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"title": "The Activist Behind Berkeley’s Only Vegan Food Festival",
"headTitle": "The Activist Behind Berkeley’s Only Vegan Food Festival | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1960s, as Berkeley became a hotbed of anti-war and “hippie” countercultural thinking, Oakland was cooking up something with a slightly different flavor: the Black Panther Party, most famous for its revolutionary politics, which also offered a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/2016/2/16/11002842/free-breakfast-schools-black-panthers\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">free breakfast program for local youth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Erika Hazel, a Berkeley-born and Vallejo-raised vegan advocate, is inspired by these traditions when she thinks about food and health awareness in 2022. As a K-12 school therapist in Oakland, adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and vegan food blogger, Hazel—better known as “The Bizerkeley Vegan”—has set out to ensure food and health education remain accessible for those who have systemically been excluded from the conversation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Demystifying veganism is key to our future,” says Hazel, noting that she wasn’t exposed to the vegan lifestyle at all growing up in Vallejo. She initially became interested in veganism for her personal health, noting a history of cancer in her family that she hoped to reduce with a plant-based diet. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Big meat factory farming is bad for our environment. We’re a meat-dependent society and it’s not good for us, especially for folks of color. My school is predominantly Black and Latinx, and seeing what they eat, it’s adding to the bigger equation of unhealthy habits.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hazel’s work is in line with a long legacy of food justice in the Bay Area. Aside from the Black Panther Party’s efforts, the Edible Schoolyard project brought gardening and food justice concepts to Berkeley middle-schoolers in a program that has since been replicated in New York and elsewhere. Nowadays, this lineage has continued with the recent efforts of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://vegnews.com/2021/7/berkeley-first-city-vegan-meals\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">local orgs fighting for Berkeley to become the first city in the country to commit to vegan options\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915892\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915892\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0167.jpg\" alt=\"Erika Hazel, who is the founder of the Bizerkeley Food Festival, stands in front of her festival's banner while smiling\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0167.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0167-160x240.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erika Hazel shines at the first annual Bizerkeley Food Festival she organized in 2021 \u003ccite>(Jeffrey Litman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this light, you can’t dismiss the ongoing journey of a homegrown proponent like Hazel, who shares her love for being vegan beyond her family’s dinner table. For her, the revolution doesn’t begin with what happens in Washington D.C.; it begins with what happens in our bodies, and the foods we choose to eat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since fully committing to veganism in 2016, The Bizerkeley Vegan has been getting to the plant of the matter by sharing her knowledge about vegan lifestyles with the public. Her biggest feat? Organizing the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.visitberkeley.com/events/the-bizerkeley-food-festival-2021/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in 2021—Berkeley’s first and only vegan food festival.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally slated to debut in May 2020, Hazel was forced to pause her plans until the following year, when she received sponsorship from Berkeley to launch the city’s first-ever vegan fest to a crowd of over 1,000 attendees in the parking lot of Sports Basement. The event featured local vegan vendors, family activities, and educational resources for community members of all ages. Now in its second year, Hazel looks forward to expanding its radius to include more vendors in order to benefit more folks.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the success she’s now seeing wasn’t cooked up overnight—and it wasn’t a solo effort, either, thanks to her family and community members who have “wrapped around (her dietary choices) instead of rejecting (them).”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My dad used to eat Burger King and McDonalds, and now he’s super mindful of meat consumption,” Hazel tells me. “I tell him, do you want to meet your grandchildren? You have to eat right. Illnesses like diabetes often run in families because of certain eating habits. You gotta have something green on your plate. Eat your steak, but eat more plants, too.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the past eight years, she has been volunteering, observing and connecting with vegan restaurants, festivals, and organizations around the country to to create a vegan food festival full of “culinary wizardry.” She owes a lot, she says, to the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.visitvallejo.com/events/upcoming-events/vallejo-healthy-food-fest-1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vallejo Healthy Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as to organizations like the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://@foodempowermentproject\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Food Empowerment Project\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in San Jose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’ve been inspired by the hustlers out here,” she says. “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I first met the Vegan Hood Chefs in their early days when they just had a table at Bay Area pop-ups. Now they have their own food truck, catering business, and are featured on VICE. Seeing them grow, and coming from our communities, that made me appreciate the spirit of hustling that makes our vegan scene so dope.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watching other Black women like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theveganhoodchefs/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vegan Hood Chefs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> gain national recognition through their Southern-style cooking and independent grit and appreciating \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fellow Vallejo entrepreneurs like E-40\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">for his contributions to food culture, her passion now is sharing how the Bay is a world-class destination for any vegan.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915891\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915891 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"a food vendor serves a vegan dish to a customer at the Bizerkeley Food Festival\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporting local vegan businesses like Vegan Heat is a priority for Hazel \u003ccite>(Jeffrey Litman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At holiday events and cook outs, she tests recipes like buffalo cauliflower instead of chicken wings, or adapts Filipino dishes from her neighbors to make vegan sisig. In meat-dependent and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/food-desert-bay-area-deserts-pantry-near-me-alameda-bank/11254529/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fast food-saturated environments that impact many low-income, East Bay communities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Hazel is cooking up ways to rethink how everyone can benefit from vegan practices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There are so many ways to be vegan and healthy,” Hazel says. “It’s not an unattainable, white hippie thing. I want to take the whiteness out of veganism, because it’s really for everyone.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Working with organizations like the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://@foodempowermentproject\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Food Empowerment Project\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Petaluma and coordinating the Vallejo Healthy Food Festival from 2019 to 2021, Hazel has been joyfully marinating in the Bay Area’s diverse vegan community and sharing what she has learned with others. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She might be a self-proclaimed “tree hugger,” but Hazel isn’t overly idealistic about her approach to changing eating habits for those living in her neighborhood. Currently, she is working on a cookbook with her mom that provides alternatives for dishes that are commonly enjoyed in her household, such as black-eyed peas. She is also collaborating with small businesses in the region, including \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.drhops.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Doctor Hop’s Real Hard Kombucha\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/liquifiedjuicery/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liquified Juicery\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eclipsefoods.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eclipse Ice Cream\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nixtafoods/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nixta Pupusas\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to “put on for the underdogs.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For anyone skeptical of veganism’s practicality, The Bizerkeley Vegan has a simple reminder: “Anything you can eat, I can eat vegan.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Catch Erika serving more news about Bay Area vegan culture on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">her website\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, or watch as she \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CYYbER1JBs\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recommends her favorite vegan pizza joint in San Francisco on an episode of KQED’s “Check, Please!”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.visitberkeley.com/events/the-bizerkeley-food-festival-2022/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2022 Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, originally scheduled for July, has been rescheduled until Sunday, Sep. 4. Tickets $15-20, children under age 12 free. 11am–5pm. Sports Basement, 2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1960s, as Berkeley became a hotbed of anti-war and “hippie” countercultural thinking, Oakland was cooking up something with a slightly different flavor: the Black Panther Party, most famous for its revolutionary politics, which also offered a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/2016/2/16/11002842/free-breakfast-schools-black-panthers\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">free breakfast program for local youth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Erika Hazel, a Berkeley-born and Vallejo-raised vegan advocate, is inspired by these traditions when she thinks about food and health awareness in 2022. As a K-12 school therapist in Oakland, adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and vegan food blogger, Hazel—better known as “The Bizerkeley Vegan”—has set out to ensure food and health education remain accessible for those who have systemically been excluded from the conversation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Demystifying veganism is key to our future,” says Hazel, noting that she wasn’t exposed to the vegan lifestyle at all growing up in Vallejo. She initially became interested in veganism for her personal health, noting a history of cancer in her family that she hoped to reduce with a plant-based diet. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Big meat factory farming is bad for our environment. We’re a meat-dependent society and it’s not good for us, especially for folks of color. My school is predominantly Black and Latinx, and seeing what they eat, it’s adding to the bigger equation of unhealthy habits.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hazel’s work is in line with a long legacy of food justice in the Bay Area. Aside from the Black Panther Party’s efforts, the Edible Schoolyard project brought gardening and food justice concepts to Berkeley middle-schoolers in a program that has since been replicated in New York and elsewhere. Nowadays, this lineage has continued with the recent efforts of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://vegnews.com/2021/7/berkeley-first-city-vegan-meals\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">local orgs fighting for Berkeley to become the first city in the country to commit to vegan options\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915892\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915892\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0167.jpg\" alt=\"Erika Hazel, who is the founder of the Bizerkeley Food Festival, stands in front of her festival's banner while smiling\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0167.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0167-160x240.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erika Hazel shines at the first annual Bizerkeley Food Festival she organized in 2021 \u003ccite>(Jeffrey Litman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this light, you can’t dismiss the ongoing journey of a homegrown proponent like Hazel, who shares her love for being vegan beyond her family’s dinner table. For her, the revolution doesn’t begin with what happens in Washington D.C.; it begins with what happens in our bodies, and the foods we choose to eat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since fully committing to veganism in 2016, The Bizerkeley Vegan has been getting to the plant of the matter by sharing her knowledge about vegan lifestyles with the public. Her biggest feat? Organizing the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.visitberkeley.com/events/the-bizerkeley-food-festival-2021/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in 2021—Berkeley’s first and only vegan food festival.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originally slated to debut in May 2020, Hazel was forced to pause her plans until the following year, when she received sponsorship from Berkeley to launch the city’s first-ever vegan fest to a crowd of over 1,000 attendees in the parking lot of Sports Basement. The event featured local vegan vendors, family activities, and educational resources for community members of all ages. Now in its second year, Hazel looks forward to expanding its radius to include more vendors in order to benefit more folks.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the success she’s now seeing wasn’t cooked up overnight—and it wasn’t a solo effort, either, thanks to her family and community members who have “wrapped around (her dietary choices) instead of rejecting (them).”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My dad used to eat Burger King and McDonalds, and now he’s super mindful of meat consumption,” Hazel tells me. “I tell him, do you want to meet your grandchildren? You have to eat right. Illnesses like diabetes often run in families because of certain eating habits. You gotta have something green on your plate. Eat your steak, but eat more plants, too.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the past eight years, she has been volunteering, observing and connecting with vegan restaurants, festivals, and organizations around the country to to create a vegan food festival full of “culinary wizardry.” She owes a lot, she says, to the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.visitvallejo.com/events/upcoming-events/vallejo-healthy-food-fest-1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vallejo Healthy Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as to organizations like the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://@foodempowermentproject\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Food Empowerment Project\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in San Jose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’ve been inspired by the hustlers out here,” she says. “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I first met the Vegan Hood Chefs in their early days when they just had a table at Bay Area pop-ups. Now they have their own food truck, catering business, and are featured on VICE. Seeing them grow, and coming from our communities, that made me appreciate the spirit of hustling that makes our vegan scene so dope.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watching other Black women like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theveganhoodchefs/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vegan Hood Chefs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> gain national recognition through their Southern-style cooking and independent grit and appreciating \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fellow Vallejo entrepreneurs like E-40\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">for his contributions to food culture, her passion now is sharing how the Bay is a world-class destination for any vegan.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915891\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915891 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"a food vendor serves a vegan dish to a customer at the Bizerkeley Food Festival\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/IMG_0168.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporting local vegan businesses like Vegan Heat is a priority for Hazel \u003ccite>(Jeffrey Litman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At holiday events and cook outs, she tests recipes like buffalo cauliflower instead of chicken wings, or adapts Filipino dishes from her neighbors to make vegan sisig. In meat-dependent and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/food-desert-bay-area-deserts-pantry-near-me-alameda-bank/11254529/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">fast food-saturated environments that impact many low-income, East Bay communities\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Hazel is cooking up ways to rethink how everyone can benefit from vegan practices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There are so many ways to be vegan and healthy,” Hazel says. “It’s not an unattainable, white hippie thing. I want to take the whiteness out of veganism, because it’s really for everyone.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Working with organizations like the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://@foodempowermentproject\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Food Empowerment Project\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Petaluma and coordinating the Vallejo Healthy Food Festival from 2019 to 2021, Hazel has been joyfully marinating in the Bay Area’s diverse vegan community and sharing what she has learned with others. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She might be a self-proclaimed “tree hugger,” but Hazel isn’t overly idealistic about her approach to changing eating habits for those living in her neighborhood. Currently, she is working on a cookbook with her mom that provides alternatives for dishes that are commonly enjoyed in her household, such as black-eyed peas. She is also collaborating with small businesses in the region, including \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.drhops.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Doctor Hop’s Real Hard Kombucha\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/liquifiedjuicery/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liquified Juicery\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eclipsefoods.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eclipse Ice Cream\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nixtafoods/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nixta Pupusas\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to “put on for the underdogs.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For anyone skeptical of veganism’s practicality, The Bizerkeley Vegan has a simple reminder: “Anything you can eat, I can eat vegan.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Catch Erika serving more news about Bay Area vegan culture on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">her website\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, or watch as she \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CYYbER1JBs\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recommends her favorite vegan pizza joint in San Francisco on an episode of KQED’s “Check, Please!”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.visitberkeley.com/events/the-bizerkeley-food-festival-2022/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2022 Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, originally scheduled for July, has been rescheduled until Sunday, Sep. 4. Tickets $15-20, children under age 12 free. 11am–5pm. Sports Basement, 2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Searching for Barbacoa: Underground Lessons From the Richmond Flea Market",
"headTitle": "Searching for Barbacoa: Underground Lessons From the Richmond Flea Market | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you cruise to the ends of North Richmond—past the auto body garages, tire junkyards and glass repair shops—you’ll pass a threshold where the residential neighborhood suddenly shifts. In its place, a post-apocalyptic sprawl of industrial patches cram themselves between criss-crossing train tracks and the San Pablo Bay. RV encampments huddle beneath overpasses and the horizon is punctuated by a Chevron refinery spewing smoke into the atmosphere.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To most outsiders, it isn’t a destination point; as a local resident, I’ll admit there isn’t much reason to visit unless you’ve had your window bipped and need a cheap fix. But this outermost section of Contra Costa County is home to one of the largest immigrant Latinx populations in the Bay Area, where an amalgamation of mechanics, construction laborers, business owners, food vendors, elders, students and community workers represent generations of scrappy hustle and grit.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On weekends, it’s where the Richmond Flea Market, or La Pulga, buzzes with merchants and wildly assorted products—second-hand power saws, bootleg Warriors merch, parakeets, knock-off Nikes and vintage cassette players—all sold at bargain prices. At this open-air hub for community gatherings and under-the-table transactions, you can snag a bicycle or stereo system, or both, in the parking lot, before you even enter the official grounds. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And yet there’s more hidden behind all that concrete, steel and backdoor miscellany than meets the eye. This makeshift pueblo’s most enticing draw, which attracts customers from all over Northern California, isn’t what you might expect. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This flea market’s secret sauce? Barbacoa.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In its simplest form, barbacoa is a style of indigenous barbecue derived from pre-Hispanic methods of slow-roasting lamb, goat, cow head, chicken or other proteins inside an earthy pit. Modern methods still retain the essence of the past: An oven is prepared by digging a hole, lining it with bricks and burning wood to heat the “horno” (furnace). The meat is then wrapped in leaves of maguey—a sturdy Mexican cactus—or banana leaves, and steamed with water. The entire setup is designed to funnel run-off juices from the meat that are later served as a delicious consomé. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915660\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915660\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of barbacoa on the bone, with a bowl of consomé on the side.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbacoa with a side of consomé. The pit-roasting process is designed to funnel the juices of the meat in order to make this flavorful broth. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once the oven is covered with steel and dirt, the cooking occurs beneath the soil, slow-burning through the night until a pitmaster skillfully removes it all to be served fresh with \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tortillas. Regional interpretations vary across states like Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Queretaro, and depending on who and where you get your barbacoa from, the accompanying sides might include adobo, garlic, stomach, tripe, onion, chile, salsa or nopales. The commonality is the slow-cook method—and the end result of a juicy, tender, pull-apart meat. Because of its laborious, old world demands, the truest versions of it aren’t easy to find north of the border.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bill Esparza is a Mexican American food writer who has dedicated his massive appetite to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://la.eater.com/22421212/california-barbacoa-mexican-tacos-los-angeles-bay-area-central-coast\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the pursuit of barbacoa across California. \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the phone, he tells me his innermost reflections on the elusive, hard-to-find dish: \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[Barbacoa is] an ongoing thing. In a way, no one really understands the diversity of it. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes in the transnational exchange, people haven’t gone back or even been [to the original regions]. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some people have interpretations but have never been back themselves. There’s a whole process of how they prepare it, too, that gets changed because of legal codes and the challenges our communities have [here in California]. We still don’t really understand regional barbacoa.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In other words, barbacoa is whatever it needs to be for the people and context that produce it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915661\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915661\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Plates of blue corn tortilla tacos stacked on top of each other next to styrofoam containers of consomé.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbacoa tacos on handmade blue corn tortillas paired with big cups of consomé—a classic combination. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a Mexican American myself whose parents aren’t from a barbacoa region, I’ve never been able to fully grasp what constitutes barbacoa. Sure, I’ve eaten it at roadside stands in pueblos during family trips around Mexico. But it’s as multitudinous as the people who prepare it. And the more I studied up on the dish, the clearer it became that the most essential aspect of barbacoa is to actually cook the meat underground as part of a traditional process—and that’s not something you’ll casually find in the Bay.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Bill Esparza\"]“[Barbacoa is] an ongoing thing. In a way, no one really understands the diversity of it.”[/pullquote]In the United States, however, the amount of labor, patience, equipment and expertise required to prepare barbacoa in this way can be difficult to come by—especially here in the Bay Area, a region more known for internet algorithms and self-driving cars than working-class, backyard throwdowns. Finding the right person with the ability and willingness to do it requires a certain dedication and insider knowledge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After days on the hunt, I finally came close.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Family Tradition\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Euphoria doesn’t have a flavor. But if it did, it would taste like slow-cooked barbacoa de borrego, stuffed into the earth’s hot belly and wrapped in maguey stalks to be steamed overnight and devoured at sunrise with an accompaniment of handmade tortillas, pancita and consomé—served by the hands of a pitmaster who oversees each sweat-producing step of the process. I imagine it would tingle with smoke and succulence and a slickened age-old philosophy of indigenous utilitarianism repurposed into the 21st century.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I wouldn’t know about that in California, though. Not exactly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the span of two weeks, I went from restaurant to restaurant, corner to corner, along Richmond’s “El Viente Tres”—23rd Avenue—in search of this specialized, pit-birthed barbacoa. But more often than not, the meal I ate was prepared in a conventional oven or kitchen steamer. It’s easier, quicker and more cost-efficient to ditch the traditional rigors for these modernized methods. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915668\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915668\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A signboard for El Chaparro, a barbacoa stand in the flea market.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign advertising the barbacoa at El Chaparro, one of several barbacoa stands at the flea market. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along this journey, I met Pablo “El Chaparro” Perez, owner of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://el-chaparro-barbacoa-original.negocio.site/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Restaurant El Chaparro\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on 23rd, which serves “barbacoa estilo Hidalgo” each day of the week. Saturdays and Sundays, he also posts up at two of the most frequented food stands inside La Pulga. In the words of a patron at one of his flea market locations, “Chaparro’s barbacoa is my favorite.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although El Chaparro’s Hidalgo-style tacos de barbacoa are flavor-soaked—literally dripping with fatty oils and generous squeezes of lime—they aren’t cooked in the earth, as I’d hoped. As delicious as his kitchen-prepared barbacoa was, it was also yet another reminder of how much of a dying art true backyard barbacoa is.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After searching, I found at least one person at the flea market who’s practicing the old style of barbacoa—a construction worker from Hidalgo named Omar Mejia.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“To make [barbacoa] in a pot is very different,” says Mejia, who runs a barbacoa joint in the same aisle as El Chaparro.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/barbacoa_mejia/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Barbacoa Mejia\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a weekend-exclusive eatery at the Richmond Flea Market—with limited pop-up services privately available. Mejia proudly operates on nearly 70 years of family tradition that can be traced back to his grandfather, father, brothers and cousins in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, where they continue to serve locals their original recipes. In Mejia tradition, barbacoa is an art form, and the paintbrush is a slow-scorching flame.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915663\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915663\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Alondra Montaño and Omar Mejia pose for a portrait in front of their barbacoa stand.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alondra Montaño and Omar Mejia run the Barbacoa Mejia stand at the Richmond flea market every weekend. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After talking to Mejia, I finally understood why many people consider barbacoa to be the true root of barbecue as we know it in the United States today. In fact, the word “barbecue” itself originates from native Taínos (now Puerto Rico) word, though “barbacoa” initially did not refer to roasting meats over a fire. Instead, the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-46887091#:~:text=En%20ta%C3%ADno%2C%20%22barbacoa%22%20se,ser%20alcanzada%20por%20los%20animales.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">barbacoa itself was a contraption developed to suspend meat above ground\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, out of reach from other carnivores. Eventually, with the arrival of the Spanish and the colonization of more groups, the vocabulary was applied to cooking methods used by other indigenous people, such as the Aztecs, and evolved into its contemporary state. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since then, barbacoa has transformed across time and locations as a lifeblood for many. Over centuries, it has slow-wandered over boundaries on the backs of immigrants who’ve traversed la frontera to pursue higher-paying careers in an ever-expanding global economy—while still yearning for the nostalgia of their past. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The way Mejia practices it, you can see the direct lineage of barbecue’s everlasting tradition of “pitmasters”: Long before there were \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915489/gstacks-smokers-barbecue-welder-american-made\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">elaborate smokers to prepare smackin’ ribs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, there was barbacoa simmering inside literal pits.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915659\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915659\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of barbacoa, white on one side, red on the other, on a rainbow striped tablecloth.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbacoa Mejia’s red and white barbacoa can both be purchased by the pound. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[Eating barbacoa steamed in a pot] is like eating a steak from a pan rather than an outdoor grill with coals. You lose that smokiness,” he says about substitute versions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a sleepy American Canyon suburb, Mejia has converted a sliver of his backyard into a living memory of—and tribute to—his faraway home in Tulancingo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There, he serves his family’s pancita blanca (cleaned-out tripe with onion, garlic and chile piquin) plus consomé (a bone-in lamb broth with rice, garbanzo and spices) to go with the showstopping pit-roasted lamb (and on occasion or by request \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://la.eater.com/22536605/ximbo-chicken-barbacoa-hidalgo-style-east-bay-sf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">an even rarer version of barbacoa known as ximbó\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which uses whole chickens). \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“Long before there were elaborate smokers to prepare smackin’ ribs, there was barbacoa simmering inside literal pits.”[/pullquote]Mejia prepares everything himself, or with the extra hands of his family—a college-aged son and daughter—just as he was taught as a young adult by his elders. It’s a lineage he hopes to carry forward, despite being 2,243 miles from Hidalgo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He starts by preparing the pit one night in advance, stoking the flames for up to six hours before layering meat, maguey and a cluster\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">of seasoned ingredients that are carefully positioned to drip into a flavorful consomé. It’s a labor of love—and one that can sometimes yield poor results if mishandled.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can undercook the meat,” he tells me. “It doesn’t matter if you leave it there for three or more consecutive days and nights. If you aren’t heating it properly, it will remain raw in the middle.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915666\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915666\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Barbacoa Mejia, señoras make blue corn tortillas by hand a few feet from families celebrating over all varieties of plates. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With over 15 years of experience preparing pit-style barbacoa in the United States (and a lifetime of exposure as a family apprentice in Mexico), Mejia doesn’t worry about undercooking his lamb anymore. But it’s still a demanding, days-long task, especially for a man who works at construction sites in the morning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a typical day, he gets up before 7 am to check on his cooking. Once it looks and smells finished to his liking, he pulls it out to be served or packaged for immediate delivery. Every order starts from scratch, requiring at least a week’s advance notice to gather everything needed. Though slow to prepare, the finished product moves fast from hand to mouth to gut.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’s a freshness you can taste in the flavor,” says Mejia. “Nothing is frozen. It’s all handled by us, directly from our ranch. We do everything ourselves. It’s a family labor.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is where I’ll admit my biggest failure, dear reader: I was never able to see or experience the full process with Mejia. Our schedules never synced, and by the time he was ready to host me, I was boarding a plane to Mexico to visit my own family below the border. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Missing out on this Mejia family tradition makes me want to dig my own pit and crawl inside of it. And when I emerge, I hope I’ll appreciate what barbacoa is truly all about.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915667\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915667\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"People walk past a flea market taco stand.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of Barbacoa Mejia’s setup in the Richmond flea market, which buzzes with merchants and wildly assorted products each weekend. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Paradise Awaits\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thankfully, the flea market was my saving grace, a sanctuary where I could get blessed by the holy taste of barbacoa. As Esparza wrote in his account of his epic quest across California, “Richmond’s La Pulga is a barbacoa lover’s dream.” Though none of it is prepared by pit-roast, in part due to coding regulations, there are comparable variations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915581,arts_13915387,arts_13915312' label='More BBQ']As part of his weekend menu, Mejia prepares the meats in a custom-made brick and clay oven that mimics the earth-buried flavor without the time-consuming labor of digging an actual hole in the earth. It’s a method that saves him time during his busiest days, while still allowing him to produce the quantity (and quality) of dishes needed for his high-demand business.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I ate a few barbacoa tacos at his DIY bistro. It’s a worthwhile experience in itself: You’ll see señoras making blue corn tortillas by hand a few feet from where you dine while families celebrate over all varieties of plates. Other patrons simply line up to order pounds of barbacoa for the road. And you certainly can’t miss the deliciously aromatic consomé.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Besides Mejia and El Chaparro, there are more barbacoa stands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/tacosytortas.carlos\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tacos Y Tortas Carlos\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The popularity of each vendor is a testament to this veritable barbacoa belt that has taken root at the Richmond-based market.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915662\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915662\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A diner in an Oakland A's jersey sits in front of a spread of blue corn tortilla tacos and all of their accompaniments, including a plate of onions, lime and cilantro.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A diner sits down to a plate of tacos at Barbacoa Mejia. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I got the legit meat sweats after that barbacoa trip,” Esparza, the Los Angeles-based food journalist, says of his own visit to the flea market. “I was shivering, sweating. That was from all the meat we ate.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If a barbacoa expert who uses his literal gut to survey the many profiles of barbacoa is calling the Richmond Flea Market one of the most formidable barbacoa epicenters in all of America, I believe him. More importantly, his words are reflected by the many locals who return each week, in many cases buying pounds of barbacoa to take home with them. For these folks, it’s the closest connection they have to the culinary traditions, flavors and memories of a faraway home. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If that’s not the highest form of barbecue’s sustenance, what is?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Alan Chazaro is a food reporter at KQED. He’s the author of three poetry collections and currently adjuncts at the University of San Francisco. He’s a fan of bichons frises, the Golden State Warriors and BB-8 in Star Wars.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "As it turns out, traditional pit-roasted barbacoa that's actually cooked inside the earth is not that easy to find.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>f you cruise to the ends of North Richmond—past the auto body garages, tire junkyards and glass repair shops—you’ll pass a threshold where the residential neighborhood suddenly shifts. In its place, a post-apocalyptic sprawl of industrial patches cram themselves between criss-crossing train tracks and the San Pablo Bay. RV encampments huddle beneath overpasses and the horizon is punctuated by a Chevron refinery spewing smoke into the atmosphere.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To most outsiders, it isn’t a destination point; as a local resident, I’ll admit there isn’t much reason to visit unless you’ve had your window bipped and need a cheap fix. But this outermost section of Contra Costa County is home to one of the largest immigrant Latinx populations in the Bay Area, where an amalgamation of mechanics, construction laborers, business owners, food vendors, elders, students and community workers represent generations of scrappy hustle and grit.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On weekends, it’s where the Richmond Flea Market, or La Pulga, buzzes with merchants and wildly assorted products—second-hand power saws, bootleg Warriors merch, parakeets, knock-off Nikes and vintage cassette players—all sold at bargain prices. At this open-air hub for community gatherings and under-the-table transactions, you can snag a bicycle or stereo system, or both, in the parking lot, before you even enter the official grounds. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And yet there’s more hidden behind all that concrete, steel and backdoor miscellany than meets the eye. This makeshift pueblo’s most enticing draw, which attracts customers from all over Northern California, isn’t what you might expect. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This flea market’s secret sauce? Barbacoa.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In its simplest form, barbacoa is a style of indigenous barbecue derived from pre-Hispanic methods of slow-roasting lamb, goat, cow head, chicken or other proteins inside an earthy pit. Modern methods still retain the essence of the past: An oven is prepared by digging a hole, lining it with bricks and burning wood to heat the “horno” (furnace). The meat is then wrapped in leaves of maguey—a sturdy Mexican cactus—or banana leaves, and steamed with water. The entire setup is designed to funnel run-off juices from the meat that are later served as a delicious consomé. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915660\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915660\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of barbacoa on the bone, with a bowl of consomé on the side.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56954_007_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbacoa with a side of consomé. The pit-roasting process is designed to funnel the juices of the meat in order to make this flavorful broth. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once the oven is covered with steel and dirt, the cooking occurs beneath the soil, slow-burning through the night until a pitmaster skillfully removes it all to be served fresh with \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tortillas. Regional interpretations vary across states like Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Queretaro, and depending on who and where you get your barbacoa from, the accompanying sides might include adobo, garlic, stomach, tripe, onion, chile, salsa or nopales. The commonality is the slow-cook method—and the end result of a juicy, tender, pull-apart meat. Because of its laborious, old world demands, the truest versions of it aren’t easy to find north of the border.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bill Esparza is a Mexican American food writer who has dedicated his massive appetite to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://la.eater.com/22421212/california-barbacoa-mexican-tacos-los-angeles-bay-area-central-coast\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the pursuit of barbacoa across California. \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the phone, he tells me his innermost reflections on the elusive, hard-to-find dish: \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[Barbacoa is] an ongoing thing. In a way, no one really understands the diversity of it. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes in the transnational exchange, people haven’t gone back or even been [to the original regions]. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some people have interpretations but have never been back themselves. There’s a whole process of how they prepare it, too, that gets changed because of legal codes and the challenges our communities have [here in California]. We still don’t really understand regional barbacoa.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In other words, barbacoa is whatever it needs to be for the people and context that produce it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915661\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915661\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Plates of blue corn tortilla tacos stacked on top of each other next to styrofoam containers of consomé.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56955_011_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbacoa tacos on handmade blue corn tortillas paired with big cups of consomé—a classic combination. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a Mexican American myself whose parents aren’t from a barbacoa region, I’ve never been able to fully grasp what constitutes barbacoa. Sure, I’ve eaten it at roadside stands in pueblos during family trips around Mexico. But it’s as multitudinous as the people who prepare it. And the more I studied up on the dish, the clearer it became that the most essential aspect of barbacoa is to actually cook the meat underground as part of a traditional process—and that’s not something you’ll casually find in the Bay.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the United States, however, the amount of labor, patience, equipment and expertise required to prepare barbacoa in this way can be difficult to come by—especially here in the Bay Area, a region more known for internet algorithms and self-driving cars than working-class, backyard throwdowns. Finding the right person with the ability and willingness to do it requires a certain dedication and insider knowledge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After days on the hunt, I finally came close.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Family Tradition\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Euphoria doesn’t have a flavor. But if it did, it would taste like slow-cooked barbacoa de borrego, stuffed into the earth’s hot belly and wrapped in maguey stalks to be steamed overnight and devoured at sunrise with an accompaniment of handmade tortillas, pancita and consomé—served by the hands of a pitmaster who oversees each sweat-producing step of the process. I imagine it would tingle with smoke and succulence and a slickened age-old philosophy of indigenous utilitarianism repurposed into the 21st century.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I wouldn’t know about that in California, though. Not exactly.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the span of two weeks, I went from restaurant to restaurant, corner to corner, along Richmond’s “El Viente Tres”—23rd Avenue—in search of this specialized, pit-birthed barbacoa. But more often than not, the meal I ate was prepared in a conventional oven or kitchen steamer. It’s easier, quicker and more cost-efficient to ditch the traditional rigors for these modernized methods. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915668\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915668\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A signboard for El Chaparro, a barbacoa stand in the flea market.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56976_031_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign advertising the barbacoa at El Chaparro, one of several barbacoa stands at the flea market. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along this journey, I met Pablo “El Chaparro” Perez, owner of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://el-chaparro-barbacoa-original.negocio.site/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Restaurant El Chaparro\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on 23rd, which serves “barbacoa estilo Hidalgo” each day of the week. Saturdays and Sundays, he also posts up at two of the most frequented food stands inside La Pulga. In the words of a patron at one of his flea market locations, “Chaparro’s barbacoa is my favorite.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although El Chaparro’s Hidalgo-style tacos de barbacoa are flavor-soaked—literally dripping with fatty oils and generous squeezes of lime—they aren’t cooked in the earth, as I’d hoped. As delicious as his kitchen-prepared barbacoa was, it was also yet another reminder of how much of a dying art true backyard barbacoa is.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After searching, I found at least one person at the flea market who’s practicing the old style of barbacoa—a construction worker from Hidalgo named Omar Mejia.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“To make [barbacoa] in a pot is very different,” says Mejia, who runs a barbacoa joint in the same aisle as El Chaparro.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/barbacoa_mejia/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Barbacoa Mejia\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a weekend-exclusive eatery at the Richmond Flea Market—with limited pop-up services privately available. Mejia proudly operates on nearly 70 years of family tradition that can be traced back to his grandfather, father, brothers and cousins in Tulancingo, Hidalgo, where they continue to serve locals their original recipes. In Mejia tradition, barbacoa is an art form, and the paintbrush is a slow-scorching flame.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915663\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915663\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Alondra Montaño and Omar Mejia pose for a portrait in front of their barbacoa stand.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56961_015_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alondra Montaño and Omar Mejia run the Barbacoa Mejia stand at the Richmond flea market every weekend. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After talking to Mejia, I finally understood why many people consider barbacoa to be the true root of barbecue as we know it in the United States today. In fact, the word “barbecue” itself originates from native Taínos (now Puerto Rico) word, though “barbacoa” initially did not refer to roasting meats over a fire. Instead, the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-46887091#:~:text=En%20ta%C3%ADno%2C%20%22barbacoa%22%20se,ser%20alcanzada%20por%20los%20animales.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">barbacoa itself was a contraption developed to suspend meat above ground\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, out of reach from other carnivores. Eventually, with the arrival of the Spanish and the colonization of more groups, the vocabulary was applied to cooking methods used by other indigenous people, such as the Aztecs, and evolved into its contemporary state. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since then, barbacoa has transformed across time and locations as a lifeblood for many. Over centuries, it has slow-wandered over boundaries on the backs of immigrants who’ve traversed la frontera to pursue higher-paying careers in an ever-expanding global economy—while still yearning for the nostalgia of their past. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The way Mejia practices it, you can see the direct lineage of barbecue’s everlasting tradition of “pitmasters”: Long before there were \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915489/gstacks-smokers-barbecue-welder-american-made\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">elaborate smokers to prepare smackin’ ribs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, there was barbacoa simmering inside literal pits.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915659\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915659\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of barbacoa, white on one side, red on the other, on a rainbow striped tablecloth.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56948_003_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbacoa Mejia’s red and white barbacoa can both be purchased by the pound. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[Eating barbacoa steamed in a pot] is like eating a steak from a pan rather than an outdoor grill with coals. You lose that smokiness,” he says about substitute versions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a sleepy American Canyon suburb, Mejia has converted a sliver of his backyard into a living memory of—and tribute to—his faraway home in Tulancingo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There, he serves his family’s pancita blanca (cleaned-out tripe with onion, garlic and chile piquin) plus consomé (a bone-in lamb broth with rice, garbanzo and spices) to go with the showstopping pit-roasted lamb (and on occasion or by request \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://la.eater.com/22536605/ximbo-chicken-barbacoa-hidalgo-style-east-bay-sf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">an even rarer version of barbacoa known as ximbó\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which uses whole chickens). \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“Long before there were elaborate smokers to prepare smackin’ ribs, there was barbacoa simmering inside literal pits.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mejia prepares everything himself, or with the extra hands of his family—a college-aged son and daughter—just as he was taught as a young adult by his elders. It’s a lineage he hopes to carry forward, despite being 2,243 miles from Hidalgo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He starts by preparing the pit one night in advance, stoking the flames for up to six hours before layering meat, maguey and a cluster\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">of seasoned ingredients that are carefully positioned to drip into a flavorful consomé. It’s a labor of love—and one that can sometimes yield poor results if mishandled.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can undercook the meat,” he tells me. “It doesn’t matter if you leave it there for three or more consecutive days and nights. If you aren’t heating it properly, it will remain raw in the middle.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915666\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915666\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56972_027_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Barbacoa Mejia, señoras make blue corn tortillas by hand a few feet from families celebrating over all varieties of plates. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With over 15 years of experience preparing pit-style barbacoa in the United States (and a lifetime of exposure as a family apprentice in Mexico), Mejia doesn’t worry about undercooking his lamb anymore. But it’s still a demanding, days-long task, especially for a man who works at construction sites in the morning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a typical day, he gets up before 7 am to check on his cooking. Once it looks and smells finished to his liking, he pulls it out to be served or packaged for immediate delivery. Every order starts from scratch, requiring at least a week’s advance notice to gather everything needed. Though slow to prepare, the finished product moves fast from hand to mouth to gut.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’s a freshness you can taste in the flavor,” says Mejia. “Nothing is frozen. It’s all handled by us, directly from our ranch. We do everything ourselves. It’s a family labor.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is where I’ll admit my biggest failure, dear reader: I was never able to see or experience the full process with Mejia. Our schedules never synced, and by the time he was ready to host me, I was boarding a plane to Mexico to visit my own family below the border. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Missing out on this Mejia family tradition makes me want to dig my own pit and crawl inside of it. And when I emerge, I hope I’ll appreciate what barbacoa is truly all about.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915667\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915667\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"People walk past a flea market taco stand.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56973_028_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of Barbacoa Mejia’s setup in the Richmond flea market, which buzzes with merchants and wildly assorted products each weekend. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Paradise Awaits\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thankfully, the flea market was my saving grace, a sanctuary where I could get blessed by the holy taste of barbacoa. As Esparza wrote in his account of his epic quest across California, “Richmond’s La Pulga is a barbacoa lover’s dream.” Though none of it is prepared by pit-roast, in part due to coding regulations, there are comparable variations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>As part of his weekend menu, Mejia prepares the meats in a custom-made brick and clay oven that mimics the earth-buried flavor without the time-consuming labor of digging an actual hole in the earth. It’s a method that saves him time during his busiest days, while still allowing him to produce the quantity (and quality) of dishes needed for his high-demand business.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I ate a few barbacoa tacos at his DIY bistro. It’s a worthwhile experience in itself: You’ll see señoras making blue corn tortillas by hand a few feet from where you dine while families celebrate over all varieties of plates. Other patrons simply line up to order pounds of barbacoa for the road. And you certainly can’t miss the deliciously aromatic consomé.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Besides Mejia and El Chaparro, there are more barbacoa stands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/tacosytortas.carlos\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tacos Y Tortas Carlos\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The popularity of each vendor is a testament to this veritable barbacoa belt that has taken root at the Richmond-based market.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915662\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915662\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A diner in an Oakland A's jersey sits in front of a spread of blue corn tortilla tacos and all of their accompaniments, including a plate of onions, lime and cilantro.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/RS56957_012_KQEDArts_RichmondBarbacoa_06262022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A diner sits down to a plate of tacos at Barbacoa Mejia. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I got the legit meat sweats after that barbacoa trip,” Esparza, the Los Angeles-based food journalist, says of his own visit to the flea market. “I was shivering, sweating. That was from all the meat we ate.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If a barbacoa expert who uses his literal gut to survey the many profiles of barbacoa is calling the Richmond Flea Market one of the most formidable barbacoa epicenters in all of America, I believe him. More importantly, his words are reflected by the many locals who return each week, in many cases buying pounds of barbacoa to take home with them. For these folks, it’s the closest connection they have to the culinary traditions, flavors and memories of a faraway home. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If that’s not the highest form of barbecue’s sustenance, what is?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Alan Chazaro is a food reporter at KQED. He’s the author of three poetry collections and currently adjuncts at the University of San Francisco. He’s a fan of bichons frises, the Golden State Warriors and BB-8 in Star Wars.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "For Filipino Americans, Lechon Is at the Heart of Every Party",
"headTitle": "For Filipino Americans, Lechon Is at the Heart of Every Party | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here’s a fiesta happening at the Winslow Center in Concord to celebrate a young bio science major’s graduation from UC Irvine. Upstairs, in the decorated banquet hall, Marilu Pho welcomes guests to her daughter Taylor’s graduation party while Polynesian dancers hurriedly get dressed before their performance begins. “Sorry, the boba people aren’t here yet,” Pho apologizes, detailing all the food she ordered. In addition to the boba station, there’s also a taco bar and a company on hand to make Filipino-style paella. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the star of the spread—and of any Filipino party—is the crackly, golden-skinned roast pig known as lechon. Spanish colonizers in the 1600s chose that name to describe the suckling pigs they saw native Filipinos slowly roasting whole over coals. But people in the Philippines have been serving some version of lechon to mark special occasions since well before that, starting when their Austronesian ancestors settled in the islands and brought domesticated pigs and other animals. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For their daughter’s graduation party, the Pho family has ordered their lechon from Concord’s Oriental Food Market, a Filipino grocer and catering company, whose owners cooked the 60-pound pig in an industrial-sized roaster just a few hours before the party. It makes for a beautiful centerpiece: perfectly golden-brown skin on all sides, steaming in places where the meat is falling away from the bone, from its snout and perma-grin to the end of its piggy tail.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With large gatherings suspended for more than two years because of COVID-19, this particular pig seems even more celebratory than usual. I ask Marilu, “Why the lechon?” After all, the rest of the party’s multicultural spread is as modern as it is diverse. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She says simply, “Because it’s tradition, you know?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Filipino Americans like me, lechon isn’t only a tradition passed down by our parents and grandparents; it’s also a point of pride. I come from a region in the Philippines called Pampanga, which the late chef Anthony Bourdain praised for having the best food in the entire country. “Pampanga first, Philippines second?” he asked his host the first time his show \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No Reservations\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> filmed an episode in Manila. In other words, we Kampampangans know our food. But for Filipinos, our love of lechon transcends even regional loyalties. Like it did with our ancestors, this allegiance traveled with us to America to remind us of home, no matter how far we actually were from our loved ones. There is no fiesta worth having without our lechon—it’s our national dish, alongside adobo and lumpia.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915594\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915594\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The head of roast pig, still attached, next to a tray that holds the pig's crispy skin.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The lechon is ready to be served. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In that same episode of \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No Reservations\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Bourdain travels to Cebu—the birthplace of lechon—and declares it “the best pig ever,” thus cementing his legacy as the Philippines’ favorite American chef. It meant something for him to say that: Bourdain had traveled the world 10 times over; he’d eaten the most delicious things in the most iconic food cities. But he’d decided that lechon was the best. And of course, he was right.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Taste of Childhood\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Back to the party: It’s Ed Pho’s first time breaking down the lechon, but he’s done his research. Everyone stands around to watch him pull one whole side of the crunchy skin away from the succulent meat, which is still hot from being taken off the spit less than an hour before. For early-arriving guests, it’s a rare opportunity to see this process; usually, the pig seems to just arrive already divided and ready to eat. While he works at the pig with a pair of big kitchen shears, Ed regales us with his knowledge of lechon. His ethnic background is Vietnamese, but he married into Marilu’s big Filipino family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“In Cebu, they stuff it with lots of herbs and lemongrass,” he says, “but this one is done Manila-style.” The Manila style relies less on stuffing the pig with tamarind and lemongrass and more on classic preparation: garlic salt, bay leaves, fresh-cracked pepper. But it’s all about the lechon sauce. As he nears the bottom of the pig, he pulls off a tender morsel for me to taste. “This is the best part,” he says excitedly, gesturing toward the plates for me to do the honors of the first official bite. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915593\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915593\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Man cuts a piece of meat from a whole roast pig while a woman wearing a face mask watches.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ed Pho, right, serves lechon to the author. Pho ordered the lechon from Oriental Food Market for his daughter’s college graduation celebration. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I take the piece in reverence and spoon over some homemade lechon sauce—a sweet, liver-based gravy that Oriental Food Market chef Alex Gaerlan had sent along with the pig. I sandwich the meat between two pieces of crackling and take a loud, obnoxiously crispy bite.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It tastes like childhood to me. When I was a kid, a whole lechon was reserved only for weddings and golden anniversaries. I remember being eye-level to many of these lechons at family parties, macabrely willing myself into a staring contest while I wondered whose family dog would get to enjoy an ear, maybe even a leftover hind quarter. And as a Philippine-born, American-raised citizen, as I got older, I started to realize that the tradition of serving lechon at family parties seemed to be happening less and less often. Maybe it’s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914750/inay-dalisay-world-famous-lechon-vegan-filipino-play-bindlestiff\">health-consciousness of Filipino Americans\u003c/a> who are adopting more plant-based diets, or the fact that we no longer live barangay-style, in clans of large extended families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“We are Filipinos. We roast and eat pig. This Is What We Do.”[/pullquote]The last lechon I remember eating was one I chose myself in the backyard of my grandparents’ home in Concepcion, Tarlac, when I was 15 years old. I chose the fattest of two pigs in the sty and sprayed it off with the hose. The next morning, I was awakened by the squealing pig being taken to the slaughter. When it returned a few hours later in the bottom of my cousin’s tricycle, it was already flayed and ready to be roasted. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When that lechon was presented at the fiesta for my Lolo and Lola’s 50th anniversary, the guilt of swine assassination made way to furtive acceptance: We are Filipinos. We roast and eat pig. This Is What We Do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sari-Sari Store\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where, then, do Bay Area Filipino Americans go when they need a whole pig for a party? In the Concord area, the answer is clear: Oriental Food Market. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A few hours before the Pho family’s graduation fiesta, co-owner Sherrie Gaerlan welcomes patrons to the shop while keeping an eye on her husband Alex as he roasts the lechon in the back. The front of the store is Sherrie’s domain. It’s where she sells small tubs of garlic peanuts, rents out Filipino DVDs and even helps customers purchase the “cheapest air fares to Philippines,” according to the yellow sign emblazoned over the front window. There are two clocks on the wall showing the time difference between the Philippines and California and a stack of business cards with both her and her husband’s names on the front. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915595\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915595\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Woman stands behind the counter of a small Filipino grocery store.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From behind the front counter of Concord’s Oriental Food Market, co-owner Sherrie Gaerlan rents out Filipino DVDs, arranges air travel and occasionally even plays matchmaker for customers. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was my idea to buy this business,” Gaerlan says, recalling her decision to take over the grocery store that had served Concord’s Fil-Am community since 1983. She remembers eying the gem of a location on her way to work as a subrogation specialist at the car insurance company AAA down the street. Eventually, Alex also left his job as a contractor for FedEx and began cooking in the back to help out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Sherrie, the persistence required for her position as a subrogation specialist—to go after at-fault drivers’ insurance companies to recoup costs for accident victims—gave her the resolve to eventually take over Oriental Food Market. “If I put this same amount of work in my own business,” she remembers thinking back then, “I may be able to go somewhere, so that’s what encouraged me to look for a business to run.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“When we took the business over, Oriental Food Market, they kept the name. I was never really a fan of that name,” the Gaerlans’ eldest child, Graham, says, laughing. “It’s been around, it was a staple in the community for a long time. It was really all over the place. But they figured it out.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the family immigrated from the Philippines in 1991, Graham remembers being home after school with his younger sister and waiting all day for his parents to come home. Still, he grappled with why his mom would purchase such a fixer-upper of a business during his senior year of high school. “I didn’t really understand the passion for starting a business that had so many different avenues. You’re talking about a sari-sari store,” he says, using the Tagalog term for a neighborhood convenience store. “It can also be catering and cooked food.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915592\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915592\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Exterior facade of Oriental Food Market, with signs in the window advertising lumpia and cheap airfare to the Philippines.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oriental Food Market has been a touchpoint for Filipino Americans in the Concord area since 1983. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Judging from the wide array of services Sherrie offers at the front of the store, OFM still provides a touchpoint for many Filipinos longing for home. Graham, who credits his own work ethic to watching his parents grind, likens their boldness and “entrepreneur spirit” to the sacrificial decisions many immigrants make leaving their motherland. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“When we were in the Philippines, my mom would often tell me that when she was pregnant with me, she would go around and sell pre-packed sandwiches at the bank she worked at. This is her, 21 years old, hustling. My mom has always been that way.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Competing With Giants\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the end, the roast pigs are what saved the business.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alex lifts the finished lechon out of the industrial roaster he bought over a decade ago. He rests the pig inside of three coconut milk boxes lined with banana leaves. This particular specimen is 10 pounds heavier than most of the pigs he roasts, and he likes it that way. When Alex taught himself how to cook Filipino food and, later, lechon, he looked for a high-quality supplier that took care of the animals from feed to slaughter. He found it in Oakland-based company \u003ca href=\"http://pacagri.com/\">PacAgri Foods\u003c/a>. He wanted to rid the Filipino catering world of skinny tableside lechons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915588\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915588\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A whole roast pig, its skin golden-brown, still mounted on a spit-roaster.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A few hours before the start of the Pho family’s party, the lechon had just finished roasting at Oriental Food Market. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was this passion for quality that allowed OFM to survive in the catering world, where Alex took the basics he learned growing up in the Philippines and applied it to their new venture. “My mom is from Pampanga but she grew up in Manila already. Usually Kapampangans, they love to cook, right? You know, my mom doesn’t know how to cook.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, Alex’s self-taught repertoire was good enough to compete with the “giants” who moved into Concord in 2009: Seafood City and Ranch 99. These large-chain Asian mega-supermarkets swallowed up nearly every Filipino and small Asian grocer in the area. Back then, Sherrie \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2009/09/11/small-asian-groceries-face-new-competition-in-chains/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hadn’t yet figured out what might save her business\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, with the “giants” not just competing with their vast inventory and cheaper prices, but also poaching customers who wanted the other services that OFM provided, like passport renewal and sending remittances home. Sherrie and Alex didn’t know it then, but the lechon catering services that they introduced around that time were what would keep their little store going for another decade plus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s that same adaptability and ingenuity that has sustained the market through a tragic two years of COVID-related business closures in the restaurant industry. “The catering stopped, because no one wants to do any other parties because of COVID,” Sherrie explains. “But what made us survive was all these apps: DoorDash, UberEats and Postmates. We never closed.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915591\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915591\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Man cuts a piece of pork belly lechon from behind the counter of the grocer's steam table display.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lechon is also one of the turo turo steam table offerings at Oriental Food Market. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even as many of their neighbors were forced to close their doors, she recalls, the steady stream of online orders kept Oriental Food Market afloat: “So I told my husband, ‘See how the Good Lord helped us? When one door closes, three doors open.’ I’m almost crying now, to remember those times, ‘cause it’s not easy, you know?” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915312,arts_13915387,arts_13915489' label='More BBQ']For now, even as the Filipino parties have started up again, Alex can only handle two orders of lechon a weekend. He’s having trouble finding help, like every restaurant has after the pandemic. But his lechon business is still known for being the best in the area. For now, it’s also one of the only fully operational sites that’s still roasting whole pigs. While Sherrie used to do all of the cooking at home, now she won’t even step into the back kitchen—Alex’s domain—because knowing their roles well is what helped this mom-and-pop survive two decades.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Even when he cooks sinigang\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he puts good gulay,” Sherrie says of her husband’s kitchen skills. “It’s not like nalanta, or already old. He doesn’t want to compromise on the ingredients because he said, ‘I can be a good cook, but it may not turn out good if I put not-so-good ingredients.’” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915586\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915586\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Husband and wife stand behind the front counter of their small Filipino grocer and takeout shop.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owners Alex and Sherrie Gaerlan stand at the front counter of Oriental Food Market. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can still find Sherrie in her domain—the front of the shop—as she focuses on her clientele that she’s remained close with. She knows that with Seafood City and Ranch 99, the employees just work there. They don’t really care about each and every customer that walks in the door. “I used to be a matchmaker here, I used to be ‘Sister Sherrie’ ’cause people would come and just pour their hearts out. Where can you get that? That a person would trust their innermost problems, and then tell you and then get their worries [out], and you provide them your advice. But that’s just me,” she laughs. “That’s how I do business, the personal touch. There’s a story behind each bite.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All the Gusto\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Back at the graduation party, the lechon tasting gives way to more offerings of food and drink—more ways for the host to show they care about their guests like a true Filipino. Though the food is a bridge back home for many of us balikbayans, it’s the sincere hospitality and warmth for everyone at the party that makes us family, even if we are not. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Have you eaten yet?” the elders ask, and you must always pretend you have not. No matter how full you are, how stuffed to the brim with party food you become, you must not turn down a piece of the prized lechon because you never know when a party like this will come again—if we are even allowed to gather like this again. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So you take a plate, you take a bite, and you savor it the way it’s meant to be appreciated—with panache and all the gusto of your ancestors’ spirit. Just don’t forget the sauce.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915597\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915597\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Filipino lechon with the meat and skin removed; the head is still attached and intact.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The lechon is all carved and ready to eat. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rockyrivera.com/\">Rocky Rivera\u003c/a> is a journalist, emcee, author and activist from San Francisco. She has four musical projects out, three of those with her label Beatrock Music. She released her first book last year, entitled \u003c/em>Snakeskin: Essays by Rocky Rivera\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "For Concord's Oriental Food Market, the whole roast pigs are a matter of tradition. They also may have saved the business.",
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"title": "For Filipino Americans, Lechon Is at the Heart of Every Party | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>here’s a fiesta happening at the Winslow Center in Concord to celebrate a young bio science major’s graduation from UC Irvine. Upstairs, in the decorated banquet hall, Marilu Pho welcomes guests to her daughter Taylor’s graduation party while Polynesian dancers hurriedly get dressed before their performance begins. “Sorry, the boba people aren’t here yet,” Pho apologizes, detailing all the food she ordered. In addition to the boba station, there’s also a taco bar and a company on hand to make Filipino-style paella. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the star of the spread—and of any Filipino party—is the crackly, golden-skinned roast pig known as lechon. Spanish colonizers in the 1600s chose that name to describe the suckling pigs they saw native Filipinos slowly roasting whole over coals. But people in the Philippines have been serving some version of lechon to mark special occasions since well before that, starting when their Austronesian ancestors settled in the islands and brought domesticated pigs and other animals. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For their daughter’s graduation party, the Pho family has ordered their lechon from Concord’s Oriental Food Market, a Filipino grocer and catering company, whose owners cooked the 60-pound pig in an industrial-sized roaster just a few hours before the party. It makes for a beautiful centerpiece: perfectly golden-brown skin on all sides, steaming in places where the meat is falling away from the bone, from its snout and perma-grin to the end of its piggy tail.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With large gatherings suspended for more than two years because of COVID-19, this particular pig seems even more celebratory than usual. I ask Marilu, “Why the lechon?” After all, the rest of the party’s multicultural spread is as modern as it is diverse. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She says simply, “Because it’s tradition, you know?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Filipino Americans like me, lechon isn’t only a tradition passed down by our parents and grandparents; it’s also a point of pride. I come from a region in the Philippines called Pampanga, which the late chef Anthony Bourdain praised for having the best food in the entire country. “Pampanga first, Philippines second?” he asked his host the first time his show \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No Reservations\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> filmed an episode in Manila. In other words, we Kampampangans know our food. But for Filipinos, our love of lechon transcends even regional loyalties. Like it did with our ancestors, this allegiance traveled with us to America to remind us of home, no matter how far we actually were from our loved ones. There is no fiesta worth having without our lechon—it’s our national dish, alongside adobo and lumpia.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915594\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915594\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The head of roast pig, still attached, next to a tray that holds the pig's crispy skin.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-24-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The lechon is ready to be served. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In that same episode of \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No Reservations\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Bourdain travels to Cebu—the birthplace of lechon—and declares it “the best pig ever,” thus cementing his legacy as the Philippines’ favorite American chef. It meant something for him to say that: Bourdain had traveled the world 10 times over; he’d eaten the most delicious things in the most iconic food cities. But he’d decided that lechon was the best. And of course, he was right.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Taste of Childhood\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Back to the party: It’s Ed Pho’s first time breaking down the lechon, but he’s done his research. Everyone stands around to watch him pull one whole side of the crunchy skin away from the succulent meat, which is still hot from being taken off the spit less than an hour before. For early-arriving guests, it’s a rare opportunity to see this process; usually, the pig seems to just arrive already divided and ready to eat. While he works at the pig with a pair of big kitchen shears, Ed regales us with his knowledge of lechon. His ethnic background is Vietnamese, but he married into Marilu’s big Filipino family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“In Cebu, they stuff it with lots of herbs and lemongrass,” he says, “but this one is done Manila-style.” The Manila style relies less on stuffing the pig with tamarind and lemongrass and more on classic preparation: garlic salt, bay leaves, fresh-cracked pepper. But it’s all about the lechon sauce. As he nears the bottom of the pig, he pulls off a tender morsel for me to taste. “This is the best part,” he says excitedly, gesturing toward the plates for me to do the honors of the first official bite. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915593\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915593\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Man cuts a piece of meat from a whole roast pig while a woman wearing a face mask watches.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-22-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ed Pho, right, serves lechon to the author. Pho ordered the lechon from Oriental Food Market for his daughter’s college graduation celebration. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I take the piece in reverence and spoon over some homemade lechon sauce—a sweet, liver-based gravy that Oriental Food Market chef Alex Gaerlan had sent along with the pig. I sandwich the meat between two pieces of crackling and take a loud, obnoxiously crispy bite.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It tastes like childhood to me. When I was a kid, a whole lechon was reserved only for weddings and golden anniversaries. I remember being eye-level to many of these lechons at family parties, macabrely willing myself into a staring contest while I wondered whose family dog would get to enjoy an ear, maybe even a leftover hind quarter. And as a Philippine-born, American-raised citizen, as I got older, I started to realize that the tradition of serving lechon at family parties seemed to be happening less and less often. Maybe it’s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13914750/inay-dalisay-world-famous-lechon-vegan-filipino-play-bindlestiff\">health-consciousness of Filipino Americans\u003c/a> who are adopting more plant-based diets, or the fact that we no longer live barangay-style, in clans of large extended families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“We are Filipinos. We roast and eat pig. This Is What We Do.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The last lechon I remember eating was one I chose myself in the backyard of my grandparents’ home in Concepcion, Tarlac, when I was 15 years old. I chose the fattest of two pigs in the sty and sprayed it off with the hose. The next morning, I was awakened by the squealing pig being taken to the slaughter. When it returned a few hours later in the bottom of my cousin’s tricycle, it was already flayed and ready to be roasted. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When that lechon was presented at the fiesta for my Lolo and Lola’s 50th anniversary, the guilt of swine assassination made way to furtive acceptance: We are Filipinos. We roast and eat pig. This Is What We Do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sari-Sari Store\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where, then, do Bay Area Filipino Americans go when they need a whole pig for a party? In the Concord area, the answer is clear: Oriental Food Market. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A few hours before the Pho family’s graduation fiesta, co-owner Sherrie Gaerlan welcomes patrons to the shop while keeping an eye on her husband Alex as he roasts the lechon in the back. The front of the store is Sherrie’s domain. It’s where she sells small tubs of garlic peanuts, rents out Filipino DVDs and even helps customers purchase the “cheapest air fares to Philippines,” according to the yellow sign emblazoned over the front window. There are two clocks on the wall showing the time difference between the Philippines and California and a stack of business cards with both her and her husband’s names on the front. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915595\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915595\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Woman stands behind the counter of a small Filipino grocery store.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-27-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From behind the front counter of Concord’s Oriental Food Market, co-owner Sherrie Gaerlan rents out Filipino DVDs, arranges air travel and occasionally even plays matchmaker for customers. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was my idea to buy this business,” Gaerlan says, recalling her decision to take over the grocery store that had served Concord’s Fil-Am community since 1983. She remembers eying the gem of a location on her way to work as a subrogation specialist at the car insurance company AAA down the street. Eventually, Alex also left his job as a contractor for FedEx and began cooking in the back to help out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Sherrie, the persistence required for her position as a subrogation specialist—to go after at-fault drivers’ insurance companies to recoup costs for accident victims—gave her the resolve to eventually take over Oriental Food Market. “If I put this same amount of work in my own business,” she remembers thinking back then, “I may be able to go somewhere, so that’s what encouraged me to look for a business to run.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“When we took the business over, Oriental Food Market, they kept the name. I was never really a fan of that name,” the Gaerlans’ eldest child, Graham, says, laughing. “It’s been around, it was a staple in the community for a long time. It was really all over the place. But they figured it out.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the family immigrated from the Philippines in 1991, Graham remembers being home after school with his younger sister and waiting all day for his parents to come home. Still, he grappled with why his mom would purchase such a fixer-upper of a business during his senior year of high school. “I didn’t really understand the passion for starting a business that had so many different avenues. You’re talking about a sari-sari store,” he says, using the Tagalog term for a neighborhood convenience store. “It can also be catering and cooked food.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915592\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915592\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Exterior facade of Oriental Food Market, with signs in the window advertising lumpia and cheap airfare to the Philippines.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-19-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oriental Food Market has been a touchpoint for Filipino Americans in the Concord area since 1983. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Judging from the wide array of services Sherrie offers at the front of the store, OFM still provides a touchpoint for many Filipinos longing for home. Graham, who credits his own work ethic to watching his parents grind, likens their boldness and “entrepreneur spirit” to the sacrificial decisions many immigrants make leaving their motherland. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“When we were in the Philippines, my mom would often tell me that when she was pregnant with me, she would go around and sell pre-packed sandwiches at the bank she worked at. This is her, 21 years old, hustling. My mom has always been that way.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Competing With Giants\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the end, the roast pigs are what saved the business.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alex lifts the finished lechon out of the industrial roaster he bought over a decade ago. He rests the pig inside of three coconut milk boxes lined with banana leaves. This particular specimen is 10 pounds heavier than most of the pigs he roasts, and he likes it that way. When Alex taught himself how to cook Filipino food and, later, lechon, he looked for a high-quality supplier that took care of the animals from feed to slaughter. He found it in Oakland-based company \u003ca href=\"http://pacagri.com/\">PacAgri Foods\u003c/a>. He wanted to rid the Filipino catering world of skinny tableside lechons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915588\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915588\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A whole roast pig, its skin golden-brown, still mounted on a spit-roaster.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-7-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A few hours before the start of the Pho family’s party, the lechon had just finished roasting at Oriental Food Market. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was this passion for quality that allowed OFM to survive in the catering world, where Alex took the basics he learned growing up in the Philippines and applied it to their new venture. “My mom is from Pampanga but she grew up in Manila already. Usually Kapampangans, they love to cook, right? You know, my mom doesn’t know how to cook.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, Alex’s self-taught repertoire was good enough to compete with the “giants” who moved into Concord in 2009: Seafood City and Ranch 99. These large-chain Asian mega-supermarkets swallowed up nearly every Filipino and small Asian grocer in the area. Back then, Sherrie \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2009/09/11/small-asian-groceries-face-new-competition-in-chains/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hadn’t yet figured out what might save her business\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, with the “giants” not just competing with their vast inventory and cheaper prices, but also poaching customers who wanted the other services that OFM provided, like passport renewal and sending remittances home. Sherrie and Alex didn’t know it then, but the lechon catering services that they introduced around that time were what would keep their little store going for another decade plus.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s that same adaptability and ingenuity that has sustained the market through a tragic two years of COVID-related business closures in the restaurant industry. “The catering stopped, because no one wants to do any other parties because of COVID,” Sherrie explains. “But what made us survive was all these apps: DoorDash, UberEats and Postmates. We never closed.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915591\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915591\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Man cuts a piece of pork belly lechon from behind the counter of the grocer's steam table display.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-16-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lechon is also one of the turo turo steam table offerings at Oriental Food Market. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even as many of their neighbors were forced to close their doors, she recalls, the steady stream of online orders kept Oriental Food Market afloat: “So I told my husband, ‘See how the Good Lord helped us? When one door closes, three doors open.’ I’m almost crying now, to remember those times, ‘cause it’s not easy, you know?” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For now, even as the Filipino parties have started up again, Alex can only handle two orders of lechon a weekend. He’s having trouble finding help, like every restaurant has after the pandemic. But his lechon business is still known for being the best in the area. For now, it’s also one of the only fully operational sites that’s still roasting whole pigs. While Sherrie used to do all of the cooking at home, now she won’t even step into the back kitchen—Alex’s domain—because knowing their roles well is what helped this mom-and-pop survive two decades.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Even when he cooks sinigang\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he puts good gulay,” Sherrie says of her husband’s kitchen skills. “It’s not like nalanta, or already old. He doesn’t want to compromise on the ingredients because he said, ‘I can be a good cook, but it may not turn out good if I put not-so-good ingredients.’” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915586\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915586\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Husband and wife stand behind the front counter of their small Filipino grocer and takeout shop.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owners Alex and Sherrie Gaerlan stand at the front counter of Oriental Food Market. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can still find Sherrie in her domain—the front of the shop—as she focuses on her clientele that she’s remained close with. She knows that with Seafood City and Ranch 99, the employees just work there. They don’t really care about each and every customer that walks in the door. “I used to be a matchmaker here, I used to be ‘Sister Sherrie’ ’cause people would come and just pour their hearts out. Where can you get that? That a person would trust their innermost problems, and then tell you and then get their worries [out], and you provide them your advice. But that’s just me,” she laughs. “That’s how I do business, the personal touch. There’s a story behind each bite.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All the Gusto\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Back at the graduation party, the lechon tasting gives way to more offerings of food and drink—more ways for the host to show they care about their guests like a true Filipino. Though the food is a bridge back home for many of us balikbayans, it’s the sincere hospitality and warmth for everyone at the party that makes us family, even if we are not. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Have you eaten yet?” the elders ask, and you must always pretend you have not. No matter how full you are, how stuffed to the brim with party food you become, you must not turn down a piece of the prized lechon because you never know when a party like this will come again—if we are even allowed to gather like this again. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So you take a plate, you take a bite, and you savor it the way it’s meant to be appreciated—with panache and all the gusto of your ancestors’ spirit. Just don’t forget the sauce.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915597\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915597\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Filipino lechon with the meat and skin removed; the head is still attached and intact.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KQED-Lechon-06182022-Murakoshi-26-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The lechon is all carved and ready to eat. \u003ccite>(Kristen Murakoshi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rockyrivera.com/\">Rocky Rivera\u003c/a> is a journalist, emcee, author and activist from San Francisco. She has four musical projects out, three of those with her label Beatrock Music. She released her first book last year, entitled \u003c/em>Snakeskin: Essays by Rocky Rivera\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "American Alchemy: The Bay Area Welder Who's Building Smokers and Changing Lives",
"headTitle": "American Alchemy: The Bay Area Welder Who’s Building Smokers and Changing Lives | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he term “American made” brings to mind images of Paul Bunyan types: pickup trucks, sledge hammers, plaid shirts and beer. It’s the idea of Rosie the Riveter—you know, prideful blue collar work to support this country’s wartime efforts. It’s athletes and entertainers like Babe Ruth, Marylin Monroe and Bruce Springtsteen. “American made,” it has a certain \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">brand\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inside a single-story warehouse in the delta town of Suisun City, just 20 miles northeast of Vallejo, there’s a craftsman who makes uniquely refined barbecue grills—or rather, smokers, trailers and pits. He’s serious about his tools, knows all about the quality of his metal, and he’s a physicist when it comes to discussing how airflow and indirect heat impact the taste of ribs. His work has taken him from being down bad to b\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">eing on the up-and-up with some of the top dogs. His name is Garnet Geoffroy, and he’s the owner of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gstackspits.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">GStacks Professional Smokers and Pits\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy, or GStacks, has\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> locs that drape down to his muscular shoulders, black-framed glasses and beat-up, wheat-colored work boots. His hands are grease-stained and rough from years of labor, but still welcoming when exchanging that handshake we both instinctively know as Black men.“What’s up, King?” he says as he greets me.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He, too, is American made.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’m a welder, a fabricator,” says Geoffroy in an unmistakably Bay Area accent. “And I speak life into people.” He’s a constant soul-searcher who holds near and dear his ability to create. And because of his spirituality, he knows that his mission is bigger than barbecue. But right now, he’s using that as his vessel. “In the food industry,” Geoffroy says, “so many of us have this God-given talent of being able to please somebody through food… and that’s priceless.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915537\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915537\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"Man looks up pensively as he works with metal equipment.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">G Stacks works on a custom BBQ smoker at his warehouse in Suisun City on June 16, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before getting to Geoffroy’s larger life goals, though, you’ve got to understand his current success and where it all started. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’ve got units at \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vegan Mob in Oakland, KC’s BBQ in Berkeley, Smokin Woods, Flip N Soul, Ruby Jewels, M.C.M. Kitchen Vallejo,” Geoffroy says, naming well-known eateries as easily as Bubba rattled off the names of different types of shrimp in \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forrest Gump\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Dawgie Dog’s in Vallejo, Pig in a Pickle in Corte Madera, River Rock Casino, Pacific Coast Producers, Local Q 707 in Petaluma—they’re great.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He mentions DJ’s Tri-Tip in Stockton and Tank House BBQ and Bar in Sacramento’s midtown, followed by the names of some of his high profile customers: Marshawn Lynch and E-40. Then he tells the story of working with a well-known rapper and producer from Long Beach.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“When I got the call, I looked at my phone and I was like, ‘Warren Griffin?’ Who’s got Warren G’s name?” Geoffroy jokes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was 2016. Since then Geoffroy has produced eight different smokers for Warren G, a barbecue connoisseur and owner of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sniffingriffinsbbq/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sniffin Griffins BBQ\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “The ninth one is in my shop right now,” he says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915532\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915532\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white barbecue smoker on wheels in an empty lot; a red smoker is behind it.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Custom smokers of various shapes and sizes sit outside GStacks’ warehouse.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I have to say that this is a very incredible unit,” says Warren G \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGt5CSVn-2U\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">in a 2017 video\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where he’s standing next to a custom-made smoker that has a working sound system and a wood-grain steering wheel as a handle. Warren G praises the build out—and the chicken that GStacks cooked in it—noting that he had seen the smoker on Instagram, but that wasn’t enough: “I had to come and witness it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Years before he was making barbecue trailers and smokers for the creator of the West Coast hip-hop subgenre of G-Funk, Geoffroy, who was raised in Vallejo, was in and out of incarceration. Over a span of seven years \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy was locked up,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> first in youth detention and then adult jail. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I didn’t do ‘lost time,’” Geoffroy says sharply. “I got wise. Every time I got locked up, I got into the welding program.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At 18, he was locked up in Fouts Springs Youth Facility. While there, he noticed a pattern: “The white boys would get up early and go to program. The Black boys in there would just kick it all day.” He made his choice to get up early and take classes with the white kids. He made his mistakes at times, like wearing the wrong welding hood– a safety issue that put his eyes in jeopardy, but corrections were made and the losses rapidly became valuable lessons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915535\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"A man kneels on the ground welding something, as blue sparks fly.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A longtime employee at GStacks’ warehouse welds a steel frame for a BBQ smoker. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three years later, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy spent\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> his 21st birthday inside Sacramento’s Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center, where he further refined his welding ability. After he got out, he found his path—but it wasn’t without a few twists and turns.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy spent time in the streets, living the fast life and making money through channels he was familiar with given the environment he was raised in. A series of unfortunate events, including the deaths of a few close friends, led him to the church. That’s where things started to change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through the church he learned about Cypress Mandela Training Center, a vocational training program in West Oakland. He credits that community, specifically the older Black men who taught classes, for his full-blown introduction to the craft of welding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Around 2005 he finished the pre-apprenticeship training program, got certified and became an ironworker. He did structural steel erection, assisting with the creation of bridges, colleges, hospitals and more.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was in the Iron Workers Union for a year and a half before things went awry. “I got run over by a forklift by a drunk foreman on a night job,” says Geoffroy, pulling up his right pant leg to reveal a lengthy scar on his inner calf. “I almost lost my leg.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After surgery and rehabilitation, Geoffroy says, “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">like a dummy I went back to work, because that’s all I knew.” And then, four years later, a second major injury occurred, this time to his back.\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He got workers’ compensation, but the cash wasn’t sustainable, and definitely not worth two lifelong scars. He hit a wall.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915534\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915534\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"A man looks up as he uses a band saw to cut a steel beam.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geoffroy cuts steel beams for the frame of a smoker. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I went fishing for three years, sitting on the Bay in a boat, trying to figure out my next play,” Geoffroy reflects. A father of twin girls, he was also married at the time. His now ex-wife pushed him to find a new job. Geoffroy questioned, “How do I get a job when my body is mangled?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He went back to what he knows best: welding. This time for himself. He started in his garage, making a \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">welding cart to wheel around his materials and fix a neighbor’s boat trailer. Then, he got the idea to make barbecue pits. It was something he’d done as a side gig one time while he was still working in the union, turning a 55-gallon barrel into a grill for a brother who attended his church. He was underpaid for that one, but the seed was planted. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Years later, unemployed, injured and in a financial situation that had his back against the wall, he found some odd pieces—an old jet ski trailer and two water tanks from a seller in Santa Rosa—and made his first barbecue trailer, then posted it on Craigslist. It sold to a woman who smokes turkeys in Pittsburg, and from there the requests started rolling in. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was 2012. Geoffroy started his business and the money was starting to come in. But even as his entrepreneurial endeavors began to grow, he came to the realization that he still had some work to do on himself.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915533\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915533\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plans and measurements for a future smoker. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">During a 2017 trip to Mexico for a cousin’s wedding, he hit rock bottom. Overweight and indulging in alcohol, he says he didn’t eat any food at the resort he was staying in because he had noticed that there was a clowder of cats living in one of the refrigerators the hotel was using. His friends neverminded it, but he couldn’t stomach it. So, he compensated by drinking more. “At that time I was 333 pounds,” says Geoffroy, pointing to pictures of himself from that era. “I had an epiphany that I can’t live like this.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After the trip he implemented portion-controlled diets and cut out alcohol and sugary drinks. Now his only vice is an order of chips and queso from Chipotle. Otherwise, he doesn’t do fast food, but he does do barbecue. And he’s a huge advocate for sea moss.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond controlling his consumption, Geoffroy is ever mindful of how his time is used. Mondays and Thursdays are the only days he allows people to talk to him; otherwise, he’s working. His creations take time. Geoffroy says, “each smoker is different,” as they’re all handmade, often using quarter-inch to eighth-inch steel. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes he and a duo of private contractors work to refurbish old units, remixing the elements that are already in place. He’s built pieces that funnel out the taste of charcoal and others that are completely electric. Some trailers have working water spouts and others have custom embroidery. He says he doesn’t rely on blueprints, but will take a measure of the customer and try to create a unit that speaks to their personality. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Again, Geoffroy stresses the time it takes to create these build outs. “I can’t just blow these things into existence.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]W[/dropcap]arren G’s 1994 track “Do You See” starts with a sample of Gil Scott-Heron’s “Bicentennial Blues.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>But the blues has always been totally American\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As American as apple pie\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As American as the blues\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As American as apple pie\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>The question is why?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Why should the blues be so at home here?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Well, America provided the atmosphere\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scott-Heron recites the lyrics as a synthesizer hums in the background, right before the drums kick. In the song, Warren G goes on to rap about his environment and the ups and downs he and his circle of friends are facing, mentioning his cousin, Snoop Dogg, who was incarcerated at the time. On the final verse, the man who penned “Regulate” says:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Well as time goes past, slowly we try to make it\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>But things are gettin hectic, I just can’t take it\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Should I A: Go back to slangin’ dope?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Or should I B: Maintain and try to cope?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Or should I C: Just get crazy and wild?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>But no I chose D: Create the G-Child\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this country, the ability to create and then recreate yourself, in spite of your environment, is more than just being “American made,” it’s American alchemy—just like barbecue itself is a form of alchemy. And \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> knows that it doesn’t end with him. He’s looking to pay it forward. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Garnet Geoffroy\"]“I come from helping the ones who struggle, the ones who are wounded…I want to reach the sick, not the ones who are healed.”[/pullquote]He says his end goal isn’t to sell barbecue pits to famous people or make the best-tasting ribs on record. He wants to buy a youth facility, where he can introduce young folks to skilled trades, similar to the space where he learned how to weld at the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fouts Springs Youth Facility. He even aims to work with the same population.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The ones whose backs are already up against the wall, that’s who I want to work with,” says Geoffroy in a voice that lets you know he’s been to church a few times. “I come from helping the ones who struggle, the ones who are wounded…I want to reach the sick, not the ones who are healed.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915539\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915539\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt='A man seen through an opening in a a barbecue smoker emblazoned with the website \"GStackspits.com\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">GStacks works on a BBQ smoker outside of his warehouse in Suisun City. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915312,arts_13915387,arts_13915306' label='More BBQ']Beyond teaching craftsmanship, he wants to instill character and morale, and expose people to things they might not see in their immediate environment. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Business-wise, he’s competing with “American made” big names like Weber and Traeger. The latter of the two is based in the U.S. but manufactures its units overseas. “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their box is from America. My product is,” says \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Of course, even the saying “as American as apple pie” is a misnomer—the dessert was created in England. But Geoffroy, a person who had hiccups in American schools and spent time in American jails, has learned to make something out of nothing, the American way. And now he uses his creations to assist people in making food that has the power to heal. Well, that’s a tale as American as G-Funk.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Pendarvis Harshaw is the host of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rightnowish\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rightnowish\u003c/a> on KQED-FM, a columnist at KQED Arts, and the author of OG Told Me, a memoir about growing up in Oakland.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Garnet Geoffroy, aka GStacks, counts E-40 and Warren G among his clients—but cares more about inspiring young people.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>he term “American made” brings to mind images of Paul Bunyan types: pickup trucks, sledge hammers, plaid shirts and beer. It’s the idea of Rosie the Riveter—you know, prideful blue collar work to support this country’s wartime efforts. It’s athletes and entertainers like Babe Ruth, Marylin Monroe and Bruce Springtsteen. “American made,” it has a certain \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">brand\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inside a single-story warehouse in the delta town of Suisun City, just 20 miles northeast of Vallejo, there’s a craftsman who makes uniquely refined barbecue grills—or rather, smokers, trailers and pits. He’s serious about his tools, knows all about the quality of his metal, and he’s a physicist when it comes to discussing how airflow and indirect heat impact the taste of ribs. His work has taken him from being down bad to b\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">eing on the up-and-up with some of the top dogs. His name is Garnet Geoffroy, and he’s the owner of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gstackspits.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">GStacks Professional Smokers and Pits\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy, or GStacks, has\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> locs that drape down to his muscular shoulders, black-framed glasses and beat-up, wheat-colored work boots. His hands are grease-stained and rough from years of labor, but still welcoming when exchanging that handshake we both instinctively know as Black men.“What’s up, King?” he says as he greets me.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He, too, is American made.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’m a welder, a fabricator,” says Geoffroy in an unmistakably Bay Area accent. “And I speak life into people.” He’s a constant soul-searcher who holds near and dear his ability to create. And because of his spirituality, he knows that his mission is bigger than barbecue. But right now, he’s using that as his vessel. “In the food industry,” Geoffroy says, “so many of us have this God-given talent of being able to please somebody through food… and that’s priceless.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915537\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915537\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"Man looks up pensively as he works with metal equipment.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/023_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">G Stacks works on a custom BBQ smoker at his warehouse in Suisun City on June 16, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before getting to Geoffroy’s larger life goals, though, you’ve got to understand his current success and where it all started. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’ve got units at \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vegan Mob in Oakland, KC’s BBQ in Berkeley, Smokin Woods, Flip N Soul, Ruby Jewels, M.C.M. Kitchen Vallejo,” Geoffroy says, naming well-known eateries as easily as Bubba rattled off the names of different types of shrimp in \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forrest Gump\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Dawgie Dog’s in Vallejo, Pig in a Pickle in Corte Madera, River Rock Casino, Pacific Coast Producers, Local Q 707 in Petaluma—they’re great.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He mentions DJ’s Tri-Tip in Stockton and Tank House BBQ and Bar in Sacramento’s midtown, followed by the names of some of his high profile customers: Marshawn Lynch and E-40. Then he tells the story of working with a well-known rapper and producer from Long Beach.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“When I got the call, I looked at my phone and I was like, ‘Warren Griffin?’ Who’s got Warren G’s name?” Geoffroy jokes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was 2016. Since then Geoffroy has produced eight different smokers for Warren G, a barbecue connoisseur and owner of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sniffingriffinsbbq/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sniffin Griffins BBQ\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “The ninth one is in my shop right now,” he says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915532\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915532\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white barbecue smoker on wheels in an empty lot; a red smoker is behind it.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/001_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Custom smokers of various shapes and sizes sit outside GStacks’ warehouse.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I have to say that this is a very incredible unit,” says Warren G \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGt5CSVn-2U\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">in a 2017 video\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where he’s standing next to a custom-made smoker that has a working sound system and a wood-grain steering wheel as a handle. Warren G praises the build out—and the chicken that GStacks cooked in it—noting that he had seen the smoker on Instagram, but that wasn’t enough: “I had to come and witness it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Years before he was making barbecue trailers and smokers for the creator of the West Coast hip-hop subgenre of G-Funk, Geoffroy, who was raised in Vallejo, was in and out of incarceration. Over a span of seven years \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy was locked up,\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> first in youth detention and then adult jail. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I didn’t do ‘lost time,’” Geoffroy says sharply. “I got wise. Every time I got locked up, I got into the welding program.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At 18, he was locked up in Fouts Springs Youth Facility. While there, he noticed a pattern: “The white boys would get up early and go to program. The Black boys in there would just kick it all day.” He made his choice to get up early and take classes with the white kids. He made his mistakes at times, like wearing the wrong welding hood– a safety issue that put his eyes in jeopardy, but corrections were made and the losses rapidly became valuable lessons. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915535\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"A man kneels on the ground welding something, as blue sparks fly.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/012_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A longtime employee at GStacks’ warehouse welds a steel frame for a BBQ smoker. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three years later, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy spent\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> his 21st birthday inside Sacramento’s Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center, where he further refined his welding ability. After he got out, he found his path—but it wasn’t without a few twists and turns.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy spent time in the streets, living the fast life and making money through channels he was familiar with given the environment he was raised in. A series of unfortunate events, including the deaths of a few close friends, led him to the church. That’s where things started to change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through the church he learned about Cypress Mandela Training Center, a vocational training program in West Oakland. He credits that community, specifically the older Black men who taught classes, for his full-blown introduction to the craft of welding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Around 2005 he finished the pre-apprenticeship training program, got certified and became an ironworker. He did structural steel erection, assisting with the creation of bridges, colleges, hospitals and more.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was in the Iron Workers Union for a year and a half before things went awry. “I got run over by a forklift by a drunk foreman on a night job,” says Geoffroy, pulling up his right pant leg to reveal a lengthy scar on his inner calf. “I almost lost my leg.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After surgery and rehabilitation, Geoffroy says, “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">like a dummy I went back to work, because that’s all I knew.” And then, four years later, a second major injury occurred, this time to his back.\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He got workers’ compensation, but the cash wasn’t sustainable, and definitely not worth two lifelong scars. He hit a wall.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915534\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915534\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"A man looks up as he uses a band saw to cut a steel beam.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/008_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geoffroy cuts steel beams for the frame of a smoker. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I went fishing for three years, sitting on the Bay in a boat, trying to figure out my next play,” Geoffroy reflects. A father of twin girls, he was also married at the time. His now ex-wife pushed him to find a new job. Geoffroy questioned, “How do I get a job when my body is mangled?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He went back to what he knows best: welding. This time for himself. He started in his garage, making a \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">welding cart to wheel around his materials and fix a neighbor’s boat trailer. Then, he got the idea to make barbecue pits. It was something he’d done as a side gig one time while he was still working in the union, turning a 55-gallon barrel into a grill for a brother who attended his church. He was underpaid for that one, but the seed was planted. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Years later, unemployed, injured and in a financial situation that had his back against the wall, he found some odd pieces—an old jet ski trailer and two water tanks from a seller in Santa Rosa—and made his first barbecue trailer, then posted it on Craigslist. It sold to a woman who smokes turkeys in Pittsburg, and from there the requests started rolling in. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was 2012. Geoffroy started his business and the money was starting to come in. But even as his entrepreneurial endeavors began to grow, he came to the realization that he still had some work to do on himself.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915533\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915533\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/006_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plans and measurements for a future smoker. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">During a 2017 trip to Mexico for a cousin’s wedding, he hit rock bottom. Overweight and indulging in alcohol, he says he didn’t eat any food at the resort he was staying in because he had noticed that there was a clowder of cats living in one of the refrigerators the hotel was using. His friends neverminded it, but he couldn’t stomach it. So, he compensated by drinking more. “At that time I was 333 pounds,” says Geoffroy, pointing to pictures of himself from that era. “I had an epiphany that I can’t live like this.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After the trip he implemented portion-controlled diets and cut out alcohol and sugary drinks. Now his only vice is an order of chips and queso from Chipotle. Otherwise, he doesn’t do fast food, but he does do barbecue. And he’s a huge advocate for sea moss.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond controlling his consumption, Geoffroy is ever mindful of how his time is used. Mondays and Thursdays are the only days he allows people to talk to him; otherwise, he’s working. His creations take time. Geoffroy says, “each smoker is different,” as they’re all handmade, often using quarter-inch to eighth-inch steel. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes he and a duo of private contractors work to refurbish old units, remixing the elements that are already in place. He’s built pieces that funnel out the taste of charcoal and others that are completely electric. Some trailers have working water spouts and others have custom embroidery. He says he doesn’t rely on blueprints, but will take a measure of the customer and try to create a unit that speaks to their personality. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Again, Geoffroy stresses the time it takes to create these build outs. “I can’t just blow these things into existence.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>arren G’s 1994 track “Do You See” starts with a sample of Gil Scott-Heron’s “Bicentennial Blues.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>But the blues has always been totally American\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As American as apple pie\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As American as the blues\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As American as apple pie\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>The question is why?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Why should the blues be so at home here?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Well, America provided the atmosphere\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scott-Heron recites the lyrics as a synthesizer hums in the background, right before the drums kick. In the song, Warren G goes on to rap about his environment and the ups and downs he and his circle of friends are facing, mentioning his cousin, Snoop Dogg, who was incarcerated at the time. On the final verse, the man who penned “Regulate” says:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Well as time goes past, slowly we try to make it\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>But things are gettin hectic, I just can’t take it\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Should I A: Go back to slangin’ dope?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Or should I B: Maintain and try to cope?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Or should I C: Just get crazy and wild?\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>But no I chose D: Create the G-Child\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In this country, the ability to create and then recreate yourself, in spite of your environment, is more than just being “American made,” it’s American alchemy—just like barbecue itself is a form of alchemy. And \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> knows that it doesn’t end with him. He’s looking to pay it forward. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“I come from helping the ones who struggle, the ones who are wounded…I want to reach the sick, not the ones who are healed.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>He says his end goal isn’t to sell barbecue pits to famous people or make the best-tasting ribs on record. He wants to buy a youth facility, where he can introduce young folks to skilled trades, similar to the space where he learned how to weld at the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fouts Springs Youth Facility. He even aims to work with the same population.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The ones whose backs are already up against the wall, that’s who I want to work with,” says Geoffroy in a voice that lets you know he’s been to church a few times. “I come from helping the ones who struggle, the ones who are wounded…I want to reach the sick, not the ones who are healed.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915539\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915539\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg\" alt='A man seen through an opening in a a barbecue smoker emblazoned with the website \"GStackspits.com\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/034_KQEDArts_GStacksCustomSmokers_06162022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">GStacks works on a BBQ smoker outside of his warehouse in Suisun City. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Beyond teaching craftsmanship, he wants to instill character and morale, and expose people to things they might not see in their immediate environment. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Business-wise, he’s competing with “American made” big names like Weber and Traeger. The latter of the two is based in the U.S. but manufactures its units overseas. “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their box is from America. My product is,” says \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Geoffroy.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Of course, even the saying “as American as apple pie” is a misnomer—the dessert was created in England. But Geoffroy, a person who had hiccups in American schools and spent time in American jails, has learned to make something out of nothing, the American way. And now he uses his creations to assist people in making food that has the power to heal. Well, that’s a tale as American as G-Funk.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Pendarvis Harshaw is the host of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/rightnowish\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rightnowish\u003c/a> on KQED-FM, a columnist at KQED Arts, and the author of OG Told Me, a memoir about growing up in Oakland.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Earlier this month, an image went viral suggesting the unthinkable had finally happened: AriZona Iced Tea had fallen victim to soaring inflation, and raised their long-held price for a 23oz can of tea from 99 cents to $1.29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not true—that’s just the price in Canadian dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, while the AriZona alarm bells may be disarmed this time around, inflation in the U.S. continues to put many people in an unprecedented budget crunch. And with supply chain issues stemming from the war in Ukraine, expensive labor and fuel, and material shortages, the questions remain: Why are some companies sticking with fixed-price items, and how much longer can they hold out?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why do the $1 deals stick around?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>One key indicator to the sustainability of these deals is how steadily companies can maintain the volume and consistency of their customers walking through doors, ready to spend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take Costco’s famous hotdog meal, so emblematic of the business that founder Jim Sinegal once threatened the company CEO, saying, “If you raise the [price of the] effing hot dog, I will kill you.” Since 1985, the wholesale membership club has offered a beef hotdog with a refillable 20oz soda for just $1.50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13915545\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/gettyimages-1241318012-1-fe63e9f8423b43701aef8b3777234ce22bf5f92a-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Customers wait in line to order below signage for the Costco Kirkland Signature $1.50 hot dog and soda combo.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Costco hot dog and soda combo is $1.50, and has stayed that way since 1985. \u003ccite>(PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to David Ortega, a food economist and associate professor at Michigan State University, this price is nowhere in line with inflation, and should actually cost around $4. But the store is still able to extract value from the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are loss leaders, meaning that they are priced below cost because these are the products that bring people into the store,” Ortega said. “They bring that family in to eat that hotdog meal, which is a bargain at $1.50. But they’re likely to pick up other products when they go into the store.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Loss leaders are a popular strategy for companies that can afford them. Costco is well known for this, also offering a 3 pound rotisserie chicken for only $5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13914585']It’s a common move for fast food giants as well. McDonalds, Taco Bell and Wendy’s have all offered their own versions of dollar menus, selling items like burritos, burgers and sundaes for just a buck, with the aim to bring people in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega said that AriZona was able to operate with a similar approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I see a lot of the retailers that sell that iced tea, and like having that product in their store, because it brings people in, it brings in the volume,” he said. “And they’re people that are going to pick up that bag of chips or another snack when they’re purchasing those products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AriZona has other, less obvious factors they play with to keep their prices down. One example is using the price itself as a form of marketing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The 99 cents is part of the brand’s iconography,” explained Rabobank beverage analyst Bourcard Nesin. “It’s now core to the advertising of AriZona to the point that [they get] all the free press in this environment simply because they haven’t raised their price.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nesin also added that innovation can be a great tool for keeping costs low. If packaging, manufacturing, or transportation can be streamlined to be more affordable, that leaves more profit for the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13913985']In this sense, AriZona has struck a rare balance. Nesin said that advertising typically represented a large portion of the operational costs for any beverage company, and AriZona’s reputation allowed it a significant amount of wiggle room when faced with increased production costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While other brands are spending lots of money and spending lots of their margin to promote their products, Arizona just sits in the cooler of every convenience store in America, advertising 99 cents,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The future of fixed-price deals\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>So, is this a business model that will be able to sustain itself?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega said it mostly depended on the business. Factors like scale, diversity among products, and a financial cushion to fall back all have to be taken into consideration. Ultimately, for companies like AriZona or Costco that have the upper hand on these elements, Ortega doesn’t think there will be a price reckoning anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nesin adds that when it comes to inflation, it is typically the small business owners and low-income consumers who have to make adjustments when faced with a higher cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915553\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13915553\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/GettyImages-119601971-800x725.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white image shows a restaurant named Hav-A-Pizza with customers standing outside next to a busy news stand. A neon sign in the restaurant window advertises 20¢ slices.\" width=\"800\" height=\"725\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">20¢ New York pizza, circa 1955. \u003ccite>(John Spencer Fay/FPG/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One example of this contrast is the death of The New York City dollar slice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, people could enjoy a large slice of cheese pizza for $1 flat. Despite their popularity, many of these businesses had to raise their price by as much as 50 cents in November due to the increased cost of ingredients and labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not likely that we’ll see a resurgence of the dollar slice, either. As Nesin explains: “If your favorite product’s price is higher than you’re used to, chances are it’s never going to go back to where it was before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega said that before this round of rising inflation, smaller businesses were able to stay afloat because of volume and semi-normal economic times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13913592']“But we’ve seen food prices at record levels that we haven’t seen in 40 years,” he said. “And it’s not just food prices, but everything that goes into the production of these products. So transportation is up, wages are up, the price of gas is also up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nesin said these price changes hit hardest for those who had less to begin with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Traditionally when consumer income is constrained, if people have less money to spend, it’s actually the lower income people that are forced to change their behavior,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He explained the link to a brand like AriZona, saying: “Lower-cost products are most affected. So a brand like AriZona, if they raise prices a little bit, it will have an outsized impact on demand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AriZona chairman and founder Don Vultaggio has remained adamant that he has no intention of changing the price anytime soon. But Nesin thinks that eventually, they too will have to conform to the eternal trend of upward inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But for now,” he said, “we get to enjoy a 99 cent, 23 ounce behemoth of a refreshment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Inflation+killed+the+%241+pizza+slice.+Long+live+the+99c+iced+tea&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Earlier this month, an image went viral suggesting the unthinkable had finally happened: AriZona Iced Tea had fallen victim to soaring inflation, and raised their long-held price for a 23oz can of tea from 99 cents to $1.29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not true—that’s just the price in Canadian dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, while the AriZona alarm bells may be disarmed this time around, inflation in the U.S. continues to put many people in an unprecedented budget crunch. And with supply chain issues stemming from the war in Ukraine, expensive labor and fuel, and material shortages, the questions remain: Why are some companies sticking with fixed-price items, and how much longer can they hold out?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Why do the $1 deals stick around?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>One key indicator to the sustainability of these deals is how steadily companies can maintain the volume and consistency of their customers walking through doors, ready to spend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take Costco’s famous hotdog meal, so emblematic of the business that founder Jim Sinegal once threatened the company CEO, saying, “If you raise the [price of the] effing hot dog, I will kill you.” Since 1985, the wholesale membership club has offered a beef hotdog with a refillable 20oz soda for just $1.50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13915545\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/gettyimages-1241318012-1-fe63e9f8423b43701aef8b3777234ce22bf5f92a-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Customers wait in line to order below signage for the Costco Kirkland Signature $1.50 hot dog and soda combo.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Costco hot dog and soda combo is $1.50, and has stayed that way since 1985. \u003ccite>(PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to David Ortega, a food economist and associate professor at Michigan State University, this price is nowhere in line with inflation, and should actually cost around $4. But the store is still able to extract value from the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are loss leaders, meaning that they are priced below cost because these are the products that bring people into the store,” Ortega said. “They bring that family in to eat that hotdog meal, which is a bargain at $1.50. But they’re likely to pick up other products when they go into the store.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Loss leaders are a popular strategy for companies that can afford them. Costco is well known for this, also offering a 3 pound rotisserie chicken for only $5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It’s a common move for fast food giants as well. McDonalds, Taco Bell and Wendy’s have all offered their own versions of dollar menus, selling items like burritos, burgers and sundaes for just a buck, with the aim to bring people in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega said that AriZona was able to operate with a similar approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I see a lot of the retailers that sell that iced tea, and like having that product in their store, because it brings people in, it brings in the volume,” he said. “And they’re people that are going to pick up that bag of chips or another snack when they’re purchasing those products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AriZona has other, less obvious factors they play with to keep their prices down. One example is using the price itself as a form of marketing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The 99 cents is part of the brand’s iconography,” explained Rabobank beverage analyst Bourcard Nesin. “It’s now core to the advertising of AriZona to the point that [they get] all the free press in this environment simply because they haven’t raised their price.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nesin also added that innovation can be a great tool for keeping costs low. If packaging, manufacturing, or transportation can be streamlined to be more affordable, that leaves more profit for the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In this sense, AriZona has struck a rare balance. Nesin said that advertising typically represented a large portion of the operational costs for any beverage company, and AriZona’s reputation allowed it a significant amount of wiggle room when faced with increased production costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While other brands are spending lots of money and spending lots of their margin to promote their products, Arizona just sits in the cooler of every convenience store in America, advertising 99 cents,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The future of fixed-price deals\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>So, is this a business model that will be able to sustain itself?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega said it mostly depended on the business. Factors like scale, diversity among products, and a financial cushion to fall back all have to be taken into consideration. Ultimately, for companies like AriZona or Costco that have the upper hand on these elements, Ortega doesn’t think there will be a price reckoning anytime soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nesin adds that when it comes to inflation, it is typically the small business owners and low-income consumers who have to make adjustments when faced with a higher cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915553\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13915553\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/GettyImages-119601971-800x725.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white image shows a restaurant named Hav-A-Pizza with customers standing outside next to a busy news stand. A neon sign in the restaurant window advertises 20¢ slices.\" width=\"800\" height=\"725\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">20¢ New York pizza, circa 1955. \u003ccite>(John Spencer Fay/FPG/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One example of this contrast is the death of The New York City dollar slice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, people could enjoy a large slice of cheese pizza for $1 flat. Despite their popularity, many of these businesses had to raise their price by as much as 50 cents in November due to the increased cost of ingredients and labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not likely that we’ll see a resurgence of the dollar slice, either. As Nesin explains: “If your favorite product’s price is higher than you’re used to, chances are it’s never going to go back to where it was before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortega said that before this round of rising inflation, smaller businesses were able to stay afloat because of volume and semi-normal economic times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“But we’ve seen food prices at record levels that we haven’t seen in 40 years,” he said. “And it’s not just food prices, but everything that goes into the production of these products. So transportation is up, wages are up, the price of gas is also up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nesin said these price changes hit hardest for those who had less to begin with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Traditionally when consumer income is constrained, if people have less money to spend, it’s actually the lower income people that are forced to change their behavior,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He explained the link to a brand like AriZona, saying: “Lower-cost products are most affected. So a brand like AriZona, if they raise prices a little bit, it will have an outsized impact on demand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AriZona chairman and founder Don Vultaggio has remained adamant that he has no intention of changing the price anytime soon. But Nesin thinks that eventually, they too will have to conform to the eternal trend of upward inflation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But for now,” he said, “we get to enjoy a 99 cent, 23 ounce behemoth of a refreshment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Inflation+killed+the+%241+pizza+slice.+Long+live+the+99c+iced+tea&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "amateur-bbq-competition-comic-dentist-pleasant-hill",
"title": "The BBQ King of Pleasant Hill",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915393\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-00.jpg\" alt=\"Black-and-white images of a man grilling pork ribs, sitting next to a smoker. The text reads, "The BBQ King of Pleasant Hill, by Raynato Castro (Color by Alex Culang). \" width=\"600\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-00.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-00-160x135.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915394\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-01.jpg\" alt=\"A man loads boxes into the truck of his car. Text reads, "It's early, Saturday morning. Everyone's asleep." "Aagh, I need a bigger car." "OK, if I win this cook-off, I'm selling the hatchback and buying a truck."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-01.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-01-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915395\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-02.jpg\" alt=\"A cooler and other equipment sit in the trunk of the car in the half-darkness. Text reads, "Today is the 'Back 40 Texas Barbecue 5th Annual Amateur Rib Cook-Off' in Pleasant Hill. Rolls off the tongue." "It's my third barbecue competition ever."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-02.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-02-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915396\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-03.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of a group of barbecue hobbyists lined up in a row. Text reads, "My first one was only a month ago at the King of the County Cook-Off in Martinez. My team placed 7th out of 24 teams." "Not bad for a first showing."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-03.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-03-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915397\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-04.jpg\" alt=\"The same row of people as the previous panel, but all but two men have faded away. Text reads, "The second cook-off was two weeks later at the Clayton BBQ Cook-Off. My team had shrunk down to just me and one friend." "We placed 12th out of 28 teams."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-04.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-04-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915398\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-05.jpg\" alt=\"One remaining man looks fearfully in both directions. Text reads, "This time, I'm on my own." "But I'm kind looking forward to it."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-05.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-05-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915399\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-06.jpg\" alt=\"Side by side illustration of the same man: on the left, he's a grillmaster holding a pair of tongs. On the right, he's wearing a dentist's white coat and holding a giant toothbrush. Text reads, "You see, when I'm not doing barbecue, I'm actually a full-time dentist." "I'm constantly busy, trying to keep patients and staff happy."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-06.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-06-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915400\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-07.jpg\" alt=\"A giant set of dentures holding a pork rib between its teeth. Text reads, "When I compete in this cook-off, I get to do it all by myself. I won't be anyone's captain or boss. No training anyone, no setting of expectations. If I win, it's all me. If I lose..." "...it's all me."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-07.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-07-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915401\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-08.jpg\" alt=\"A dentist wearing magnifying eyeglasses peers under the lid of a barbecue smoker, only to see a 7th place trophy. Text reads, "Aw, crud." "Dentists have to be detail-oriented to work on people's teeth. I carry these high standards over to my cooking. I like to think that this is my secret advantage in BBQ." "Though it hasn't panned out in the last two cook-offs."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-08.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-08-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915402\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-09.jpg\" alt=\"In a dark bedroom, a man kisses his wife and baby, who are still sleeping. Text reads, "Smooch." "I'll see you later."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-09.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-09-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915403\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-10.jpg\" alt=\"The sun is rising between two purple-blue hills, as a single car with its headlights on drives down the winding road. Text reads, "Years ago, I was driving my sister-in-law down the same road I'm driving on right now. Sister-in-law told me, 'Ray, Lindsey is so beautiful. And you, you're so ugly!' That's how she makes conversation." "At family barbecues, she also made sure to let me know what she thought of my cooking."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-10.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-10-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915404\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-11.jpg\" alt=\"Three pieces of meat on a grill, glowing as orange flames come up through the grate. Text reads, "Ray, everything's burnt. Who's gonna eat this?!" "Aiyah! So stupid." "Hey, the first batch always gets kinda burnt...the coals are hot!" "She was right. I sucked. No one else had ever pointed that out." \" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-11.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-11-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915406\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-12.jpg\" alt=\"Spotlight shines down on a queen sitting in her throne while a man in an apron holds up a bone-in hame over his head. Text reads, "I saw it as a challenge. It was for honor! I had to save face." "My wife thinks it's hilarious that my sister-in-law is my inspiration for getting good at BBQ." "But it's true." "Thank you, sister-in-law, for being my BBQ tiger mom." "Good. You're still ugly."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-12.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-12-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915407\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-13.jpg\" alt=\"A car pulls up to a old-fashioned saloon style restaurant with an orange facade. Text reads, "All right, I'm here!" "I make it to Back Forty Texas BBQ. It's a popular restaurant that made its name by winning lots of People's Choice competitions, like the one in Reno attended by 400,000 people!" "Every year they host an amateur cook-off to let regular guys like me feel like rock stars for the day."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-13.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-13-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915408\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-14.jpg\" alt=\"A stack of $20 bills and a gold plaque that reads, "1st Place 2019, Your Name Here, Amateur Rib Cook-Off." Text reads, "First place wins $600 and a gift card to the restaurant. Even more impressive, the winner's name is etched on a plaque at the front of the restaurant for all to admire." "Don't they know that dentists don't like plaque? Sorry, everyone."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-14.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-14-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915409\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-15.jpg\" alt=\"Two older men clink glasses while standing in front of their own respective smokers. Text reads, "Why would a person even want to compete? Because of the camaraderie. Because of the rivalry. Because it's fun." "Because after doing a hobby for so many years, you want to see how your skills stack up."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-15.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-15-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915410\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-16.jpg\" alt=\"The same two men from the previous panel, now battling against each other as though in a arcade fighting game. Text reads, "It's like playing the multiplayer after finishing the singleplayer in a video game. It keeps it fresh!" "You can compete in literally anything, so why not BBQ?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-16.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-16-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915411\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-17.jpg\" alt=\"Man unloads crate from his car in the early morning light. Text reads, "Oh boy, there are those guys that won 3rd place at Clayton." "The competition takes place in the parking lot of the restaurant. Everyone's unloading their trucks (and not hatchbacks). "This is the chest-puffing, ego-checking part of the day."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-17.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-17-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915412\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-18.jpg\" alt=\"Man looks nervously at a table covered with first place trophies. Text reads, "I walk past the other tables and try not to get too distracted." "Look at these trophies. Wait—they put me right next to last year's winner? Uhh... I'm not nervous! I'm not nervous." "Whoa! Look at that smoker! I thought this was for amateurs!"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-18.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-18-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915413\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-19.jpg\" alt=\"Man walks away from a tented station set up with barbecue equipment and walks toward a small crowd that has gathered. Text reads, "After setting up, I head over to where the organizers go over the rules." "...No marinades. No offering of samples to the public. Racks must be submitted by 1pm. Fires out by 2 pm... and have fun!" "There are lots of smiles, but also lots of poker faces."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-19.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-19-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915414\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-20.jpg\" alt=\"A 19th century-style tycoon runs away carrying a golden piece of brisket (marked "A5 Wagyu") while a regular guy chases him holding a burning torch. Text reads, "At cook-offs, competitors usually bring their own meats to cook that day. To get an edge, many teams will use the best, most expensive cuts available." "Fortunately, this cook-off is nice for regular guys like me because the organizers provide all the meat."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-20.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-20-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915415\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-21.jpg\" alt=\"Four barbecue competition contestants look frazzled but determined. Text reads, "'Let the competition begin!' The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here! The racks of ribs are set on tables against the side of the restaurant. It's a Black Friday rush to get the best ones." "How many racks are you gonna cook?!" "Hey, these ones! Not those! Put those back!" "I'm gonna need a bigger grill!" "I feel like I'm on Chopped!"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-21.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-21-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915416\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-22.jpg\" alt=\"A barbecue competitor watches while one of his rivals squirts lighter fluid onto her grill. Text reads, "We're all getting our fires going. Chimneys, charcoal, pellets, wood chunks, lighter fluid. The smell of smoke fills the air, like a new Pope has been chosen." "Lighter fluid, eh?" "Yeah, what's it to ya?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-22.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-22-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915417\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-23.jpg\" alt=\"The man's arms are a whirlwind of movement as he prepares and seasons his raw rack of ribs. Text reads, "And then... quiet. The chatter stops. Anyone who's into a craft knows this feeling. Zen takes over. You don't even feel like you're working or that there are others around you." "Doing the thing you've done a million times."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-23.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-23-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915717\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-24-1.jpg\" alt=\"Man sits in a chair facing a barbecue smoker, with a gorgeous blue sky in the background. Text reads, "Before I know it, my ribs are on the smoker. Now it's a waiting game." "If there's one thing you miss about having a teammate, it's being able to pass the time with someone." "So, you come here often?" "You know I'm an inanimate object, right?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-24-1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-24-1-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915718\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-25-1.jpg\" alt=\"The man finishes seasoning his ribs as a couple of fancy-looking chefs in chef hats stride past. Text reads, "Some hours go by and there's a murmur in the crowd. It's the judges; they've arrived. They are all local chefs and restaurant owners. They know their stuff." "It's time to start looking at which ribs to submit." "Oh man, it's getting real."\" width=\"600\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-25-1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-25-1-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915719\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-26-1.jpg\" alt=\"Hands holding an open box of ribs over a bed of greens. Text reads, "Judging is inherently subjective, but just like with any good food, the taste should be a balance of salt, sweet, acid, fat and heat." "Thought has to be given to presentation as well. Do the ribs look tasty? Red, not gray. Glossy, not dull. We eat with our eyes first."\" width=\"600\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-26-1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-26-1-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915421\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-27.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding a single rib with a bite in it. Text reads, "Last , but definitely not least, the texture has to be spot on. You want a crusty bark that gives way to tender meat that bites cleanly off the bone, but does not sloppily 'fall off.'" "It's a misconception in barbecue that mea has to be 'fall off the bone' to be good. This isn't a crockpot competition!\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-27.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-27-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915422\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-28.jpg\" alt=\"Barbecue competitors are handling meat with tongs and passing boxes of samples to the judges. Text reads, "'One hour remaining! Get your trays ready!' It's the moment of truth. Teams are slicing their racks, sampling, trying to decide which is the best of the bunch." "I evaluate mine: Nice glaze. Sweet & salty. Just a little heat. Tender. My best yet.\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-28.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-28-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915423\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-29.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding a playing card: the jack of clubs. Text reads, "The organizers give you a playing card that they'll use later to identify the winning team." "I get the Jack of Clubs."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-29.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-29-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915424\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-30.jpg\" alt=\"Three smiling men taking a bite out of a rib. Text reads, "We start crowding into the main hall for the awards ceremony. Near the entrance, a group of competitors are sharing ribs. ...Sure, why not?" "Ray, let's try yours. ...Whoa, damn!" "You really haven't won before?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-30.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-30-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915425\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-31.jpg\" alt=\"Man sits at a table with his wife and child, making a shushing motion with his hand to tell the kid to quiet down. Text reads, "Everyone's seated. The organizers thank us all for being here. We give ourselves a round of applause for a long day." "My wife arrives just in time to enjoy the atmosphere." "You smell really bad." "Shhh... It's about to start." "They begin announcing the winners."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-31.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-31-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915426\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-32.jpg\" alt=\"Man with baseball cap pulled low so his face is in shadow. Text reads, "Third place. Five... of hearts." "Second place. Queen... of diamonds." "Chef's choice. King... of Spades." "Welp, I haven't been called yet. Maybe I need a new hobby..." "And... first place... Jack... of Clubs!" "Holy crap, that's me!"\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-32.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-32-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915427\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-33.jpg\" alt=\"Man stands in the spotlight with arms upraised in victory as the audience claps. Text reads, "I shoot up out of my chair. My wife is surprised, but proud. She gives me a lil' kiss. Everyone's just kinda looking at us." "Then, genuine applause, starting with the fellas who tried my ribs earlier." "After two other competitions and a whole lot of self-prescribed stress, it was finally all worth it."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-33.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-33-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915428\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-34.jpg\" alt=\"Man holds a trophy with a delighted smile. Text reads, "The BBQ King of Pleasant Hill."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-34.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-34-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915429\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-35.jpg\" alt=\"A red and gold first place trophy strapped into the carseat by a seatbelt. Text reads, "I pack up my tiny little hatchback. Turns out, it fits plenty. All my equipment and a 1st place trophy."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-35.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-35-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Raynato Castro is a dentist, cartoonist, good barbecuer, bad guitarist and, most of all, a dad. He maintains a dental practice in San Pablo, California, and is also the co-artist of the webcomic, \u003ca href=\"https://www.buttersafe.com/\">Buttersafe\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A dentist's guide to winning your first amateur barbecue competition.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915393\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-00.jpg\" alt=\"Black-and-white images of a man grilling pork ribs, sitting next to a smoker. The text reads, "The BBQ King of Pleasant Hill, by Raynato Castro (Color by Alex Culang). \" width=\"600\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-00.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-00-160x135.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915394\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-01.jpg\" alt=\"A man loads boxes into the truck of his car. Text reads, "It's early, Saturday morning. Everyone's asleep." "Aagh, I need a bigger car." "OK, if I win this cook-off, I'm selling the hatchback and buying a truck."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-01.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-01-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915395\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-02.jpg\" alt=\"A cooler and other equipment sit in the trunk of the car in the half-darkness. Text reads, "Today is the 'Back 40 Texas Barbecue 5th Annual Amateur Rib Cook-Off' in Pleasant Hill. Rolls off the tongue." "It's my third barbecue competition ever."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-02.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-02-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915396\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-03.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of a group of barbecue hobbyists lined up in a row. Text reads, "My first one was only a month ago at the King of the County Cook-Off in Martinez. My team placed 7th out of 24 teams." "Not bad for a first showing."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-03.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-03-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915397\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-04.jpg\" alt=\"The same row of people as the previous panel, but all but two men have faded away. Text reads, "The second cook-off was two weeks later at the Clayton BBQ Cook-Off. My team had shrunk down to just me and one friend." "We placed 12th out of 28 teams."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-04.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-04-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915398\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-05.jpg\" alt=\"One remaining man looks fearfully in both directions. Text reads, "This time, I'm on my own." "But I'm kind looking forward to it."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-05.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-05-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915399\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-06.jpg\" alt=\"Side by side illustration of the same man: on the left, he's a grillmaster holding a pair of tongs. On the right, he's wearing a dentist's white coat and holding a giant toothbrush. Text reads, "You see, when I'm not doing barbecue, I'm actually a full-time dentist." "I'm constantly busy, trying to keep patients and staff happy."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-06.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-06-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915400\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-07.jpg\" alt=\"A giant set of dentures holding a pork rib between its teeth. Text reads, "When I compete in this cook-off, I get to do it all by myself. I won't be anyone's captain or boss. No training anyone, no setting of expectations. If I win, it's all me. If I lose..." "...it's all me."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-07.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-07-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915401\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-08.jpg\" alt=\"A dentist wearing magnifying eyeglasses peers under the lid of a barbecue smoker, only to see a 7th place trophy. Text reads, "Aw, crud." "Dentists have to be detail-oriented to work on people's teeth. I carry these high standards over to my cooking. I like to think that this is my secret advantage in BBQ." "Though it hasn't panned out in the last two cook-offs."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-08.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-08-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915402\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-09.jpg\" alt=\"In a dark bedroom, a man kisses his wife and baby, who are still sleeping. Text reads, "Smooch." "I'll see you later."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-09.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-09-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915403\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-10.jpg\" alt=\"The sun is rising between two purple-blue hills, as a single car with its headlights on drives down the winding road. Text reads, "Years ago, I was driving my sister-in-law down the same road I'm driving on right now. Sister-in-law told me, 'Ray, Lindsey is so beautiful. And you, you're so ugly!' That's how she makes conversation." "At family barbecues, she also made sure to let me know what she thought of my cooking."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-10.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-10-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915404\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-11.jpg\" alt=\"Three pieces of meat on a grill, glowing as orange flames come up through the grate. Text reads, "Ray, everything's burnt. Who's gonna eat this?!" "Aiyah! So stupid." "Hey, the first batch always gets kinda burnt...the coals are hot!" "She was right. I sucked. No one else had ever pointed that out." \" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-11.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-11-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915406\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-12.jpg\" alt=\"Spotlight shines down on a queen sitting in her throne while a man in an apron holds up a bone-in hame over his head. Text reads, "I saw it as a challenge. It was for honor! I had to save face." "My wife thinks it's hilarious that my sister-in-law is my inspiration for getting good at BBQ." "But it's true." "Thank you, sister-in-law, for being my BBQ tiger mom." "Good. You're still ugly."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-12.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-12-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915407\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-13.jpg\" alt=\"A car pulls up to a old-fashioned saloon style restaurant with an orange facade. Text reads, "All right, I'm here!" "I make it to Back Forty Texas BBQ. It's a popular restaurant that made its name by winning lots of People's Choice competitions, like the one in Reno attended by 400,000 people!" "Every year they host an amateur cook-off to let regular guys like me feel like rock stars for the day."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-13.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-13-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915408\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-14.jpg\" alt=\"A stack of $20 bills and a gold plaque that reads, "1st Place 2019, Your Name Here, Amateur Rib Cook-Off." Text reads, "First place wins $600 and a gift card to the restaurant. Even more impressive, the winner's name is etched on a plaque at the front of the restaurant for all to admire." "Don't they know that dentists don't like plaque? Sorry, everyone."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-14.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-14-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915409\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-15.jpg\" alt=\"Two older men clink glasses while standing in front of their own respective smokers. Text reads, "Why would a person even want to compete? Because of the camaraderie. Because of the rivalry. Because it's fun." "Because after doing a hobby for so many years, you want to see how your skills stack up."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-15.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-15-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915410\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-16.jpg\" alt=\"The same two men from the previous panel, now battling against each other as though in a arcade fighting game. Text reads, "It's like playing the multiplayer after finishing the singleplayer in a video game. It keeps it fresh!" "You can compete in literally anything, so why not BBQ?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-16.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-16-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915411\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-17.jpg\" alt=\"Man unloads crate from his car in the early morning light. Text reads, "Oh boy, there are those guys that won 3rd place at Clayton." "The competition takes place in the parking lot of the restaurant. Everyone's unloading their trucks (and not hatchbacks). "This is the chest-puffing, ego-checking part of the day."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-17.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-17-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915412\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-18.jpg\" alt=\"Man looks nervously at a table covered with first place trophies. Text reads, "I walk past the other tables and try not to get too distracted." "Look at these trophies. Wait—they put me right next to last year's winner? Uhh... I'm not nervous! I'm not nervous." "Whoa! Look at that smoker! I thought this was for amateurs!"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-18.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-18-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915413\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-19.jpg\" alt=\"Man walks away from a tented station set up with barbecue equipment and walks toward a small crowd that has gathered. Text reads, "After setting up, I head over to where the organizers go over the rules." "...No marinades. No offering of samples to the public. Racks must be submitted by 1pm. Fires out by 2 pm... and have fun!" "There are lots of smiles, but also lots of poker faces."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-19.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-19-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915414\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-20.jpg\" alt=\"A 19th century-style tycoon runs away carrying a golden piece of brisket (marked "A5 Wagyu") while a regular guy chases him holding a burning torch. Text reads, "At cook-offs, competitors usually bring their own meats to cook that day. To get an edge, many teams will use the best, most expensive cuts available." "Fortunately, this cook-off is nice for regular guys like me because the organizers provide all the meat."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-20.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-20-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915415\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-21.jpg\" alt=\"Four barbecue competition contestants look frazzled but determined. Text reads, "'Let the competition begin!' The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here! The racks of ribs are set on tables against the side of the restaurant. It's a Black Friday rush to get the best ones." "How many racks are you gonna cook?!" "Hey, these ones! Not those! Put those back!" "I'm gonna need a bigger grill!" "I feel like I'm on Chopped!"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-21.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-21-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915416\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-22.jpg\" alt=\"A barbecue competitor watches while one of his rivals squirts lighter fluid onto her grill. Text reads, "We're all getting our fires going. Chimneys, charcoal, pellets, wood chunks, lighter fluid. The smell of smoke fills the air, like a new Pope has been chosen." "Lighter fluid, eh?" "Yeah, what's it to ya?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-22.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-22-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915417\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-23.jpg\" alt=\"The man's arms are a whirlwind of movement as he prepares and seasons his raw rack of ribs. Text reads, "And then... quiet. The chatter stops. Anyone who's into a craft knows this feeling. Zen takes over. You don't even feel like you're working or that there are others around you." "Doing the thing you've done a million times."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-23.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-23-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915717\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-24-1.jpg\" alt=\"Man sits in a chair facing a barbecue smoker, with a gorgeous blue sky in the background. Text reads, "Before I know it, my ribs are on the smoker. Now it's a waiting game." "If there's one thing you miss about having a teammate, it's being able to pass the time with someone." "So, you come here often?" "You know I'm an inanimate object, right?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-24-1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-24-1-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915718\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-25-1.jpg\" alt=\"The man finishes seasoning his ribs as a couple of fancy-looking chefs in chef hats stride past. Text reads, "Some hours go by and there's a murmur in the crowd. It's the judges; they've arrived. They are all local chefs and restaurant owners. They know their stuff." "It's time to start looking at which ribs to submit." "Oh man, it's getting real."\" width=\"600\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-25-1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-25-1-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915719\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-26-1.jpg\" alt=\"Hands holding an open box of ribs over a bed of greens. Text reads, "Judging is inherently subjective, but just like with any good food, the taste should be a balance of salt, sweet, acid, fat and heat." "Thought has to be given to presentation as well. Do the ribs look tasty? Red, not gray. Glossy, not dull. We eat with our eyes first."\" width=\"600\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-26-1.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-26-1-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915421\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-27.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding a single rib with a bite in it. Text reads, "Last , but definitely not least, the texture has to be spot on. You want a crusty bark that gives way to tender meat that bites cleanly off the bone, but does not sloppily 'fall off.'" "It's a misconception in barbecue that mea has to be 'fall off the bone' to be good. This isn't a crockpot competition!\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-27.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-27-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915422\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-28.jpg\" alt=\"Barbecue competitors are handling meat with tongs and passing boxes of samples to the judges. Text reads, "'One hour remaining! Get your trays ready!' It's the moment of truth. Teams are slicing their racks, sampling, trying to decide which is the best of the bunch." "I evaluate mine: Nice glaze. Sweet & salty. Just a little heat. Tender. My best yet.\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-28.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-28-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915423\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-29.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding a playing card: the jack of clubs. Text reads, "The organizers give you a playing card that they'll use later to identify the winning team." "I get the Jack of Clubs."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-29.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-29-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915424\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-30.jpg\" alt=\"Three smiling men taking a bite out of a rib. Text reads, "We start crowding into the main hall for the awards ceremony. Near the entrance, a group of competitors are sharing ribs. ...Sure, why not?" "Ray, let's try yours. ...Whoa, damn!" "You really haven't won before?"\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-30.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-30-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915425\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-31.jpg\" alt=\"Man sits at a table with his wife and child, making a shushing motion with his hand to tell the kid to quiet down. Text reads, "Everyone's seated. The organizers thank us all for being here. We give ourselves a round of applause for a long day." "My wife arrives just in time to enjoy the atmosphere." "You smell really bad." "Shhh... It's about to start." "They begin announcing the winners."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-31.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-31-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915426\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-32.jpg\" alt=\"Man with baseball cap pulled low so his face is in shadow. Text reads, "Third place. Five... of hearts." "Second place. Queen... of diamonds." "Chef's choice. King... of Spades." "Welp, I haven't been called yet. Maybe I need a new hobby..." "And... first place... Jack... of Clubs!" "Holy crap, that's me!"\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-32.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-32-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915427\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-33.jpg\" alt=\"Man stands in the spotlight with arms upraised in victory as the audience claps. Text reads, "I shoot up out of my chair. My wife is surprised, but proud. She gives me a lil' kiss. Everyone's just kinda looking at us." "Then, genuine applause, starting with the fellas who tried my ribs earlier." "After two other competitions and a whole lot of self-prescribed stress, it was finally all worth it."\" width=\"599\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-33.jpg 599w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-33-160x134.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915428\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-34.jpg\" alt=\"Man holds a trophy with a delighted smile. Text reads, "The BBQ King of Pleasant Hill."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-34.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-34-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13915429\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-35.jpg\" alt=\"A red and gold first place trophy strapped into the carseat by a seatbelt. Text reads, "I pack up my tiny little hatchback. Turns out, it fits plenty. All my equipment and a 1st place trophy."\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-35.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/The-BBQ-King-of-Pleasant-Hill-35-160x133.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" />\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Raynato Castro is a dentist, cartoonist, good barbecuer, bad guitarist and, most of all, a dad. He maintains a dental practice in San Pablo, California, and is also the co-artist of the webcomic, \u003ca href=\"https://www.buttersafe.com/\">Buttersafe\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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1656435647000
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"title": "The Real Mongolian Barbecue",
"headTitle": "The Real Mongolian Barbecue | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915325\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1911px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915325 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A metal pot filled with chunks of raw meat sits on an outdoor grill area with wisps of smoke rising up.\" width=\"1911\" height=\"1274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1911w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1911px) 100vw, 1911px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">To cook khorkhog outdoors at Richmond’s Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, Battulga Ochirpurev filled a pressure cooker with lamb meat, vegetables and blazing hot stones. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ooking back, it’s a bit embarrassing that I ever believed Mongolian barbecue had anything to do with Mongolia, the country. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was probably 10 or 11 years old when some distant Canadian cousins introduced me to the pleasures of all-you-can-eat griddle-cooked meats, treating my family to what they’d offered up as a fun and novel lunch option in the Toronto suburbs. There was the buffet line where you could customize your sauce and pile as many thinly sliced meats and vegetables onto your tray as you liked. There were the chefs in paper hats, who’d dump everything onto the sizzling flat-top. There was the giant gong that they would bang, unironically, anytime someone’s order was ready.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Years later, while working as the food critic for the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">East Bay Express\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, I sheepishly recounted this memory to Togi Sukhbaatar, who ran \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/togis-serves-real-mongolian-food-2-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a Mongolian restaurant in downtown Oakland\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at the time. “That isn’t really Mongolian at all, is it?” I asked him. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No, it is not. As the story goes, Mongolian barbecue was actually invented in the 1950s by a Taiwanese comedian with no connection to Mongolia. Mong gu kao rou, or “Mongolian barbecue,” wasn’t even his first name choice: He would have advertised his restaurant as serving “Beijing barbecue” if it weren’t politically risky in Taiwan to invoke China so directly at that time. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/14/garden/at-the-nation-s-table-appleton-wis.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">By the ’80s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, kitschy and vaguely Orientalist versions of the restaurant genre had \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://la.eater.com/2018/1/12/16885612/los-angeles-founder-mongolian-bbq-dies\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">become popular\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in much of the United States.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, Sukhbaatar said, there \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">was\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a well-loved Mongolian food that better fit the term “Mongolian barbecue”—a slow-cooked lamb or mutton dish known as khorkhog, which Mongolians eat at every birthday, every wedding, every big family gathering. Even here in the Bay Area, almost any time more than 10 or 20 Mongolian Americans get together—say, in a park or in someone’s backyard—they’ll build a fire to prepare a big pot of khorkhog: a sealed vessel, usually a pressure cooker, filled to the brim with the meat from a whole sheep or lamb, potatoes, carrots, onions and blazing hot rocks.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This, Sukhbaatar told me, was the real Mongolian barbecue.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After I learned about khorkhog, I became mildly obsessed with the dish. But it wasn’t easy to track down. There are only a handful of Mongolian restaurants in the Bay Area to begin with, and only the most ambitious of these even list khorkhog on the menu because the process of cooking it is so time-consuming and unwieldy in the context of a restaurant kitchen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915331\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915331 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"An old pressure cooking sitting on a grill grate, with trees in the background.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most Mongolian American families own at least one old-school pressure cooker like this one, which they use for making the slow-cooked lamb dish known as khorkhog. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After years of searching, I finally stumbled across \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Dumpling-House-Mongolian-cuisine-111983887822655/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dumpling House Mongolian Cuisine\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a Mongolian restaurant in Richmond that serves khorkhog all the time, as long as you call ahead to give them a couple of hours of advance notice. Finally, then, I’d have a chance to taste khorkhog for myself. Owners Erika Terbish Erdenechimeg and Battulga Ochirpurev even agreed to cook it for me in the traditional way—outdoors, over a blazing fire. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was also a chance to dig deeper into the questions that had bothered me ever since I first learned about khorkhog. Why was it that, while most everyone in the U.S. is familiar with so-called “Mongolian barbecue,” traditional Mongolian foodways seem to have been completely erased? And why had I heard so little about the Bay Area’s Mongolian community to begin with? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marketing copy for the American chain restaurant version of Mongolian barbecue often cites an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.changsmongoliangrill.com/history/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">origin story\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the dish in which Genghis Khan’s band of fierce nomadic warriors would hunt animals between battles, then grill the meat over fire, using the tops of their shields as a cooking surface. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This, too, is a total fiction. It turns out the story of real Mongolian barbecue—and what it represents for Mongolian Americans looking to connect with their community in the Bay Area today—is far more interesting.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cooking \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘American’ Style\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ochirpurev and Sukhbaatar (who now works in construction) meet me near the entrance of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, a woodsy stretch of the Richmond hills, on a Monday morning armed with a sack of root vegetables and a cooler full of meat. Because of childcare duties, Terbish Erdenechimeg isn’t able to make it, even though Ochirpurev says she’s the real chef of the family. Meanwhile, Ochirpurev’s elderly parents, visiting from Mongolia, join us for the early afternoon khorkhog feast. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915335\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915335\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"An older woman and a man smile, looking down toward the ground in a wooded area.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Altangerel Deleg (left) and her son Battulga Ochirpurev take a break from preparing the khorkhog. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ochirpurev is a rangy, jovial fellow with close-cropped hair, puffy foam slippers and big, good-natured Asian dad energy. “I drank beer for 30 years. I quit for two years,” he tells me, ripping open a variety pack of Jarritos fruit soda to hand me a bottle. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He and his wife got married in Mongolia in 2000, when she was a 19-year-old volleyball champion. The couple moved to the United States a few years later with their three-year-old son, and worked whatever odd jobs they could get—Ochirpurev’s first gig was sweeping floors at a Kmart in Missouri. (Now, he tells me, reaching for a fist bump, that same son attends UC Davis.) Terbish Erdenechimeg, for her part, cooked at a few different restaurants before the couple \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2019/11/19/a-taste-of-mongolia-for-richmond-residents/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">opened their own place in Richmond in 2012.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While it’s hard to get an accurate count, most estimates peg the Mongolian population in Northern California at around \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/our_sections/forum/mongolians-in-the-bay-area-are-optimistic-about-the-future/article_34cfc134-4488-55ce-ab59-25000109856e.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">8,000 to 10,000\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—a tight-knit community, but one that’s too small and dispersed to easily support a business like Dumpling House on its own. Indeed, Ochirpurev estimates that about 70% of his customers are actually Tibetan; the two cuisines share a similar array of dumplings and noodle dishes. But it’s usually only Mongolians who will order khorkhog, Ochirpurev says. No one else knows what it is.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He shows me the weathered, ancient pressure cooker that he’s brought along for the occasion, one of several that he and his wife have collected from flea markets over the years. This particular model was originally used by the American military—“heavy duty,” he tells me, rapping on the lid.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915328\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915328\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a pot filled with chunks of raw meat and rocks with wisps of smoke rising up.\" width=\"1853\" height=\"1236\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">To assemble the khorkhog, add alternating layers of meat and hot rocks. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ochirpurev describes his method of cooking khorkhog as “American style,” explaining that most people in Mongolia don’t have access to pressure cookers. Back home, the most common way to prepare khorkhog is to cook the meat inside the metallic 40-liter Russian water jugs scattered throughout the countryside—remnants of the Soviet military presence in Mongolia. Crafty home cooks turn these water jugs into makeshift pressure cookers by standing on top of the lid while the meat is cooking, using the full weight of their body to hold it down. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Isn’t that dangerous?” I ask when Ochirpurev shows me a Facebook photo of his cousin doing exactly that, teetering precariously like he’s about to fall off. “It is dangerous!” he says, cackling. “Sometimes they go flying!”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The “American” style of making khorkhog has a kind of improvised, off-the-cuff quality to it, at least as practiced by Ochirpurev and his family on this Monday afternoon. Ochirpurev pours a bag of self-lighting charcoal and piles it at the base of the outdoor grill, then lights up the coals with a flick of his cigarette lighter. (People don’t have much access to charcoal in Mongolia, he explains, so they just use some combination of wood chips and fallen tree branches, which he also applies liberally to feed the flames.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Traditionally, one of the keys to making proper khorkhog is to gather stones from a nearby river—smooth river stones being the ideal vessel to withstand high heat without cracking or splintering. For his Americanized version, Ochirpurev has brought a large bag of decorative “creek stones,” the kind you can buy at Home Depot or any garden store. After they’ve been buried inside the burning charcoal for about half an hour, the stones are blazing hot. To assemble the khorkhog, Ochirpurev layers the hot rocks with big pieces of freshly butchered lamb from a local halal ranch, alternating layers of lamb and rocks until the pressure cooker is filled to the top. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A woman tosses carrots and potatoes into a pot.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Altangerel Deleg adds fresh vegetables to the pot. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, Ochirpurev’s mother adds fresh vegetables to the pot: potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and rutabaga. (Rutabaga is the secret ingredient that makes khorkhog and many other Mongolian dishes taste delicious, Ochirpurev says.) Then come big handfuls of spice, pre-measured by Terbish Erdenechimeg back at the restaurant—a mixture that smells strongly of garlic and onion powder, though it’s mostly just salt, black pepper and bay leaves. Sukhbaatar, the former Oakland restaurant owner, explains that the seasoning is meant to be very simple, in order to bring out the natural flavor of the meat. A little bit of water goes in the pot too, to form the base of a soup.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Really, though, the hot stones inside the pot are what set khorkhog apart from any other slow-cooked stew. Once the pressure cooker is sealed up, Ochirpurev sets it over the fire. About an hour later, we’re ready to open up the pot and dig in.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Father of Khorkhog\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even within Mongolia, khorkhog is very much an evolving tradition. The proliferation of those big Soviet-era water jugs throughout Mongolia is part of the dish’s origin story, according to Shirchin Baatar, a local Mongolian community leader who founded the Bay Area Mongolian Community Association (BAMCA) in 2003. In that sense, the modern form of the dish is a byproduct of Mongolia’s complicated politics in the 20th century—its history as a landlocked buffer zone during various conflicts between China and the USSR and its many decades of Soviet occupation. “Khorkhog was invented during Soviet times,” Baatar says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nevertheless, the dish traces its roots to a much older Mongolian food tradition known as boodog, a dish that Mongolian hunters have prepared for centuries, removing all the bones from a deer, antelope or other wild game in order to form a “bag” out of its skin. Then they’d cut up the meat, put it back inside the skin bag along with hot rocks, and tie it up tight. The whole thing would be cooked over fire, with the skin bag essentially serving as a natural form of “pressure cooker.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Baatar puts it, “Boodog is the father of khorkhog.” The basic principle is the same: The meat gets steamed inside the bag, but it also gets burned by the hot rocks, so you end up with a final product that’s “half steamed, half burned.” That’s the essence of what makes khorkhog taste so good. In that way, it follows the same principle as all great barbecue dishes that combine some form of slow cooking with a scorching flame. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915339\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915339\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"An old-fashioned pressure cooker heated over a fire outdoors.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The hot rocks inside scorch the meat while the fire builds up the steam pressure inside the pot. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the tastiest part of the boodog, according to Baatar? When you put the skin bag over the fire, all the hair burns off and the skin gets nice and crispy. It’s a cooking vessel you can eat.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baatar says his uncles and grand-uncles in Mongolia still prepare boodog the old-fashioned way when they go hunting in the summer. Even in the United States, if you’re friends with the right Mongolian folks, you might have a chance to experience it. He’s had friends who have cooked wild boars and marmots that way after hunting trips in Colorado or in the Sacramento area. “Marmots are very delicious,” he says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘We Have to Have That Kind of Place’\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As extraordinary as an excursion like that sounds, these foodways are largely invisible to the majority of Northern Californians. It’s fairly easy to speculate why Mongolians in the Bay Area don’t have the same kind of visibility as more well-known Asian immigrant groups like the region’s Chinese American and Korean American communities. The population is just much, much smaller, and it isn’t necessarily concentrated in any single ethnic enclave. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s also a relatively new immigrant community, explains Baatar. Mongolians didn’t really start arriving in the Bay Area until the mid-’90s, when a number of them received student visas to study English at a language school in San Francisco. Many of those early arrivals either overstayed their visas or were able to find jobs here, but when Baatar himself arrived in 1998, there were still only about 70 Mongolians in the Bay Area. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that there were at least a couple thousand Mongolian immigrants living in the region.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sukhbaatar, who only ran his restaurant—Togi’s Mongolian Cuisine—for a couple of years, says the cuisine has had even less visibility because there have never been very many real Mongolian restaurants. Many of that early wave of immigrants worked in restaurants or even opened restaurants of their own—but often they would be Japanese sushi restaurants, or restaurants specializing in other Asian cuisines that seemed more viable from a business perspective. Only in the last few years have there been a greater number of restaurants that put traditional Mongolian food front and center.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915352\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915352\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Ochirpurev Sambuudorj and Altangerel Deleg sit at a picnic table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ochirpurev Sambuudorj and Altangerel Deleg sit at an outdoor picnic table at Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, listening to Mongolian music while they wait for the khorkhog to cook. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baatar and Sukhbaatar say these restaurants are some of the few remaining places where Mongolians can socialize together outside their homes. The pandemic, in particular, has had a pronounced alienating effect on the community. In Oakland, a Mongolian language school for kids, which also taught Mongolian music and dancing, closed down during the pandemic. Each summer, the community usually gathers together to celebrate Naadaam, a traditional festival with wrestling, archery and horse racing. It was canceled the past two years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915306,arts_13915387,arts_13904835']Most significant, says Sukhbaatar, was the closure of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/mongol-bar-oakland\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mongol Bar\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a community club and informal bar in downtown Oakland, down the street from his former restaurant, where he used to go after work almost every night. Located above a Thai restaurant on Webster Street, without any sign to mark its existence, the bar was completely invisible to those outside of the local Mongolian community. But inside, it was a lively scene night after night—the one place where Sukhbaatar knew he could always go to hang out with other Mongolians. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beke (who preferred not to give his last name), Mongol Bar’s last owner, says on busy nights there were as many as 100 people packed inside the space, which featured a karaoke room, pool tables and a small dance floor. Some nights would be loud and high-energy, “like we’re in the club,” Beke recalls. Other nights, it would be more low-key—just groups of friends drinking Heinekens, shooting pool and having quiet conversation. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915353\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915353\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Togi Sukhbaatar and Battulga Ochirpurev stand over an outdoor spread of roast meats and vegetables.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Togi Sukhbaatar and Battulga Ochirpurev get ready to dig into their khorkhog feast. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beke closed the bar late in 2019, even before COVID hit, in part because the finances weren’t sustainable, but more so because he was burned out running the place by himself. Many nights he’d keep the place open until 4 or 5am, and he just couldn’t do it anymore.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Area Mongolian Americans like Sukhbaatar and Ochirpurev still mourn the loss of the bar. “I was living there for 10 years,” Ochirpurev says. Sukhbaatar says he feels its absence most intensely when he thinks about young people in the Mongolian American community who no longer have many places where they can connect with others who share their culture. “We have to have that kind of place,” he says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In that context, informal khorkhog gatherings like the ones that Sukhbaatar and Ochirpurev organize take on even greater significance. Where else, after all, are Bay Area Mongolians going to gather? And what better way to do it than over some giant hunks of slow-cooked lamb?\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtqxNcqA1SU\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Eating the Traditional Way\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first thing that hits when you open up the pot of khorkhog is the smell of the lightly charred meat and the sweet soft-cooked cabbage, which is enough to get you salivating straight away. Sukhbaatar and Ochirpurev pile everything onto big plastic platters, the hunks of lamb comically oversized and dripping with juices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With tongs, they remove the smooth stones, still hot and now fully black, and pass them around for us to hold in our hands, tossing them back and forth like a hot potato. (Just holding the stones is supposed to have health benefits.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, Ochirpurev has forgotten to bring forks and knives, so we eat our khorkhog in the “really traditional” way: ripping the meat apart with our hands, the juices dripping down our chins. It’s a clean and simple taste, so purely lamb-y and elemental. The vegetables have taken on all the savory flavor of the meat. Sukhbaatar warns me that the soup is a little bit oily, but I love how salty and rich and fortifying it is—the perfect thing to warm us up on a cold, drizzly day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915349\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915349 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Man in white T-shirt and blue rubber gloves cuts a piece of lamb with a box cutter.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In lieu of standard utensils, Togi Sukhbaatar uses a box cutter to cut off a slice of lamb. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every occasion of note in the Bay Area’s Mongolian community has been marked in just this way. Ochirpurev says he still remembers celebrating his youngest son’s traditional first-haircut party, when he turned three years old, in this very same park in the Richmond hills. There were 100 or 200 Mongolians who turned up to offer their congratulations—and, of course, there was plenty of khorkhog for everyone to share.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes, it’s true that the Mongolian community has faced a lot of challenges in the past few years, but it’s hard to feel anything but optimistic with a stomach full of khorkhog. And anyway, 2022 is looking up: The Naadam festival is back in person this year, on July 9 at Alameda Point, with well over 1,000 people expected to attend.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baatar, who’s helping to organize the event, tells me there won’t be khorkhog at the festival; it isn’t easy to make enough to feed thousands. But they’ll serve the fried dumplings known as khuushuur. There will be wrestling and archery demonstrations and Mongolian music. Times are changing, Baatar says. Just like the world at large, some Mongolians are getting together virtually on Zoom more often than they do in person.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“America is a melting pot,” Baatar says. “But we’re trying to keep Mongolian culture the same way as in Mongolia.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915350\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915350\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of khorkhog, or Mongolian-style pressure-cooked lamb.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A single portion of khorkhog, ready to eat. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Luke Tsai is KQED’s food editor.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A search for the true history of the dish—and a lesson in how hot rocks and pressure-cooked lamb bring the Bay Area’s Mongolian community together.",
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"description": "A search for the true history of the dish—and a lesson in how hot rocks and pressure-cooked lamb bring the Bay Area’s Mongolian community together.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915325\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1911px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915325 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A metal pot filled with chunks of raw meat sits on an outdoor grill area with wisps of smoke rising up.\" width=\"1911\" height=\"1274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1911w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/020_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1911px) 100vw, 1911px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">To cook khorkhog outdoors at Richmond’s Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, Battulga Ochirpurev filled a pressure cooker with lamb meat, vegetables and blazing hot stones. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">L\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ooking back, it’s a bit embarrassing that I ever believed Mongolian barbecue had anything to do with Mongolia, the country. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was probably 10 or 11 years old when some distant Canadian cousins introduced me to the pleasures of all-you-can-eat griddle-cooked meats, treating my family to what they’d offered up as a fun and novel lunch option in the Toronto suburbs. There was the buffet line where you could customize your sauce and pile as many thinly sliced meats and vegetables onto your tray as you liked. There were the chefs in paper hats, who’d dump everything onto the sizzling flat-top. There was the giant gong that they would bang, unironically, anytime someone’s order was ready.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Years later, while working as the food critic for the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">East Bay Express\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, I sheepishly recounted this memory to Togi Sukhbaatar, who ran \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/togis-serves-real-mongolian-food-2-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a Mongolian restaurant in downtown Oakland\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at the time. “That isn’t really Mongolian at all, is it?” I asked him. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No, it is not. As the story goes, Mongolian barbecue was actually invented in the 1950s by a Taiwanese comedian with no connection to Mongolia. Mong gu kao rou, or “Mongolian barbecue,” wasn’t even his first name choice: He would have advertised his restaurant as serving “Beijing barbecue” if it weren’t politically risky in Taiwan to invoke China so directly at that time. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/14/garden/at-the-nation-s-table-appleton-wis.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">By the ’80s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, kitschy and vaguely Orientalist versions of the restaurant genre had \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://la.eater.com/2018/1/12/16885612/los-angeles-founder-mongolian-bbq-dies\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">become popular\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in much of the United States.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, Sukhbaatar said, there \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">was\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a well-loved Mongolian food that better fit the term “Mongolian barbecue”—a slow-cooked lamb or mutton dish known as khorkhog, which Mongolians eat at every birthday, every wedding, every big family gathering. Even here in the Bay Area, almost any time more than 10 or 20 Mongolian Americans get together—say, in a park or in someone’s backyard—they’ll build a fire to prepare a big pot of khorkhog: a sealed vessel, usually a pressure cooker, filled to the brim with the meat from a whole sheep or lamb, potatoes, carrots, onions and blazing hot rocks.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This, Sukhbaatar told me, was the real Mongolian barbecue.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After I learned about khorkhog, I became mildly obsessed with the dish. But it wasn’t easy to track down. There are only a handful of Mongolian restaurants in the Bay Area to begin with, and only the most ambitious of these even list khorkhog on the menu because the process of cooking it is so time-consuming and unwieldy in the context of a restaurant kitchen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915331\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915331 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"An old pressure cooking sitting on a grill grate, with trees in the background.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/005_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Most Mongolian American families own at least one old-school pressure cooker like this one, which they use for making the slow-cooked lamb dish known as khorkhog. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After years of searching, I finally stumbled across \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Dumpling-House-Mongolian-cuisine-111983887822655/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dumpling House Mongolian Cuisine\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a Mongolian restaurant in Richmond that serves khorkhog all the time, as long as you call ahead to give them a couple of hours of advance notice. Finally, then, I’d have a chance to taste khorkhog for myself. Owners Erika Terbish Erdenechimeg and Battulga Ochirpurev even agreed to cook it for me in the traditional way—outdoors, over a blazing fire. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was also a chance to dig deeper into the questions that had bothered me ever since I first learned about khorkhog. Why was it that, while most everyone in the U.S. is familiar with so-called “Mongolian barbecue,” traditional Mongolian foodways seem to have been completely erased? And why had I heard so little about the Bay Area’s Mongolian community to begin with? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marketing copy for the American chain restaurant version of Mongolian barbecue often cites an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.changsmongoliangrill.com/history/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">origin story\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the dish in which Genghis Khan’s band of fierce nomadic warriors would hunt animals between battles, then grill the meat over fire, using the tops of their shields as a cooking surface. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This, too, is a total fiction. It turns out the story of real Mongolian barbecue—and what it represents for Mongolian Americans looking to connect with their community in the Bay Area today—is far more interesting.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cooking \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘American’ Style\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ochirpurev and Sukhbaatar (who now works in construction) meet me near the entrance of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, a woodsy stretch of the Richmond hills, on a Monday morning armed with a sack of root vegetables and a cooler full of meat. Because of childcare duties, Terbish Erdenechimeg isn’t able to make it, even though Ochirpurev says she’s the real chef of the family. Meanwhile, Ochirpurev’s elderly parents, visiting from Mongolia, join us for the early afternoon khorkhog feast. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915335\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915335\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"An older woman and a man smile, looking down toward the ground in a wooded area.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/031_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Altangerel Deleg (left) and her son Battulga Ochirpurev take a break from preparing the khorkhog. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ochirpurev is a rangy, jovial fellow with close-cropped hair, puffy foam slippers and big, good-natured Asian dad energy. “I drank beer for 30 years. I quit for two years,” he tells me, ripping open a variety pack of Jarritos fruit soda to hand me a bottle. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He and his wife got married in Mongolia in 2000, when she was a 19-year-old volleyball champion. The couple moved to the United States a few years later with their three-year-old son, and worked whatever odd jobs they could get—Ochirpurev’s first gig was sweeping floors at a Kmart in Missouri. (Now, he tells me, reaching for a fist bump, that same son attends UC Davis.) Terbish Erdenechimeg, for her part, cooked at a few different restaurants before the couple \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2019/11/19/a-taste-of-mongolia-for-richmond-residents/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">opened their own place in Richmond in 2012.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While it’s hard to get an accurate count, most estimates peg the Mongolian population in Northern California at around \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/our_sections/forum/mongolians-in-the-bay-area-are-optimistic-about-the-future/article_34cfc134-4488-55ce-ab59-25000109856e.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">8,000 to 10,000\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—a tight-knit community, but one that’s too small and dispersed to easily support a business like Dumpling House on its own. Indeed, Ochirpurev estimates that about 70% of his customers are actually Tibetan; the two cuisines share a similar array of dumplings and noodle dishes. But it’s usually only Mongolians who will order khorkhog, Ochirpurev says. No one else knows what it is.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He shows me the weathered, ancient pressure cooker that he’s brought along for the occasion, one of several that he and his wife have collected from flea markets over the years. This particular model was originally used by the American military—“heavy duty,” he tells me, rapping on the lid.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915328\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1853px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915328\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a pot filled with chunks of raw meat and rocks with wisps of smoke rising up.\" width=\"1853\" height=\"1236\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/014_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1853px) 100vw, 1853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">To assemble the khorkhog, add alternating layers of meat and hot rocks. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ochirpurev describes his method of cooking khorkhog as “American style,” explaining that most people in Mongolia don’t have access to pressure cookers. Back home, the most common way to prepare khorkhog is to cook the meat inside the metallic 40-liter Russian water jugs scattered throughout the countryside—remnants of the Soviet military presence in Mongolia. Crafty home cooks turn these water jugs into makeshift pressure cookers by standing on top of the lid while the meat is cooking, using the full weight of their body to hold it down. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Isn’t that dangerous?” I ask when Ochirpurev shows me a Facebook photo of his cousin doing exactly that, teetering precariously like he’s about to fall off. “It is dangerous!” he says, cackling. “Sometimes they go flying!”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The “American” style of making khorkhog has a kind of improvised, off-the-cuff quality to it, at least as practiced by Ochirpurev and his family on this Monday afternoon. Ochirpurev pours a bag of self-lighting charcoal and piles it at the base of the outdoor grill, then lights up the coals with a flick of his cigarette lighter. (People don’t have much access to charcoal in Mongolia, he explains, so they just use some combination of wood chips and fallen tree branches, which he also applies liberally to feed the flames.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Traditionally, one of the keys to making proper khorkhog is to gather stones from a nearby river—smooth river stones being the ideal vessel to withstand high heat without cracking or splintering. For his Americanized version, Ochirpurev has brought a large bag of decorative “creek stones,” the kind you can buy at Home Depot or any garden store. After they’ve been buried inside the burning charcoal for about half an hour, the stones are blazing hot. To assemble the khorkhog, Ochirpurev layers the hot rocks with big pieces of freshly butchered lamb from a local halal ranch, alternating layers of lamb and rocks until the pressure cooker is filled to the top. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A woman tosses carrots and potatoes into a pot.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/016_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Altangerel Deleg adds fresh vegetables to the pot. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, Ochirpurev’s mother adds fresh vegetables to the pot: potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and rutabaga. (Rutabaga is the secret ingredient that makes khorkhog and many other Mongolian dishes taste delicious, Ochirpurev says.) Then come big handfuls of spice, pre-measured by Terbish Erdenechimeg back at the restaurant—a mixture that smells strongly of garlic and onion powder, though it’s mostly just salt, black pepper and bay leaves. Sukhbaatar, the former Oakland restaurant owner, explains that the seasoning is meant to be very simple, in order to bring out the natural flavor of the meat. A little bit of water goes in the pot too, to form the base of a soup.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Really, though, the hot stones inside the pot are what set khorkhog apart from any other slow-cooked stew. Once the pressure cooker is sealed up, Ochirpurev sets it over the fire. About an hour later, we’re ready to open up the pot and dig in.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Father of Khorkhog\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even within Mongolia, khorkhog is very much an evolving tradition. The proliferation of those big Soviet-era water jugs throughout Mongolia is part of the dish’s origin story, according to Shirchin Baatar, a local Mongolian community leader who founded the Bay Area Mongolian Community Association (BAMCA) in 2003. In that sense, the modern form of the dish is a byproduct of Mongolia’s complicated politics in the 20th century—its history as a landlocked buffer zone during various conflicts between China and the USSR and its many decades of Soviet occupation. “Khorkhog was invented during Soviet times,” Baatar says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nevertheless, the dish traces its roots to a much older Mongolian food tradition known as boodog, a dish that Mongolian hunters have prepared for centuries, removing all the bones from a deer, antelope or other wild game in order to form a “bag” out of its skin. Then they’d cut up the meat, put it back inside the skin bag along with hot rocks, and tie it up tight. The whole thing would be cooked over fire, with the skin bag essentially serving as a natural form of “pressure cooker.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Baatar puts it, “Boodog is the father of khorkhog.” The basic principle is the same: The meat gets steamed inside the bag, but it also gets burned by the hot rocks, so you end up with a final product that’s “half steamed, half burned.” That’s the essence of what makes khorkhog taste so good. In that way, it follows the same principle as all great barbecue dishes that combine some form of slow cooking with a scorching flame. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915339\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915339\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"An old-fashioned pressure cooker heated over a fire outdoors.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/026_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The hot rocks inside scorch the meat while the fire builds up the steam pressure inside the pot. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the tastiest part of the boodog, according to Baatar? When you put the skin bag over the fire, all the hair burns off and the skin gets nice and crispy. It’s a cooking vessel you can eat.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baatar says his uncles and grand-uncles in Mongolia still prepare boodog the old-fashioned way when they go hunting in the summer. Even in the United States, if you’re friends with the right Mongolian folks, you might have a chance to experience it. He’s had friends who have cooked wild boars and marmots that way after hunting trips in Colorado or in the Sacramento area. “Marmots are very delicious,” he says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘We Have to Have That Kind of Place’\u003c/span>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As extraordinary as an excursion like that sounds, these foodways are largely invisible to the majority of Northern Californians. It’s fairly easy to speculate why Mongolians in the Bay Area don’t have the same kind of visibility as more well-known Asian immigrant groups like the region’s Chinese American and Korean American communities. The population is just much, much smaller, and it isn’t necessarily concentrated in any single ethnic enclave. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s also a relatively new immigrant community, explains Baatar. Mongolians didn’t really start arriving in the Bay Area until the mid-’90s, when a number of them received student visas to study English at a language school in San Francisco. Many of those early arrivals either overstayed their visas or were able to find jobs here, but when Baatar himself arrived in 1998, there were still only about 70 Mongolians in the Bay Area. It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that there were at least a couple thousand Mongolian immigrants living in the region.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sukhbaatar, who only ran his restaurant—Togi’s Mongolian Cuisine—for a couple of years, says the cuisine has had even less visibility because there have never been very many real Mongolian restaurants. Many of that early wave of immigrants worked in restaurants or even opened restaurants of their own—but often they would be Japanese sushi restaurants, or restaurants specializing in other Asian cuisines that seemed more viable from a business perspective. Only in the last few years have there been a greater number of restaurants that put traditional Mongolian food front and center.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915352\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915352\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Ochirpurev Sambuudorj and Altangerel Deleg sit at a picnic table.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/037_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ochirpurev Sambuudorj and Altangerel Deleg sit at an outdoor picnic table at Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, listening to Mongolian music while they wait for the khorkhog to cook. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baatar and Sukhbaatar say these restaurants are some of the few remaining places where Mongolians can socialize together outside their homes. The pandemic, in particular, has had a pronounced alienating effect on the community. In Oakland, a Mongolian language school for kids, which also taught Mongolian music and dancing, closed down during the pandemic. Each summer, the community usually gathers together to celebrate Naadaam, a traditional festival with wrestling, archery and horse racing. It was canceled the past two years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Most significant, says Sukhbaatar, was the closure of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/mongol-bar-oakland\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mongol Bar\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a community club and informal bar in downtown Oakland, down the street from his former restaurant, where he used to go after work almost every night. Located above a Thai restaurant on Webster Street, without any sign to mark its existence, the bar was completely invisible to those outside of the local Mongolian community. But inside, it was a lively scene night after night—the one place where Sukhbaatar knew he could always go to hang out with other Mongolians. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beke (who preferred not to give his last name), Mongol Bar’s last owner, says on busy nights there were as many as 100 people packed inside the space, which featured a karaoke room, pool tables and a small dance floor. Some nights would be loud and high-energy, “like we’re in the club,” Beke recalls. Other nights, it would be more low-key—just groups of friends drinking Heinekens, shooting pool and having quiet conversation. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915353\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915353\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Togi Sukhbaatar and Battulga Ochirpurev stand over an outdoor spread of roast meats and vegetables.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/053_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Togi Sukhbaatar and Battulga Ochirpurev get ready to dig into their khorkhog feast. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beke closed the bar late in 2019, even before COVID hit, in part because the finances weren’t sustainable, but more so because he was burned out running the place by himself. Many nights he’d keep the place open until 4 or 5am, and he just couldn’t do it anymore.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Area Mongolian Americans like Sukhbaatar and Ochirpurev still mourn the loss of the bar. “I was living there for 10 years,” Ochirpurev says. Sukhbaatar says he feels its absence most intensely when he thinks about young people in the Mongolian American community who no longer have many places where they can connect with others who share their culture. “We have to have that kind of place,” he says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In that context, informal khorkhog gatherings like the ones that Sukhbaatar and Ochirpurev organize take on even greater significance. Where else, after all, are Bay Area Mongolians going to gather? And what better way to do it than over some giant hunks of slow-cooked lamb?\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/FtqxNcqA1SU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/FtqxNcqA1SU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>Eating the Traditional Way\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first thing that hits when you open up the pot of khorkhog is the smell of the lightly charred meat and the sweet soft-cooked cabbage, which is enough to get you salivating straight away. Sukhbaatar and Ochirpurev pile everything onto big plastic platters, the hunks of lamb comically oversized and dripping with juices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With tongs, they remove the smooth stones, still hot and now fully black, and pass them around for us to hold in our hands, tossing them back and forth like a hot potato. (Just holding the stones is supposed to have health benefits.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, Ochirpurev has forgotten to bring forks and knives, so we eat our khorkhog in the “really traditional” way: ripping the meat apart with our hands, the juices dripping down our chins. It’s a clean and simple taste, so purely lamb-y and elemental. The vegetables have taken on all the savory flavor of the meat. Sukhbaatar warns me that the soup is a little bit oily, but I love how salty and rich and fortifying it is—the perfect thing to warm us up on a cold, drizzly day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915349\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13915349 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"Man in white T-shirt and blue rubber gloves cuts a piece of lamb with a box cutter.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/044_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In lieu of standard utensils, Togi Sukhbaatar uses a box cutter to cut off a slice of lamb. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every occasion of note in the Bay Area’s Mongolian community has been marked in just this way. Ochirpurev says he still remembers celebrating his youngest son’s traditional first-haircut party, when he turned three years old, in this very same park in the Richmond hills. There were 100 or 200 Mongolians who turned up to offer their congratulations—and, of course, there was plenty of khorkhog for everyone to share.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes, it’s true that the Mongolian community has faced a lot of challenges in the past few years, but it’s hard to feel anything but optimistic with a stomach full of khorkhog. And anyway, 2022 is looking up: The Naadam festival is back in person this year, on July 9 at Alameda Point, with well over 1,000 people expected to attend.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baatar, who’s helping to organize the event, tells me there won’t be khorkhog at the festival; it isn’t easy to make enough to feed thousands. But they’ll serve the fried dumplings known as khuushuur. There will be wrestling and archery demonstrations and Mongolian music. Times are changing, Baatar says. Just like the world at large, some Mongolians are getting together virtually on Zoom more often than they do in person.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“America is a melting pot,” Baatar says. “But we’re trying to keep Mongolian culture the same way as in Mongolia.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915350\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915350\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of khorkhog, or Mongolian-style pressure-cooked lamb.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/061_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A single portion of khorkhog, ready to eat. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "In the Multicultural Bay Area, There Are a Thousand Ways to Barbecue",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>BBQ in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring the Bay Area’s multicultural barbecue scene. New installments will post every day from June 28–July 1. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I didn’t exactly grow up on barbecue. At least, not in a traditional sense.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the first 20 or so years of my life, I thought of it mostly as a condiment—the sticky-sweet sauce that sometimes came slathered on chicken legs or a rack of baby back ribs. It was the verb I used when friends wanted to get together and throw a bunch of burgers and hot dogs on the grill. “Yo, let’s all meet up at Roosevelt Park to shoot hoops and barbecue.” It was a type of Korean food, maybe. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But eventually, like nearly every other food-obsessed person in the Bay, I became conversant in Barbecue with a capital “B.” Was indoctrinated into the church of “low and slow.” Watched pitmasters pull wobbly, black-crusted briskets straight out of the smoker. Learned to ask for the sauce on the side. Pretended to know more than I did about what constitutes a proper smoke ring.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I even got pedantic about the topic in the way that only true barbecue geeks can. (“That’s not barbecue; that’s just grilling!” are words that may or may not have come out of my mouth.) And, lest I get mocked online by skeptical Texans or North Carolinians, I learned to preemptively say what I’d become convinced was an unvarnished truth—that the Bay Area really didn’t have much of a barbecue culture to speak of.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“I think about how all the different communities in the multicultural Bay Area gather and celebrate around a giant hunk of slow-cooked (or even not-so-slowly cooked!) meat.”[/pullquote]Lately, though, I’ve started to think about my early, “pre-enlightened” years in a different way. I remember how whenever I had friends over during the summertime when I was a kid, my dad would throw pork chops marinated in soy sauce and garlic on the grill. We would devour these juicy chops, not even bothering with a knife, with freshly buttered corn on the cob and heaping mounds of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://tastecooking.com/jif-peanut-butter-cold-sesame-noodles/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">my mom’s peanut butter cold noodles\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on the side. I think about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897272/bay-area-taiwanese-food-scene-nostalgia\">when I lived in Taiwan during my late 20s\u003c/a>, and my coworkers invited me out to barbecue with them for the Mid-Autumn festival—how we crouched on the sidewalk and cooked meat skewers over charcoal on a makeshift grill grate set up on the rim of a car tire. Somehow, each skewer tasted better to me than the finest wagyu steak. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915312,arts_13915387,arts_13915489' label='More BBQ']I think about all the times I’ve \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/borinquen-soul-dishes-out-puerto-rican-grandma-food-inside-an-oakland-convenience-store-2-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">waited in line for pernil\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at the local Puerto Rican restaurant, or the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/straight-outta-kingston-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">big plates of jerk chicken\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I’ve savored at my favorite Jamaican spot. And then I think about how all the different communities in the multicultural Bay Area gather and celebrate around a giant hunk of slow-cooked (or even not-so-slowly cooked!) meat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, today KQED kicks off a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">five-part series about barbecue\u003c/a>. But it isn’t just about a specific cooking technique. Instead, the stories we publish this week will look at all of the different ways that a big, festive centerpiece to a meal—and all of the labor that goes into preparing it—help bring our Bay Area communities together. We’ll visit a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915581/lechon-filipino-american-party-oriental-food-market-concord\">Filipino lechon party\u003c/a> and get a behind-the-scenes peek at an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915646/barbacoa-mejia-richmond-flea-market\">underground barbacoa operation\u003c/a>. We’ll learn about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915312/real-mongolian-barbecue-khorkhog-richmond\">Mongolian barbecue traditions\u003c/a> that don’t have anything to do with buffet-style chain restaurants. And yes, we’ll talk classic brisket and ribs too, but from the perspective of the guy who \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915489/gstacks-smokers-barbecue-welder-american-made\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">builds\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the smokers, and from someone who competes on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915387/amateur-bbq-competition-comic-dentist-pleasant-hill\">amateur circuit\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915379\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915379\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A man lifts up the lid of a pressure cooker to reveal lamb and cabbage inside.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khorkhog, a Mongolian dish of pressure-cooked lamb, is just one of the many ways that barbecue helps different Bay Area communities come together. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Look: Even now, as we’re weighed down by the heaviness of each day’s horrifying news cycle, people are planning cookouts for this weekend. They’re making playlists and mixing spices for dry rubs. They’re selecting whole hogs and threading pieces of meat onto skewers. They’re going to build as big a fire as they need to. Because, especially now, everyone deserves the chance to cherish every last moment of joy with their people. Our hope is that this set of uniquely Bay Area barbecue stories provides inspiration for a few new ways to do just that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Luke Tsai is KQED’s food editor.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Lately, though, I’ve started to think about my early, “pre-enlightened” years in a different way. I remember how whenever I had friends over during the summertime when I was a kid, my dad would throw pork chops marinated in soy sauce and garlic on the grill. We would devour these juicy chops, not even bothering with a knife, with freshly buttered corn on the cob and heaping mounds of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://tastecooking.com/jif-peanut-butter-cold-sesame-noodles/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">my mom’s peanut butter cold noodles\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on the side. I think about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897272/bay-area-taiwanese-food-scene-nostalgia\">when I lived in Taiwan during my late 20s\u003c/a>, and my coworkers invited me out to barbecue with them for the Mid-Autumn festival—how we crouched on the sidewalk and cooked meat skewers over charcoal on a makeshift grill grate set up on the rim of a car tire. Somehow, each skewer tasted better to me than the finest wagyu steak. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I think about all the times I’ve \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/borinquen-soul-dishes-out-puerto-rican-grandma-food-inside-an-oakland-convenience-store-2-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">waited in line for pernil\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at the local Puerto Rican restaurant, or the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/straight-outta-kingston-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">big plates of jerk chicken\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I’ve savored at my favorite Jamaican spot. And then I think about how all the different communities in the multicultural Bay Area gather and celebrate around a giant hunk of slow-cooked (or even not-so-slowly cooked!) meat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, today KQED kicks off a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">five-part series about barbecue\u003c/a>. But it isn’t just about a specific cooking technique. Instead, the stories we publish this week will look at all of the different ways that a big, festive centerpiece to a meal—and all of the labor that goes into preparing it—help bring our Bay Area communities together. We’ll visit a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915581/lechon-filipino-american-party-oriental-food-market-concord\">Filipino lechon party\u003c/a> and get a behind-the-scenes peek at an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915646/barbacoa-mejia-richmond-flea-market\">underground barbacoa operation\u003c/a>. We’ll learn about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915312/real-mongolian-barbecue-khorkhog-richmond\">Mongolian barbecue traditions\u003c/a> that don’t have anything to do with buffet-style chain restaurants. And yes, we’ll talk classic brisket and ribs too, but from the perspective of the guy who \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915489/gstacks-smokers-barbecue-welder-american-made\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">builds\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the smokers, and from someone who competes on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915387/amateur-bbq-competition-comic-dentist-pleasant-hill\">amateur circuit\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915379\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915379\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg\" alt=\"A man lifts up the lid of a pressure cooker to reveal lamb and cabbage inside.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/038_KQEDArts_MongolianKhorkhog_05092022-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khorkhog, a Mongolian dish of pressure-cooked lamb, is just one of the many ways that barbecue helps different Bay Area communities come together. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Look: Even now, as we’re weighed down by the heaviness of each day’s horrifying news cycle, people are planning cookouts for this weekend. They’re making playlists and mixing spices for dry rubs. They’re selecting whole hogs and threading pieces of meat onto skewers. They’re going to build as big a fire as they need to. Because, especially now, everyone deserves the chance to cherish every last moment of joy with their people. Our hope is that this set of uniquely Bay Area barbecue stories provides inspiration for a few new ways to do just that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Luke Tsai is KQED’s food editor.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Being Black at Chez Panisse: Comfort Collective Returns to Its Roots",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s something extra flavorful—and spiritually nourishing—about food that is made from a place of deep love and care. Or, as Sadé Stamps, a co-founder of the pop-up \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/eat.drink.comfort/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comfort Collective\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, used to hear from her mother growing up: “Do not cook my food when you’re angry.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since launching in 2021, the pop-up has stayed true to that philosophy through its focus on Black, trans and queer joy. By creating spaces of safety and inclusion, Stamps and co-founder Christian Washington have gracefully asserted themselves as a rising entity in the Bay Area. Their collective offers glamorous, eclectic dining experiences with themes like “AbunDANCE” (a dance-centric dinner party) and “R&Brunch” (a soulful amalgamation of R&B DJs, booze and grits with greens).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The events sell out quickly, and Stamps and Washington have already garnered partnerships with esteemed food and entertainment venues around the Bay Area, such as the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland cocktail bar \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/friendsandfamilybar/\">Friends and Family\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And even though the collective’s pop-ups lean toward a youthful audience and forward-thinking menus, there’s no questioning its kitchen pedigree—Washington got her start working the grill station at Berkeley’s iconic \u003ca href=\"https://www.chezpanisse.com/1/\">Chez Panisse\u003c/a>, widely acknowledged as the birthplace of California cuisine.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, with Pride Week on the horizon, Comfort Collective is returning to where it all started: On Monday, June 27, Stamps and Washington will host a Summer Solstice Supper pop-up at Chez Panisse, which is also where they held their debut event one year ago.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CezWnLXPNFg/?hl=en\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even with their elevated sense of cuisine and style, the two kindred spirits have stayed true to their humble, “dance floor” origins.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I met [Christian] at the club,” laughs Stamps. “That’s how we started. By the grace of community and by the grace of connection.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A former beverage director at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sobremesaoak/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sobre Mesa\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Stamps now operates as Comfort Collective’s “Libation Liaison,” delivering original cocktails born from her love of Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Alice Coltrane. Paired with Washington’s soulful takes on Southern- and Caribbean-inspired foods, the friends are dishing out deliciously good vibes on a wider scale.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The community has supported us, so now we’re passing it back to community,” says Washington. “[We are] feeding and creating a safe space for Black, queer and trans people to have a good time, but also for people in this industry who identify this way and are looking for a safe space to earn a living wage while experiencing joy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915122\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915122\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens.jpeg\" alt=\"A plate of sautéed greans and beans.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1971\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-800x788.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-1020x1005.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-160x158.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-768x757.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-1536x1514.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-1920x1892.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plate of greens, cooked with Rihanna on the mind. \u003ccite>(Comfort Collective)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The June 27 function will offer a four-course prix-fixe menu, highlighted by Washington’s Rihanna-loving takes on fried green tomatoes, curried goat cheese soufflé, jerk shrimp and scallops, and peach cobbler. In Washington’s words, “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I don’t know if my pots of greens can come out how I want if I’m not listening to music. I can taste when Rihanna is playing.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stamps’ a la carte cocktail menu will feature \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mommenpop/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mommenpop\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—a Napa-based citrus aperitif that was “birthed at Chez Panisse,” according to Stamps—and specialities like a low-ABV pot-liquor martini.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[Pot liquor is] that really beautiful, tasty, salty brine at the bottom of a pot of greens,” explains Stamps. “I’m mixing that with vermouth, a neutral spirit. Using [these ingredients] in this circuitous way is really special to me.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915123\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Colorful cocktails lined up on a bar counter.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-800x628.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-1020x800.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-160x126.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-768x603.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-1536x1205.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-2048x1607.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-1920x1507.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cocktails courtesy of “Libations Liaison” Sadé Stamps. \u003ccite>(Comfort Collective)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That level of detail defines Comfort Collective’s approach to not only their food, but to the many ways they engage with each space they collaborate with. They “adapt” their own identities and interests to each venue, drawing from a wide spectrum of histories, ingredients and vibrations to create moments of experiential communion.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their appearance at Chez Panisse is particularly poetic, since it’s where Washington started her career—and also because it brings visibility to marginalized communities at one of California’s most esteemed culinary institutions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Chez being the institution that it is, it’s like a breathing organism,” Washington says. “What we’re doing is focusing on a different diaspora and bringing what we know. We’re adapting their methods and recipes to produce something different. We’re just gonna be Black at Chez Panisse.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13914092,arts_13914400']Rather than offering a ricotta cheese soufflé—a classic dish that’s based on the Italian and French flavor profiles you would typically find at Chez Panisse—Washington is introducing a curry goat cheese. That’s what’s popular in the Caribbean and how their mother would’ve made it, they say.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s not going to be a complete 180,” Stamps adds. “We want to align with what [Chez Panisse has] going on already. That happens with a lot of our pop-ups. We don’t pop up somewhere we don’t already love. We work in tandem with what exists in those spaces.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With summer approaching, the collective aims to carry on the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2022/6/6/23156879/comfort-collective-pop-up-christian-washington-sade-stamps\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lineage of mentorships, family lessons and homestyle loving\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that it’s already been serving up with innovative partners like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Transgender District\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fobkitchen.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">FOB Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Wherever Comfort Collective goes, they know how to dance in step and spread love.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Washington puts it, “We are at work, yes, but we’re having a good time. ”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915119\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2009px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915119\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Sadé Stamps and Christian Washington hold wine bottles and glasses for a toast outside of the restaurant FOB Kitchen.\" width=\"2009\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-scaled.jpg 2009w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-800x1020.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1020x1300.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-160x204.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-768x979.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1205x1536.jpg 1205w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1607x2048.jpg 1607w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1920x2447.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2009px) 100vw, 2009px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stamps (left) and Washington share a joyful moment outside one of their past pop-up events. \u003ccite>(Comfort Collective)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12904247 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eatdrinkcomfort.com/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Summer Solstice Supper\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at Chez Panisse (1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley) will take place on Monday, June 27, 6–8 pm. Tickets are $150 per person and require advanced reservations. E-mail reservations@chezpanisse.com to book. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s something extra flavorful—and spiritually nourishing—about food that is made from a place of deep love and care. Or, as Sadé Stamps, a co-founder of the pop-up \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/eat.drink.comfort/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Comfort Collective\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, used to hear from her mother growing up: “Do not cook my food when you’re angry.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since launching in 2021, the pop-up has stayed true to that philosophy through its focus on Black, trans and queer joy. By creating spaces of safety and inclusion, Stamps and co-founder Christian Washington have gracefully asserted themselves as a rising entity in the Bay Area. Their collective offers glamorous, eclectic dining experiences with themes like “AbunDANCE” (a dance-centric dinner party) and “R&Brunch” (a soulful amalgamation of R&B DJs, booze and grits with greens).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The events sell out quickly, and Stamps and Washington have already garnered partnerships with esteemed food and entertainment venues around the Bay Area, such as the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland cocktail bar \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/friendsandfamilybar/\">Friends and Family\u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And even though the collective’s pop-ups lean toward a youthful audience and forward-thinking menus, there’s no questioning its kitchen pedigree—Washington got her start working the grill station at Berkeley’s iconic \u003ca href=\"https://www.chezpanisse.com/1/\">Chez Panisse\u003c/a>, widely acknowledged as the birthplace of California cuisine.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, with Pride Week on the horizon, Comfort Collective is returning to where it all started: On Monday, June 27, Stamps and Washington will host a Summer Solstice Supper pop-up at Chez Panisse, which is also where they held their debut event one year ago.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even with their elevated sense of cuisine and style, the two kindred spirits have stayed true to their humble, “dance floor” origins.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I met [Christian] at the club,” laughs Stamps. “That’s how we started. By the grace of community and by the grace of connection.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A former beverage director at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sobremesaoak/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sobre Mesa\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Stamps now operates as Comfort Collective’s “Libation Liaison,” delivering original cocktails born from her love of Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Alice Coltrane. Paired with Washington’s soulful takes on Southern- and Caribbean-inspired foods, the friends are dishing out deliciously good vibes on a wider scale.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The community has supported us, so now we’re passing it back to community,” says Washington. “[We are] feeding and creating a safe space for Black, queer and trans people to have a good time, but also for people in this industry who identify this way and are looking for a safe space to earn a living wage while experiencing joy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915122\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915122\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens.jpeg\" alt=\"A plate of sautéed greans and beans.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1971\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-800x788.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-1020x1005.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-160x158.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-768x757.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-1536x1514.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_greens-1920x1892.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plate of greens, cooked with Rihanna on the mind. \u003ccite>(Comfort Collective)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The June 27 function will offer a four-course prix-fixe menu, highlighted by Washington’s Rihanna-loving takes on fried green tomatoes, curried goat cheese soufflé, jerk shrimp and scallops, and peach cobbler. In Washington’s words, “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I don’t know if my pots of greens can come out how I want if I’m not listening to music. I can taste when Rihanna is playing.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stamps’ a la carte cocktail menu will feature \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mommenpop/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mommenpop\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—a Napa-based citrus aperitif that was “birthed at Chez Panisse,” according to Stamps—and specialities like a low-ABV pot-liquor martini.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“[Pot liquor is] that really beautiful, tasty, salty brine at the bottom of a pot of greens,” explains Stamps. “I’m mixing that with vermouth, a neutral spirit. Using [these ingredients] in this circuitous way is really special to me.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915123\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Colorful cocktails lined up on a bar counter.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2009\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-800x628.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-1020x800.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-160x126.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-768x603.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-1536x1205.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-2048x1607.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_drinks-1920x1507.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cocktails courtesy of “Libations Liaison” Sadé Stamps. \u003ccite>(Comfort Collective)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That level of detail defines Comfort Collective’s approach to not only their food, but to the many ways they engage with each space they collaborate with. They “adapt” their own identities and interests to each venue, drawing from a wide spectrum of histories, ingredients and vibrations to create moments of experiential communion.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their appearance at Chez Panisse is particularly poetic, since it’s where Washington started her career—and also because it brings visibility to marginalized communities at one of California’s most esteemed culinary institutions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Chez being the institution that it is, it’s like a breathing organism,” Washington says. “What we’re doing is focusing on a different diaspora and bringing what we know. We’re adapting their methods and recipes to produce something different. We’re just gonna be Black at Chez Panisse.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Rather than offering a ricotta cheese soufflé—a classic dish that’s based on the Italian and French flavor profiles you would typically find at Chez Panisse—Washington is introducing a curry goat cheese. That’s what’s popular in the Caribbean and how their mother would’ve made it, they say.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s not going to be a complete 180,” Stamps adds. “We want to align with what [Chez Panisse has] going on already. That happens with a lot of our pop-ups. We don’t pop up somewhere we don’t already love. We work in tandem with what exists in those spaces.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With summer approaching, the collective aims to carry on the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2022/6/6/23156879/comfort-collective-pop-up-christian-washington-sade-stamps\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lineage of mentorships, family lessons and homestyle loving\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that it’s already been serving up with innovative partners like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Transgender District\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.fobkitchen.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">FOB Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Wherever Comfort Collective goes, they know how to dance in step and spread love.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Washington puts it, “We are at work, yes, but we’re having a good time. ”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915119\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2009px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915119\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Sadé Stamps and Christian Washington hold wine bottles and glasses for a toast outside of the restaurant FOB Kitchen.\" width=\"2009\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-scaled.jpg 2009w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-800x1020.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1020x1300.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-160x204.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-768x979.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1205x1536.jpg 1205w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1607x2048.jpg 1607w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/comfortcollective_toast-1920x2447.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2009px) 100vw, 2009px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stamps (left) and Washington share a joyful moment outside one of their past pop-up events. \u003ccite>(Comfort Collective)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12904247 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eatdrinkcomfort.com/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Summer Solstice Supper\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at Chez Panisse (1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley) will take place on Monday, June 27, 6–8 pm. Tickets are $150 per person and require advanced reservations. E-mail reservations@chezpanisse.com to book. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How Alyssa Wang Became the Bay Area’s Queen of Boba",
"headTitle": "How Alyssa Wang Became the Bay Area’s Queen of Boba | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Every week, I would have piano lessons, and if I did well, my teacher would give me a sticker. If I got a sticker, then my mom would take me to Tapioca Express, ” says Alyssa Wang, who goes by the online name \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/feedmeimei/videos\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feed Meimei\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “So I’ve always loved boba since I was a kid.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Asian Americans of a certain generation, this kind of childhood nostalgia is commonplace. But Wang, 27, is one of the only ones who has transformed her boba love into a career. She is the internet’s likely first full-time boba content creator. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, Feed Meimei boasts more than 605,000 subscribers on Youtube, 737,000 followers on her Tiktok and 242,000 followers on Instagram. Over the past five years, Wang has made more than 70 Youtube videos documenting her countless visits to Bay Area boba shops. Wang’s favorite boba shop in the Bay Area, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.urbanritualcafe.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Urban Ritual\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even named a drink after her. The drink is currently one of the store’s top three sellers, according to founder David Zhou. Whenever Wang posts about Urban Ritual, the store usually sees a 10 percent uptick in sales.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In that sense, Wang has become one of the most powerful people in the Bay Area boba scene—a kingmaker of sorts whose videos, many which are filmed inside her car, often wind up having a real impact on a small shop’s business fortunes. It’s a future that Wang never could have imagined when she was a college student posting food recommendations just for fun. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>From Software Engineer to Social Media Creator\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang’s food blogging journey began in 2013 when she was a freshman at UC Davis studying computer science and psychology. As a hobby, she made @davis_eats, an Instagram account documenting her adventures exploring the college town’s food scene. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After graduating, Wang moved back to the Bay Area to live with her parents and began working as a software engineer. While she enjoyed coding, she found that she didn’t like it enough to do it eight hours a day. What she did love was building her food Instagram, which she renamed \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/feedmeimei/?hl=en\">Feed Meimei\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I found myself at work just being like, ‘I really wish I could just keep doing that. I want to go out and be shooting content at restaurants,’” Wang says. “It took months for me to come to terms with the fact that I was going to take this untraditional route. Growing up, I always thought I would be a doctor, lawyer or engineer, the classic jobs that Asian parents want you to do.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915017\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915017\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman sits in cafe booth with a huge stack of oversized cups of boba in front of her.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wang is likely the internet’s first full-time boba influencer. \u003ccite>(Alyssa Wang / @feedmeimei)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang decided at the end of 2018 to quit her job in tech to pursue content creation full time, a decision she says was partially inspired by the path of fellow UC Davis grad TJ Lee, known online as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/cupoftj\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cup of TJ\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Wang had saved up money from her job and didn’t have other major financial responsibilities at the time. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She hit the ground running in January 2019, churning out two Youtube videos per week and doing everything from storyboarding, preparing drinks and food, shooting and editing. On Instagram, she started making original content six times per week. In June 2019, she \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@feedmeimei?lang=en\">joined TikTok\u003c/a> and started posting there as well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I was just like, go, go, go, just put my head down and work,” Wang says. “I was very much in the mindset of like, ‘I’m just going to work, I’m going to upload, and as long as I keep going, then eventually I will be able to succeed.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Combatting Creator Burnout\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was unsustainable. At the end of 2019, she began to question why she was “working so hard towards something that was never going to happen.” So she took a break from content creation, a field where likes and views have made it notoriously easy to compare your own journey to those of others. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, the pandemic hit. While tinkering with unpublished footage, at first out of sheer boredom, Wang rediscovered her love for making videos about food. She slowly began posting on Youtube again, just once a week. In 2021, she began experimenting with making boba from scratch and forming it into different characters. Those turned out to be her first “viral” moments. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CbeDBwFF_Rw/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a video with 1.2 million views on TikTok and 5.7 million views on Youtube Shorts, Wang melts down a strawberry Melona bar to make red panda-shaped tapioca pearls inspired by Pixar’s \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Turning Red\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In another TikTok video with 5.9 million views, she makes \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lZ-G3ASbLAc\">cotton-candy pink, Kirby-shaped pearls\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The success has obviously helped, but being a full-time creator for more than three years has also taught Wang the importance of practicing self-care. She has learned to liberally use Youtube’s “don’t recommend channel” feature to prevent its algorithm from displaying other creators’ videos on her feed. It’s nothing personal—she’s ecstatic for their success—“but I also don’t want myself to feel like I’m not doing enough or I’m not happy where I am,” Wang says, “because I am happy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The other thing that has helped, Wang says, is that family support, particularly from her mom, has remained constant. And that has made all the difference.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang’s mom even \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">makes\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> frequent, highly-requested appearances in videos. (She has been featured in more than 60 of them so far.) The mother and daughter’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyB1W1tgHUw\">matching levels of enthusiasm for food\u003c/a> make for lighthearted entertainment that some viewers have said reminds them of their interactions with their own family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bGRQJzAKZw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Coming from an Asian upbringing, usually families aren’t super expressive with their emotions,” Wang says. “But, food, it was always something that could bring us together.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Queen of Many Domains\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some of Wang’s subscribers may have originally come across her channel due to her viral boba videos, her positivity keeps them coming back for more—no matter the video’s subject. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her well-received forays into making non-boba content are proof. She’s made food guides for the Bay Area, Taiwan, Japan, Toronto, Los Angeles, Hawaii and more. Her recent videos include a taste test and ranking of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyB1W1tgHUw\">every appetizer, dumpling and noodle dish at chain restaurant Din Tai Fung\u003c/a> alongside her mom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang speaks to the camera directly, casually, as a friend. Seldom does she offer overt criticism. It’s what sets her, and other food influencers, apart from the professional food critics.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915020\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915020\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman smiles holding a colorful, seven-scoop ice cream cone in each hand.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1920x2400.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Feed Meimei has branched out beyond boba to post videos about other food-related topics like soup dumplings and ice cream. \u003ccite>(Alyssa Wang / @feedmeimei)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sbe’s become somewhat of a local star, especially in the Bay Area’s boba scene. Baristas often tell her that customers use her videos as a guide for what to order, she says. She’s not fully used to the attention yet, and still finds it unreal that her subscribers will “sit there and watch me talk about food for, like, 20 minutes.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904913,arts_13897410,arts_13908947']It’s been a successful endeavor so far, if the Feed Meimei team’s rapid expansion is any indication. In the past month, Wang has taken on a hiring manager, an assistant and a lawyer—a move that she says has been “long overdue.” Soon, she’ll hire another editor and start a new Youtube channel for casual vlogging. She did not delve into specifics of her financial situation, but, like other influencers, she generates income through a combination of brand partnerships, ad revenue, merchandise and collaborations—her Urban Ritual drink included. She makes enough, at least, that she doesn’t need to take on any other day job.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang, a deeply nostalgic person, drew the flavor profile for her “Feed Me Ube” collaboration drink from her childhood. Her voice picks up as she describes the decadent drink, which features ube-flavored crème brûlée pudding, taro chunks, coconut milk and a choice of either rice milk or whole milk: “The rice milk is much lighter and it really lets the flavor of the ube shine through. But you could really taste that coconut-y sweetness with the whole milk.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was so creamy,” Wang says, with the same enthusiasm she must have had as a kid, collecting stickers to get her weekly boba fix. “A dessert in a cup, basically.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The TikTok boba influencer dishes on nontraditional Asian American career paths, self-care and going 'viral.'",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Every week, I would have piano lessons, and if I did well, my teacher would give me a sticker. If I got a sticker, then my mom would take me to Tapioca Express, ” says Alyssa Wang, who goes by the online name \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/feedmeimei/videos\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Feed Meimei\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “So I’ve always loved boba since I was a kid.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Asian Americans of a certain generation, this kind of childhood nostalgia is commonplace. But Wang, 27, is one of the only ones who has transformed her boba love into a career. She is the internet’s likely first full-time boba content creator. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, Feed Meimei boasts more than 605,000 subscribers on Youtube, 737,000 followers on her Tiktok and 242,000 followers on Instagram. Over the past five years, Wang has made more than 70 Youtube videos documenting her countless visits to Bay Area boba shops. Wang’s favorite boba shop in the Bay Area, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.urbanritualcafe.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Urban Ritual\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even named a drink after her. The drink is currently one of the store’s top three sellers, according to founder David Zhou. Whenever Wang posts about Urban Ritual, the store usually sees a 10 percent uptick in sales.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In that sense, Wang has become one of the most powerful people in the Bay Area boba scene—a kingmaker of sorts whose videos, many which are filmed inside her car, often wind up having a real impact on a small shop’s business fortunes. It’s a future that Wang never could have imagined when she was a college student posting food recommendations just for fun. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>From Software Engineer to Social Media Creator\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang’s food blogging journey began in 2013 when she was a freshman at UC Davis studying computer science and psychology. As a hobby, she made @davis_eats, an Instagram account documenting her adventures exploring the college town’s food scene. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After graduating, Wang moved back to the Bay Area to live with her parents and began working as a software engineer. While she enjoyed coding, she found that she didn’t like it enough to do it eight hours a day. What she did love was building her food Instagram, which she renamed \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/feedmeimei/?hl=en\">Feed Meimei\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I found myself at work just being like, ‘I really wish I could just keep doing that. I want to go out and be shooting content at restaurants,’” Wang says. “It took months for me to come to terms with the fact that I was going to take this untraditional route. Growing up, I always thought I would be a doctor, lawyer or engineer, the classic jobs that Asian parents want you to do.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915017\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915017\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman sits in cafe booth with a huge stack of oversized cups of boba in front of her.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_boba-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wang is likely the internet’s first full-time boba influencer. \u003ccite>(Alyssa Wang / @feedmeimei)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang decided at the end of 2018 to quit her job in tech to pursue content creation full time, a decision she says was partially inspired by the path of fellow UC Davis grad TJ Lee, known online as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/c/cupoftj\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cup of TJ\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Wang had saved up money from her job and didn’t have other major financial responsibilities at the time. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She hit the ground running in January 2019, churning out two Youtube videos per week and doing everything from storyboarding, preparing drinks and food, shooting and editing. On Instagram, she started making original content six times per week. In June 2019, she \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@feedmeimei?lang=en\">joined TikTok\u003c/a> and started posting there as well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I was just like, go, go, go, just put my head down and work,” Wang says. “I was very much in the mindset of like, ‘I’m just going to work, I’m going to upload, and as long as I keep going, then eventually I will be able to succeed.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Combatting Creator Burnout\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was unsustainable. At the end of 2019, she began to question why she was “working so hard towards something that was never going to happen.” So she took a break from content creation, a field where likes and views have made it notoriously easy to compare your own journey to those of others. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, the pandemic hit. While tinkering with unpublished footage, at first out of sheer boredom, Wang rediscovered her love for making videos about food. She slowly began posting on Youtube again, just once a week. In 2021, she began experimenting with making boba from scratch and forming it into different characters. Those turned out to be her first “viral” moments. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a video with 1.2 million views on TikTok and 5.7 million views on Youtube Shorts, Wang melts down a strawberry Melona bar to make red panda-shaped tapioca pearls inspired by Pixar’s \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Turning Red\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In another TikTok video with 5.9 million views, she makes \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lZ-G3ASbLAc\">cotton-candy pink, Kirby-shaped pearls\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The success has obviously helped, but being a full-time creator for more than three years has also taught Wang the importance of practicing self-care. She has learned to liberally use Youtube’s “don’t recommend channel” feature to prevent its algorithm from displaying other creators’ videos on her feed. It’s nothing personal—she’s ecstatic for their success—“but I also don’t want myself to feel like I’m not doing enough or I’m not happy where I am,” Wang says, “because I am happy.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The other thing that has helped, Wang says, is that family support, particularly from her mom, has remained constant. And that has made all the difference.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang’s mom even \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">makes\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> frequent, highly-requested appearances in videos. (She has been featured in more than 60 of them so far.) The mother and daughter’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyB1W1tgHUw\">matching levels of enthusiasm for food\u003c/a> make for lighthearted entertainment that some viewers have said reminds them of their interactions with their own family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/7bGRQJzAKZw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/7bGRQJzAKZw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Coming from an Asian upbringing, usually families aren’t super expressive with their emotions,” Wang says. “But, food, it was always something that could bring us together.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Queen of Many Domains\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some of Wang’s subscribers may have originally come across her channel due to her viral boba videos, her positivity keeps them coming back for more—no matter the video’s subject. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her well-received forays into making non-boba content are proof. She’s made food guides for the Bay Area, Taiwan, Japan, Toronto, Los Angeles, Hawaii and more. Her recent videos include a taste test and ranking of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyB1W1tgHUw\">every appetizer, dumpling and noodle dish at chain restaurant Din Tai Fung\u003c/a> alongside her mom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang speaks to the camera directly, casually, as a friend. Seldom does she offer overt criticism. It’s what sets her, and other food influencers, apart from the professional food critics.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13915020\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13915020\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman smiles holding a colorful, seven-scoop ice cream cone in each hand.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/feedmeimei_icecream-1920x2400.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Feed Meimei has branched out beyond boba to post videos about other food-related topics like soup dumplings and ice cream. \u003ccite>(Alyssa Wang / @feedmeimei)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sbe’s become somewhat of a local star, especially in the Bay Area’s boba scene. Baristas often tell her that customers use her videos as a guide for what to order, she says. She’s not fully used to the attention yet, and still finds it unreal that her subscribers will “sit there and watch me talk about food for, like, 20 minutes.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It’s been a successful endeavor so far, if the Feed Meimei team’s rapid expansion is any indication. In the past month, Wang has taken on a hiring manager, an assistant and a lawyer—a move that she says has been “long overdue.” Soon, she’ll hire another editor and start a new Youtube channel for casual vlogging. She did not delve into specifics of her financial situation, but, like other influencers, she generates income through a combination of brand partnerships, ad revenue, merchandise and collaborations—her Urban Ritual drink included. She makes enough, at least, that she doesn’t need to take on any other day job.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wang, a deeply nostalgic person, drew the flavor profile for her “Feed Me Ube” collaboration drink from her childhood. Her voice picks up as she describes the decadent drink, which features ube-flavored crème brûlée pudding, taro chunks, coconut milk and a choice of either rice milk or whole milk: “The rice milk is much lighter and it really lets the flavor of the ube shine through. But you could really taste that coconut-y sweetness with the whole milk.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was so creamy,” Wang says, with the same enthusiasm she must have had as a kid, collecting stickers to get her weekly boba fix. “A dessert in a cup, basically.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "An Ode to Chef Curry, Who Makes Watching the Warriors Delicious",
"headTitle": "An Ode to Chef Curry, Who Makes Watching the Warriors Delicious | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Stephen Curry has been known to cook defenders. Since entering the league in 2009 as the number seven pick for the Golden State Warriors, the undersized guard has been serving NBA defenses his signature dish: treys a-la-carte.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>O.K. Maybe I’m forcing that food angle a bit. But there’s a reason he’s garnered international respect as “The Chef.” And for those of us who’ve been around for his legacy, it’s been delicious to experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13914214,arts_13914585']At the start of 2021—last season—the Warriors began their campaign as non-favorites. Their starting five? James Wiseman, a newbie center who had played a total of seven NBA games; a forward in Kelly Oubre Jr. who began the year with a horrendous 3-point shooting percentage (\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-kelly-oubre-historically-bad-3-point-shooting-start\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">literally the worst to ever start a professional basketball season\u003c/a>); a freshly acquired \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-kelly-oubre-historically-bad-3-point-shooting-start\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Wiggins, who was deemed a bust\u003c/a>; a recovering Draymond Green who hadn’t played much due to lingering ailments; and Steph Wardell Curry, the former two-time MVP who had also missed significant playing time from prolonged wrist and ankle injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one will remember a game like Jan. 4, 2021, when a depleted Golden State roster faced off against the Sacramento Kings. By halftime, Steph had racked up 23 points, four assists, and three rebounds in 19 minutes—including a sick alley-oop to the rookie, Wiseman. With a victory, the Dubs reached a winning record for the first time since 2019, when they finished with a franchise-low mark of 15 wins and 50 losses. But with Curry back on the team, players like Mark Mulder and Brad Wanamaker (you’ve probably forgotten about them already) were suddenly able to somehow win games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As usual, Dub Nation’s hopes hinged on a miracle recipe that only Steph himself could whip up to get the team back in contention. And he did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914953\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914953\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200.jpg\" alt=\"Basketball players in group photo holding up championship rings\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors celebrate after receiving their 2017–2018 Championship rings. \u003ccite>(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When it comes to superstars lifting up their franchises, it’s part of a gig we’ve seen before. LeBron has done it. Kobe did it. Jordan certainly did it. Magic Johnson. Larry Bird. You name them, they’ve done it. But why is it that some critics still believe Curry is incapable of being among these top chefs?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Any longtime Warriors fan knows how much Curry has already done to reach this point—and the fact that he has done it multiple times, across a span of 13 years, is nothing short of otherworldly. He’s been doing it since 2009 at Oracle, when he notched \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDBaDqrWBEI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">his first career triple double\u003c/a>. And in 2012, when he led a six-seed Dubs to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1976. And he continued to do it from 2015 until 2019, when the Warriors went on to become one of the most dominant franchises in NBA history, racking up three championships, the all-time most regular season wins, and five NBA Finals appearances in just as many years—all under his guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, when he introduced a sous chef by the name of Kevin Durant in 2017, \u003ca href=\"https://heavy.com/sports/golden-state-warriors/kevin-durant-step-curry-twitter-drama/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it ruined the flavors\u003c/a>. It was unforgivable for many, and suddenly, Curry became seen as incapable of running his own kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914954\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914954\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200.jpg\" alt='Curry seen from back with arms outstretched and both hands in \"OK\" signs' width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Curry celebrates a basket during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s time to forget all that noise and fully recognize Curry for what he is: the most distinguished, seasoned athlete of his generation. From a lifetime of watching this ball club, I’m telling you that Steph single-handedly (or single-splashedly?) transformed the aura around the franchise in a way that only the game’s GOATs have ever been capable of doing. Before Steph, the Warriors hadn’t delivered anything except Ls and a second round playoff appearance—and that was once, when Baron Davis led an incredibly charged “We Believe” unit in 2007.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After being dismissed in the draft, Steph gave us hope by proceeding to dismantle defenses with his scrawny stature and sniping his way into sports history, elevating the Warriors to heights not even Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry or Chris Mullin could achieve. Curry fed us that belief. Not KD. Not Steve Kerr. Not my Aquarian brother, Klay Thompson. Not any reason or excuse you can conjure about opposing teams’ injuries, luck or privilege that get mindlessly tossed around to divert attention from Curry’s epic achievements. It has simply been Steph—the original Splash Brother, and the Bay Area’s most improbable Chef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, \u003ca href=\"https://howtheyplay.com/team-sports/Why-Steph-Curry-Is-Overrated\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he has been slandered as “overrated”\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://theundefeated.com/features/why-is-steph-curry-still-dissed-so-much-he-doesnt-fit-the-stereotype-of-nba-greatness/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dissed for “lacking the prototypical superhero stature.”\u003c/a> I’ve heard everything about Steph’s hairstyle, his height, his skin tone, \u003ca href=\"https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/steph-curry-parents-divorce-dell-sonya-boyfriend-girlfriend-rumors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">his parents’ relationship\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Boston-bar-feuds-with-Currys-17244552.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">even his wife Ayesha’s cooking\u003c/a> (known for her actual cooking skills as an owner of the San Francisco restaurant, \u003ca href=\"https://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/international-smoke-locations/san-francisco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">International Smoke\u003c/a>)—irrelevant factors that are used to nitpick at him in ways I’ve never seen directed so obsessively towards any other male athlete. There’s a level of alpha toxicity that permeates those attacks, as if somehow being a humble, smiley, worry-free man makes him incapable of greatness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914955\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914955\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200.jpg\" alt='Curry with towel over head and both arms up in \"huh?\" gesture' width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Curry reacts after teammate Draymond Green shot a free throw during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’ll admit, Curry isn’t the perfect player. He has struggled in major games at times. He doesn’t show that same “Mamba Mentality” to destroy another person’s soul like Kobe once did; he can’t bulldoze his way through the lane to overpower his defenders like LeBron; and he’s as far as can be from having the pitbullish defense and murderous anger of Jordan. But what those guys didn’t have—besides Steph’s unbelievable shooting ability—was Curry’s finesse. He not only makes the flow of a game fun and playfully light to watch, but gets teammates involved without ever forcing them into submission or fear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the ultra levels of doubt that have always followed Steph—from Davidson, North Carolina, to Oakland and San Francisco, California—he still manages to drop 43-point culinary gems against number-one-ranked defenses like the Boston Celtics in Game Four of a decisive series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, yes, Curry deserves his flowers because for too long he has been disrespected by salty pundits as a mere product of better players and coaching systems around him. But no one is bailing him out this time, and he doesn’t need it. The Chef himself is cooking yet another round of NBA defenders on his way to an exclamatory—and untouchable—chance at a fourth championship. Win or lose, we’re lucky to have a seat at his table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itDmpH_QCQQ\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Stephen Curry has been known to cook defenders. Since entering the league in 2009 as the number seven pick for the Golden State Warriors, the undersized guard has been serving NBA defenses his signature dish: treys a-la-carte.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>O.K. Maybe I’m forcing that food angle a bit. But there’s a reason he’s garnered international respect as “The Chef.” And for those of us who’ve been around for his legacy, it’s been delicious to experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>At the start of 2021—last season—the Warriors began their campaign as non-favorites. Their starting five? James Wiseman, a newbie center who had played a total of seven NBA games; a forward in Kelly Oubre Jr. who began the year with a horrendous 3-point shooting percentage (\u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-kelly-oubre-historically-bad-3-point-shooting-start\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">literally the worst to ever start a professional basketball season\u003c/a>); a freshly acquired \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-kelly-oubre-historically-bad-3-point-shooting-start\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Wiggins, who was deemed a bust\u003c/a>; a recovering Draymond Green who hadn’t played much due to lingering ailments; and Steph Wardell Curry, the former two-time MVP who had also missed significant playing time from prolonged wrist and ankle injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one will remember a game like Jan. 4, 2021, when a depleted Golden State roster faced off against the Sacramento Kings. By halftime, Steph had racked up 23 points, four assists, and three rebounds in 19 minutes—including a sick alley-oop to the rookie, Wiseman. With a victory, the Dubs reached a winning record for the first time since 2019, when they finished with a franchise-low mark of 15 wins and 50 losses. But with Curry back on the team, players like Mark Mulder and Brad Wanamaker (you’ve probably forgotten about them already) were suddenly able to somehow win games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As usual, Dub Nation’s hopes hinged on a miracle recipe that only Steph himself could whip up to get the team back in contention. And he did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914953\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914953\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200.jpg\" alt=\"Basketball players in group photo holding up championship rings\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/Warriors2018Champions_1200-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors celebrate after receiving their 2017–2018 Championship rings. \u003ccite>(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When it comes to superstars lifting up their franchises, it’s part of a gig we’ve seen before. LeBron has done it. Kobe did it. Jordan certainly did it. Magic Johnson. Larry Bird. You name them, they’ve done it. But why is it that some critics still believe Curry is incapable of being among these top chefs?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Any longtime Warriors fan knows how much Curry has already done to reach this point—and the fact that he has done it multiple times, across a span of 13 years, is nothing short of otherworldly. He’s been doing it since 2009 at Oracle, when he notched \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDBaDqrWBEI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">his first career triple double\u003c/a>. And in 2012, when he led a six-seed Dubs to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1976. And he continued to do it from 2015 until 2019, when the Warriors went on to become one of the most dominant franchises in NBA history, racking up three championships, the all-time most regular season wins, and five NBA Finals appearances in just as many years—all under his guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, when he introduced a sous chef by the name of Kevin Durant in 2017, \u003ca href=\"https://heavy.com/sports/golden-state-warriors/kevin-durant-step-curry-twitter-drama/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it ruined the flavors\u003c/a>. It was unforgivable for many, and suddenly, Curry became seen as incapable of running his own kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914954\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914954\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200.jpg\" alt='Curry seen from back with arms outstretched and both hands in \"OK\" signs' width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/CurryBack_1200-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Curry celebrates a basket during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s time to forget all that noise and fully recognize Curry for what he is: the most distinguished, seasoned athlete of his generation. From a lifetime of watching this ball club, I’m telling you that Steph single-handedly (or single-splashedly?) transformed the aura around the franchise in a way that only the game’s GOATs have ever been capable of doing. Before Steph, the Warriors hadn’t delivered anything except Ls and a second round playoff appearance—and that was once, when Baron Davis led an incredibly charged “We Believe” unit in 2007.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After being dismissed in the draft, Steph gave us hope by proceeding to dismantle defenses with his scrawny stature and sniping his way into sports history, elevating the Warriors to heights not even Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry or Chris Mullin could achieve. Curry fed us that belief. Not KD. Not Steve Kerr. Not my Aquarian brother, Klay Thompson. Not any reason or excuse you can conjure about opposing teams’ injuries, luck or privilege that get mindlessly tossed around to divert attention from Curry’s epic achievements. It has simply been Steph—the original Splash Brother, and the Bay Area’s most improbable Chef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, \u003ca href=\"https://howtheyplay.com/team-sports/Why-Steph-Curry-Is-Overrated\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he has been slandered as “overrated”\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://theundefeated.com/features/why-is-steph-curry-still-dissed-so-much-he-doesnt-fit-the-stereotype-of-nba-greatness/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dissed for “lacking the prototypical superhero stature.”\u003c/a> I’ve heard everything about Steph’s hairstyle, his height, his skin tone, \u003ca href=\"https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/steph-curry-parents-divorce-dell-sonya-boyfriend-girlfriend-rumors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">his parents’ relationship\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Boston-bar-feuds-with-Currys-17244552.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">even his wife Ayesha’s cooking\u003c/a> (known for her actual cooking skills as an owner of the San Francisco restaurant, \u003ca href=\"https://www.michaelmina.net/restaurants/international-smoke-locations/san-francisco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">International Smoke\u003c/a>)—irrelevant factors that are used to nitpick at him in ways I’ve never seen directed so obsessively towards any other male athlete. There’s a level of alpha toxicity that permeates those attacks, as if somehow being a humble, smiley, worry-free man makes him incapable of greatness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914955\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914955\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200.jpg\" alt='Curry with towel over head and both arms up in \"huh?\" gesture' width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/StephTowel_1200-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephen Curry reacts after teammate Draymond Green shot a free throw during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I’ll admit, Curry isn’t the perfect player. He has struggled in major games at times. He doesn’t show that same “Mamba Mentality” to destroy another person’s soul like Kobe once did; he can’t bulldoze his way through the lane to overpower his defenders like LeBron; and he’s as far as can be from having the pitbullish defense and murderous anger of Jordan. But what those guys didn’t have—besides Steph’s unbelievable shooting ability—was Curry’s finesse. He not only makes the flow of a game fun and playfully light to watch, but gets teammates involved without ever forcing them into submission or fear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the ultra levels of doubt that have always followed Steph—from Davidson, North Carolina, to Oakland and San Francisco, California—he still manages to drop 43-point culinary gems against number-one-ranked defenses like the Boston Celtics in Game Four of a decisive series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, yes, Curry deserves his flowers because for too long he has been disrespected by salty pundits as a mere product of better players and coaching systems around him. But no one is bailing him out this time, and he doesn’t need it. The Chef himself is cooking yet another round of NBA defenders on his way to an exclamatory—and untouchable—chance at a fourth championship. Win or lose, we’re lucky to have a seat at his table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "In a World of Flashy IPAs, the Humble Lager Gets Its Due",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the bitter, hop-heavy world of American craft beer, Richmond’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbrotherbeer.com/home-1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">East Brother Beer Company\u003c/a> has always been a bit of an outlier. Its most popular beers are its lighter, more refreshing brews—its lagers, its Bohemian-style pilsner. Meanwhile, co-founder Rob Lightner says, if you go to any random brewery in any major metropolitan area in the United States, it’s almost shocking if the place doesn’t have a dozen IPAs on tap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that sense, East Brother has zigged while many others zagged. Now, the brewery has created a new beer festival that is a manifesto of sorts. On Saturday, June 18, it will host its first lager festival, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbrotherbeer.com/beerfestival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pride + Purpose Beer Festival\u003c/a>—to Lightner’s knowledge, the first-ever Bay Area beer festival specifically focused on lagers. It’ll be a day-long celebration of the style, with 25 Northern California breweries on hand to show off their version of what Lightner calls the quintessential “working person’s beer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13914400,arts_13902507']To be clear, Lightner says, East Brother sells IPAs, too, and it’s not a mystery why breweries carry so many of them: “People love them.” The craft beer movement itself started largely as a sort of reaction to the watery mass-market lagers from companies like Coors and Anheuser-Busch. But as much as Lightner appreciates the hoppy, intensely flavorful—and often bitter—IPAs that dominate the craft beer market, he and the rest of the East Brother staff have always loved drinking a crisp, classic lager. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, East Brother’s bestsellers are its Vienna-style red lager and its Bohemian pilsner (another light, crisp style). The brewery also has an ongoing seasonal lager series, introducing a new variation every three months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appeal of a lager is manyfold: Its lighter flavor and lower alcohol content tends to complement different types of food instead of competing with them. Lagers aren’t precious in the same way that a lot of craft beer culture can be—people don’t come to East Brother to “discuss” the beer. And it’s for good reason, Lightner says, that lagers have long been the beer of choice for working-class people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It starts with economics, right?” Lightner says, pointing out that a four-pack of a trendy double hazy IPA might sell for $25 at the grocery store. Lagers, as a general rule, are more affordable. And then there’s the idea of what kind of beer a person is going to want to drink after a long day doing manual labor or any kind of hard work. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you want something thirst-quenching, what are you going to choose? A drinkable, crisp lager that’s 4.5% ABV or a double-hopped IPA that’s 8.5%?” Lightner says. “I think [a lager] just lends itself more to work—and the rewards of work.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914897\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager.jpg\" alt='Man pours beer into a glass from a can; the beer label reads \"Sixth & Canal.\"' width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914897\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sixth & Canal, a collaborative beer between East Brother Beer Co. and Fieldworks Brewing, will be one of more than 30 lagers that will be poured at this weekend’s Pride + Purpose Beer Festival. \u003ccite>(East Brother Beer Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, East Brother isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel here. Lightner estimates that 85 to 90% of the beer that’s sold around the world consists of lagers. People in India and Japan are mostly drinking lagers. The world’s best-selling beer by far—China’s \u003ca href=\"https://vinepair.com/articles/10-biggest-beer-brands-world-2018/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Snow\u003c/a>—is a lager. And now that American craft breweries are starting to take lagers more seriously, it seemed like the perfect time to put together a festival that would give the beer style its due. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attendees at Saturday’s festival will have access to all the lagers they can drink from 25 different Northern California breweries, which run the gamut from big names like Drake’s, Trumer Pils and Russian River Brewing to a handful of lesser known \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-purpose-beer-festival-tickets-313778007467\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">local favorites\u003c/a>. There will be food, too, courtesy of food trucks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cevicheandco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ceviche & Co\u003c/a>, Crack Crab and the birria specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.la-santa-torta.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">La Santa Torta\u003c/a>. And VIP ticket holders will also have access to a couple of different discussion panels, including one that digs deeper into the lager’s history as a working person’s beer. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the festival’s charitable cause will tie into that labor theme: All profits will support Richmond’s \u003ca href=\"https://rosietheriveter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rosie the Riveter Trust\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that builds on the legacy of the original “Rosies”—the diverse group of women who worked together in shipyards and factories on the American home front during World War II. Today, the organization focuses on \u003ca href=\"https://rosietheriveter.org/pages/youth-education-programs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outdoor education and building career skills for girls and transgender and non-binary youth\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The Rosies] kind of represent all that’s good—coming together for a cause, overcoming racial and gender discrimination,” Lightner says. A few of the original Rosies, who are now in their 90s, will be on hand to meet and greet lager festival attendees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Pride + Purpose Beer Festival takes place on Saturday, June 18, from 1–5 pm at East Brother Beer Company (1001 Canal Blvd., #C2, Richmond). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-purpose-beer-festival-tickets-313778007467\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tickets\u003c/a> are $60 and include unlimited beer tastings.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the bitter, hop-heavy world of American craft beer, Richmond’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbrotherbeer.com/home-1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">East Brother Beer Company\u003c/a> has always been a bit of an outlier. Its most popular beers are its lighter, more refreshing brews—its lagers, its Bohemian-style pilsner. Meanwhile, co-founder Rob Lightner says, if you go to any random brewery in any major metropolitan area in the United States, it’s almost shocking if the place doesn’t have a dozen IPAs on tap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that sense, East Brother has zigged while many others zagged. Now, the brewery has created a new beer festival that is a manifesto of sorts. On Saturday, June 18, it will host its first lager festival, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastbrotherbeer.com/beerfestival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pride + Purpose Beer Festival\u003c/a>—to Lightner’s knowledge, the first-ever Bay Area beer festival specifically focused on lagers. It’ll be a day-long celebration of the style, with 25 Northern California breweries on hand to show off their version of what Lightner calls the quintessential “working person’s beer.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To be clear, Lightner says, East Brother sells IPAs, too, and it’s not a mystery why breweries carry so many of them: “People love them.” The craft beer movement itself started largely as a sort of reaction to the watery mass-market lagers from companies like Coors and Anheuser-Busch. But as much as Lightner appreciates the hoppy, intensely flavorful—and often bitter—IPAs that dominate the craft beer market, he and the rest of the East Brother staff have always loved drinking a crisp, classic lager. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, East Brother’s bestsellers are its Vienna-style red lager and its Bohemian pilsner (another light, crisp style). The brewery also has an ongoing seasonal lager series, introducing a new variation every three months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appeal of a lager is manyfold: Its lighter flavor and lower alcohol content tends to complement different types of food instead of competing with them. Lagers aren’t precious in the same way that a lot of craft beer culture can be—people don’t come to East Brother to “discuss” the beer. And it’s for good reason, Lightner says, that lagers have long been the beer of choice for working-class people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It starts with economics, right?” Lightner says, pointing out that a four-pack of a trendy double hazy IPA might sell for $25 at the grocery store. Lagers, as a general rule, are more affordable. And then there’s the idea of what kind of beer a person is going to want to drink after a long day doing manual labor or any kind of hard work. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you want something thirst-quenching, what are you going to choose? A drinkable, crisp lager that’s 4.5% ABV or a double-hopped IPA that’s 8.5%?” Lightner says. “I think [a lager] just lends itself more to work—and the rewards of work.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914897\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager.jpg\" alt='Man pours beer into a glass from a can; the beer label reads \"Sixth & Canal.\"' width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914897\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/eastbrother_lager-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sixth & Canal, a collaborative beer between East Brother Beer Co. and Fieldworks Brewing, will be one of more than 30 lagers that will be poured at this weekend’s Pride + Purpose Beer Festival. \u003ccite>(East Brother Beer Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Of course, East Brother isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel here. Lightner estimates that 85 to 90% of the beer that’s sold around the world consists of lagers. People in India and Japan are mostly drinking lagers. The world’s best-selling beer by far—China’s \u003ca href=\"https://vinepair.com/articles/10-biggest-beer-brands-world-2018/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Snow\u003c/a>—is a lager. And now that American craft breweries are starting to take lagers more seriously, it seemed like the perfect time to put together a festival that would give the beer style its due. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attendees at Saturday’s festival will have access to all the lagers they can drink from 25 different Northern California breweries, which run the gamut from big names like Drake’s, Trumer Pils and Russian River Brewing to a handful of lesser known \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-purpose-beer-festival-tickets-313778007467\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">local favorites\u003c/a>. There will be food, too, courtesy of food trucks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cevicheandco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ceviche & Co\u003c/a>, Crack Crab and the birria specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.la-santa-torta.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">La Santa Torta\u003c/a>. And VIP ticket holders will also have access to a couple of different discussion panels, including one that digs deeper into the lager’s history as a working person’s beer. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the festival’s charitable cause will tie into that labor theme: All profits will support Richmond’s \u003ca href=\"https://rosietheriveter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rosie the Riveter Trust\u003c/a>, a nonprofit that builds on the legacy of the original “Rosies”—the diverse group of women who worked together in shipyards and factories on the American home front during World War II. Today, the organization focuses on \u003ca href=\"https://rosietheriveter.org/pages/youth-education-programs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outdoor education and building career skills for girls and transgender and non-binary youth\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The Rosies] kind of represent all that’s good—coming together for a cause, overcoming racial and gender discrimination,” Lightner says. A few of the original Rosies, who are now in their 90s, will be on hand to meet and greet lager festival attendees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Pride + Purpose Beer Festival takes place on Saturday, June 18, from 1–5 pm at East Brother Beer Company (1001 Canal Blvd., #C2, Richmond). \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-purpose-beer-festival-tickets-313778007467\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tickets\u003c/a> are $60 and include unlimited beer tastings.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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},
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"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
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"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
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"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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},
"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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"source": "pbs"
},
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