB-626 legalized the permitted sale of home-cooked food, most California counties have not developed a permitting process, creating a legal gray area. Katie Valenzuela, an incoming Sacramento city councilmember who helped work on the bill, joins Justin Phillips and Soleil Ho to discuss the origin and iterations of the new policy, how it affects racial and class equity, the role of the pandemic, and the importance of being civically engaged. Read a transcript of the full interview, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Three-Michelin-Starred: A Fine Dining Legacy, Burned Down

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Located in Napa Valley’s St. Helena, the highly acclaimed Restaurant at Meadowood was destroyed on September 28th by the massive Glass Fire, which scorched close to the 67K acres in Sonoma and Napa counties. Under the leadership of executive chef Christopher Kostow, the decades-old resort restaurant earned accolades for its artistic, garden-to-table cuisine. The owners of Meadowood Napa Valley, which housed the famed restaurant, have since vowed to rebuild the property. But amid the news of its destruction, former employees and local fine dining chefs explore a range of emotions regarding its lasting legacy.

On this episode, hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips look into what it took for The Restaurant at Meadowood to earn its place as an international fine dining destination and the highly-disciplined, intense work environment that some former employees say was necessary for success, while others claim was an abusive workplace culture.

You'll hear from San Francisco chef Traci Des Jardins, sommelier Alexis Davis Iaconis of Brick & Mortar Wines, chef Ricky Odbert of Six Test Kitchen and more.

Read the story and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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A Foodie's First Impressions of the Bay Area Food Scene

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Serena Dai, the new senior features editor for The San Francisco Chronicle, talks about her first impressions of the Bay Area food scene and why food writing continues to fascinate her. Dai worked closely with co-host Soleil Ho to produce The Chronicle’s Top 87 Restaurants list and explains why food accolades are here to stay, even amid a global pandemic that has upended the industry.

Fun fact: Dai, a veteran food editor and reporter, hasn’t eaten a single avocado since she moved here from New York City a few weeks ago, and she’s very concerned about it.

Read a transcript of the conversation with Serena Dai, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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What Wildfires Mean for California Wine

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 11:00:00 -0000

With more than a dozen California wineries damaged and even more threatened by smoke tainted grapes, this season might prove to be calamitous for the wine industry. Chronicle wine critic Esther Mobley talks about the wineries impacted by fire, the economic toll of the one-two punch of the coronavirus pandemic and wildfires, and what the future of Wine Country might look like as climate change makes fires more frequent and more intense. Read a transcript of the full interview and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Barbecue That's Worth the Wait

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Matt Horn, the pitmaster and proprietor behind Horn BBQ, talks about his journey from cooking in a backyard in Tracy and putting on a roaming Bay Area pop-up to opening a highly anticipated brick-and-mortar space in Oakland.

Horn’s Texas-style barbecue has become the stuff of legend, earning him regional and national acclaim, as well as a spot on this year’s Top 88, The Chronicle’s list of top Bay Area restaurants. Hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips break down why Matt Horn's barbecue — from his tender smoked brisket to his extraordinary attention to detail — has always been worth the wait.

Read a transcript of the conversation with Matt Horn, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Comfort Food for Your Pandemic Hunger

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0000

As the coronavirus pandemic keeps stress levels elevated, Brenda Buenviaje, chef and owner of an eponymous restaurant mini-empire, shares her coping strategy: producing YouTube cooking videos with her son. Plus: Buenviaje discusses having a French Soul Food menu in the Bay Area, while Justin and Soleil explore the concept of comfort food.

Read a transcript of the full interview, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Don’t Call the Cops on Pop-Ups

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Palestinian chef Mona Leena Michael went from heading up Oakland’s Middle Eastern restaurant, Dyafa, to putting up a Mana’eesh pop-up once the coronavirus pandemic struck. Michael talks about how the Alameda County health department shut her operation down due to an anonymous complaint — even during a global health crisis that has rendered many food industry workers like her unemployable.

Plus: Michael shocks co-host Soleil Ho by saying that she’s “elevating” Palestinian cuisine.

Read a transcript of the conversation with Mona Leena Michael, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Mark Canha: Big League Foodie

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Baseball players are mostly steakhouse guys, but Mark Canha of the Oakland A's is a self-proclaimed food influencer. Canha talks about his unlikely turn as a Bay Area food influencer and how he connects with his fans via his food-centric Instagram account, @BigLeaugeFoodie. Canha is rethinking the types of restaurants he eats from amid the coronavirus pandemic and talks about how food has kept him connected with his loved ones while living in isolation during the season. Plus: Canha gives listeners social media tips to get the most likes on Instagram posts.

Read a transcript of the conversation with Mark Canha, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Adapting to the Realities of Outdoor Dining

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Prubechu, a popular restaurant in the Mission district, is adapting to the times. As the coronavirus pandemic reshapes how restaurants function, co-founders Shawn Naputi and Shawn Camacho are steadfast in their dedication to show San Francisco what Guam has to offer. In this episode, they discuss their challenges and triumphs.

Read a transcript of the conversation with “the two Shawns”, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you’re obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Can Vegan Soul Food Tackle Meat’s Masculinity Problem?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Toriano Gordon, a rapper-turned-restaurateur, talks about finding his place in veganism, meat’s masculinity problem and the history of plant-based eating in Black communities. Gordon’s vegan soul food restaurant, Vegan Mob, has made a huge splash in Oakland’s food scene, offering everything from plant-based cheeseburger egg rolls and fried chicken po’boys to Impossible meat tacos and gumbo.

Read a transcript of our conversation with Toriano Gordon, and send us your questions about food, life and everything you're obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Can Free Fridges Avoid “Poverty Porn”?

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Gabriela Alemán and Ashley Rahimi Syed, who’ve helped bring a fridge stocked with fresh food to the Mission, talk about protecting the dignity of those they serve, and mitigating the “performative” aspect of some of the giving.

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Centering Black Foodways in A Hungry Society

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Korsha Wilson talks about her website and podcast, A Hungry Society, and how she’s protected her byline by only taking on writing assignments she believes in. Her focus on Caribbean cuisine and Black foodways at large has been an inspiration to Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips.

Plus: Soleil and Justin compare their writing careers to the acting career of Nicolas Cage.

Read a transcript of our conversation with Korsha Wilson and send us your questions about food, life and everything you're obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Only Nigerian Restaurant in San Francisco Burns Down

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Simileoluwa Adebajo, owner of San Francisco’s Eko Kitchen, speaks with hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips just hours after her restaurant burned down in a major fire. She remains positive she can rebuild the city’s only Nigerian restaurant and has launched a GoFundMe in support of her business as well as several others that lost property in the fire. She also talks about performative support for Black-owned restaurants by white folks amid the surging Black Live Matters movement.

Read a transcript of our conversation with Simileoluwa Adebajo and send us your questions about food, life and everything you're obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy.

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Hungry Hungry Hooker

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

San Francisco food blogger and professional companion Adahlia Cole talks about the ways in which sex work intersects with the food industry. Cole also talks about her pandemic-era work documenting the myriad side hustles that laid-off or underemployed restaurant workers have taken on in recent months to supplement their incomes.

Plus: Justin Phillips and Soleil Ho tackle some listener questions about foie gras and the things they miss about restaurants.

Read a transcript of our full conversation with Adahlia Cole and send us your questions about food, life and everything you're obsessed with at sfchronicle.com/spicy.

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The Pandemic Pivot: Restaurant to Grocery

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Anthony Strong, the chef and owner of San Francisco's Prairie, talks about his restaurant’s quick pivot to a general store at the onset of the pandemic. Hang on to the end to hear some nonsense about Hot Pot Panic, Soleil Ho's new favorite computer game made by a Bay Area local.

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How JustUs Kitchen Feeds the Movement

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Bay Area chef and community organizer Jocelyn Jackson is the founder of JustUs Kitchen, a project that provides healing food experiences for Black women and femmes. Jackson, also the co-founder of the People’s Kitchen Collective, talks about what it means to create liberated spaces, the ancient history of mutual aid, and how we can sustain the political moment. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Not Interested In American Cuisine

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 08:38:00 -0000

Hawa Hassan, CEO of Basbaas Somali Foods, talks about her work to promote African cuisines here in the U.S. and her new cookbook, “In Bibi’s Kitchen.” She also has a frank discussion of her work with Bon Appetit’s Test Kitchen, which she says used her image to uphold the illusion of diversity while not affording her the respect she deserved. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Drama at the Dinner Table

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Writer and advice columnist Daniel M. Lavery talks about potatoes for dessert, imaginary restaurant ideas and the persistence of the dinner table as the place where family tensions come to a head. Plus: In this week’s Dear Spicy, Soleil Ho and co-host Justin Phillips dole out their own advice about making it as professional food writer. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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A New Deal for Restaurants

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 08:02:00 -0000

Organizer and sommelier Vinny Eng talks about working with SF New Deal, a nonprofit that has provided financial relief for restaurants by enlisting them to cook meals for people and organizations in need. Eng lays out how the program works, as well as how crucial this kind of aid can be for restaurants and communities suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Pickle Jar Time Machine

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 08:01:00 -0000

Pickle profferer and master fermenter Kelly McVicker geeks out about pickles: how time is an essential ingredient, and how an increased interest in the craft during the coronavirus pandemic is a sign that people are rethinking the place of pickles in our food system. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Padma Lakshmi: Redefining “American Food”

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 08:00:00 -0000

The writer and television personality talks about her new show, Taste the Nation. Lakshmi, an award-winning author who previously hosted “Top Chef,” talks about using her show to broaden the definition of “American food” — as an antidote to xenophobia and ahistoric notions of who “Americans” are. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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This is Extra Spicy

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 16:30:00 -0000

San Francisco Chronicle food writers and columnists Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk to fascinating food folks in the Bay Area and beyond about restaurant life, cookbooks and the devastating horror of ranch dressing. Their attempts to decipher the bizarro happenings of the food world will stimulate your mind and your appetite.

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