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"title": "San Jose's Japantown Stayed the Same for More Than 70 Years. Now, Change Is Coming.",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905100\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg\" alt='A man in a \"Japantown\" shirt holds out a tray of poke from the window of a Japanese market.' width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During the pandemic, Mark Santo started serving poke bowls at his 75-year-old Japantown grocery store, Santo Market. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n Jackson Street in San Jose, the one- and two-story wooden buildings—with their mid-century neon signs and lunch specials in the windows—haven’t changed much since Evelyn Hori first visited the neighborhood 30 years ago. A group of fellow Japanese Americans brought the homesick UC Santa Cruz student to \u003ca href=\"http://gombei.com/\">Gombei\u003c/a> restaurant, where the flavors transported her to her mother’s kitchen in Los Angeles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The style of Gombei restaurant is just so homey, traditional,” recalls Hori. “It’s the side dishes, like ohitashi—spinach with ground sesame seeds, fresh tofu. They’re not fancy, something you would make a batch of at home. When you have their fish, it’s with the bones and all.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hori was so charmed by that first visit to San Jose’s Japantown that she took a job at the senior center after graduation. And she’s raised her own family in the community, too. Since the end of World War II, Jackson Street has been a home away from home for Japanese Americans—first as refuge from racism and, more recently, as a place to attend cultural events, pick up fresh manju or slurp a bowl of udon. Unlike its counterparts in San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Jose’s Japantown is often overlooked. It’s just three blocks of low-slung buildings, and, like San Jose itself, it’s a place even other Bay Area residents don’t know much about.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Author Gil Asakawa, whose history of Japanese food in America, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tabemasho!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is slated for publication in 2022, calls it “Japanese American Mayberry.” Like the impossibly wholesome 1950s town from \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Andy Griffith Show\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it’s a safe, friendly neighborhood—with a Japanese twist. Bonsai trees stand in front of tidy bungalows, the main church is Buddhist and the corner grocery stocks miso and natto. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This area between downtown and Mineta International Airport is also prime real estate in a housing-strapped market. For decades, Japantown has been a place to get a taste of the past, but a wave of ongoing development projects could bring new life into this sleepy burg—or wipe out its character altogether. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905128\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905128\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg\" alt=\"From inside a restaurant kitchen, a chef in a black uniform holds out a plate of katsu curry.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, but he still considers himself one neighborhood’s more “recent” immigrants. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What could be lost is a piece of Asian American history. The neighborhood has attracted immigrants from Asia for over 100 years, as far back as when it was part of a Chinatown that has long since been demolished. Its Japanese identity was cemented during the post-World War II years. After Americans of Japanese descent were released from remote camps, such as Tule Lake or Topaz, at the end of the war, many of them gravitated toward San Jose, where a population of Chinese and Filipinos had maintained homes and businesses. Soon, the blocks around Jackson and Fifth Streets came to life with grocers, dentists and hair salons, as well as Buddhist and Christian houses of worship. In their native tongue, they called it Nihonmachi. For decades, all of the shops in Japantown have been mom-and-pop businesses, some of them handed down through three or four generations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hovering over Jackson Street’s historic streetscape is the construction of a housing and retail complex that will bring 500 new apartments to the neighborhood. That means an influx of new residents, likely non-Japanese. Will they dine on donburi and join in the Nikkei Matsuri and Obon festivals? Or will they usher in a demand for Starbucks and Chipotle? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>America’s Most Traditional Japantown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, the comforting flavors at old mainstays like Gombei continue to draw visitors from near and far. “My wife and I go there every time we go to San Francisco. We love driving straight from SFO down to San Jose to have lunch,” Asakawa, the author, explains. “That’s definitely the kind of food I grew up with.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, dishing up homestyle meals to salarymen from the nearby Sony and Hitachi campuses. Now 70, he’s still behind the counter almost every day alongside a small crew of mostly Latino cooks. Although his staff fries croquettes and grills mackerel, he insists on arriving at the kitchen at 7am to make the curry and soups himself, keeping the flavor consistent, as he’s done nearly every day since 1981. “I have a recipe in here,” he says, chuckling and pointing to his head, “but it’s not written down.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“Will [new Japantown residents] dine on donburi and join in the Nikkei Matsuri and Obon festivals? Or will they usher in a demand for Starbucks and Chipotle?”[/pullquote]Although Kubota occasionally allows new specials, his goal is to serve meals that remind him of growing up in Japan. Even though he arrived in America in the 1970s, he’s still considered one of the “recent” immigrants here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some of Japantown’s restaurants go back much further. They evolved from the lunch counters that served the first wave of immigrants, farmers who began arriving around 1900 from rural southern Japan. The fare still reflects these down home roots. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Originally, with the Exclusion Act, there were mostly just guys here, so there were pool halls and barber shops,” says Gene Yoneda, who with his wife JoAnn owns Minato, the oldest operating Japanese restaurant in San Jose. Minato opened its doors in 1961 and changed ownership a few times before the Yonedas bought it. They still serve some of the original dishes, such as deep brown curry over rice or simmering pots of sukiyaki, but other entrées—such as homestyle butadofu, a stir-fry of pork and bean curd—have fallen off the menu. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905129\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905129\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of homey Japanese dishes; a plate of Japanese brown curry over rice is in the foreground.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato’s curry over rice has been a menu staple since the restaurant first opened in 1961. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1980s, Minato opened San Jose’s first sushi bar, which has now been replaced with additional seating. Today, the menu offers a little bit of this and that, including chicken-and-egg oyakodon or pork chop katsudon, along with several varieties of udon. It’s the kind of family-friendly place where Evelyn Hori brought her children to lunch after preschool or scout meetings. Kids receive tickets to trade in for plastic beads or a Disney notebook. Construction workers might sit next to local politicians. If a presidential candidate were to stump in Japantown, Minato would be the place.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant also sits directly across the street from the site of the new retail and housing complex under construction, whose exterior is now close to finished. “It was dusty, noisy, with tractors going back and forth,” Yoneda says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Will hundreds of new residents mean more patrons for restaurants like Minato? Japantown eateries walk a fine line between too much and not enough. Even if newcomers choose bentos over burrito bowls, too many new customers could flood these small dining rooms, leaving restaurateurs unable to serve their regulars, much less greet them by name. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the most part, Yoneda tries to be optimistic. “Parking is the only issue I have,” he says. “We welcome everybody. Anybody that wants to come down here. It’s kind of cool.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905130\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905130\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg\" alt=\"A view of one of the main stretches of Japantown, with a large construction zone to the right.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato sits directly across the street from the site of the new housing and retail complex. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spite of the looming changes, many of the shops in San Jose’s Japantown seem frozen in time. Shuei-Do Manju, a tiny storefront on Jackson Street, sells nearly a thousand pieces of mochi and other traditional sweets every day. Open since 1953, the shop gives off an old-fashioned candy store vibe. Youth sports trophies and a Kristi Yamaguchi cereal box are proudly displayed behind the counter, which features a glass case with round mochi, wafer-like monaka and pastel cubes of chi chi dango arrayed in lacquer trays. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Tom and Judy Kumamaru bought the shop in 1987, they spent six months learning the art of making manju from the original owners. Unlike packaged rice cakes sold in many Asian supermarket chains, the fillings and the chewy exteriors are all made from scratch each day, without preservatives. Each morning, the couple soaks azuki and lima beans for the fillings, which they wrap into handmade skins of mochiko sweet rice flour. Judy, whose parents were good friends of the founders, tests the fillings to make sure they’re just like she remembers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the decades, Tom has tested out various machines in hopes of perhaps modernizing the mochi-making process, but the equipment couldn’t handle Shuei-Do’s recipe for delicate, chewy dough. He says shops like theirs don’t even exist in Japanese cities. “They’re coming up with different types. Some really fancy, too, so fancy that you don’t want to eat them,” he explains. “When you go into the different countryside areas, the shops are kind of like ours.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg\" alt=\"An assortment of manju wrapped in paper sleeves.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The manju at Shuei-Do are made by hand from scratch each day. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When asked if they plan to branch out into the mochi donuts or muffins that are lighting up Instagram, Tom laughs and points to the peanut butter filled manju as their most adventurous variety. He prefers the kinako flavor, dusted with roasted soybean powder.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Less Nihonmachi, More JTown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a deep sense of community in Japantown, and perhaps no one is more deeply invested than James Nagareda. Not only does Nagareda oversee the local history museum, he serves on the board of the Japantown Business Association, and runs the Nikkei Traditions gift store and, until recently, an ice cream shop called Jimbo’s. He’s idealistic yet practical. “You have to look at it from both points of view, right?” Nagareda says about the new shopping plaza. “We’d rather have a small independent or family, which is awesome. But again, economics, it’s got to work.” Today, the only corporate presence is the San Diego-based Niijiya market. For many mom-and-pop shops, survival requires changing with the times. Nagareda sold Jimbo’s to new owners who have rebranded it as JT Express, serving take-out friendly sushi burritos as well as taiyaki and Bubbie’s ice cream mochi. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the businesses that Nagareda hopes to preserve, however, is Santo Market, the small Japanese-Hawaiian grocery store kitty-corner to the new housing complex. A giant ocean mural on the exterior befits a business riding the wave of change. Mark Santo leads his three siblings in running the store, which has been in the family since 1946. When local artist Juan Carlos Araujo approached him about having one of the first murals commissioned in Japantown, Santo convinced his nonagenarian parents to approve the work and persuaded Araujo to take inspiration from Hokusai’s classic art. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“Many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.”[/pullquote]To keep island transplants from driving up to San Mateo to buy haupia mix and poi at Takahashi Market, the shop started expanding its selection of Hawaiian goods. The family developed a poke recipe, and Mark’s sisters started making strawberry daifuku on Tuesdays and Saturdays, tucking a whole berry and red bean filling into mochi dough. To fill the void left by the closure of San Jose’s beloved Aki’s Bakery, the market started selling guava cake by the slice at the takeout window. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Closed for in-person shopping since the beginning of the pandemic, Santo Market is now more of a takeout joint than a grocery. There’s usually a crowd in the small parking lot; the market averages 60 pounds of tuna a day, in addition to barbecued tri-tip and teriyaki sandwiches. The daifuku often sells out before noon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In early October, the market celebrated its 75\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">th\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> birthday. Mark Santo himself turned 60 this year, and many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are also in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905127\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905127\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg\" alt=\"Two men stand in front of a large, ocean-themed mural on the exterior wall of Santo Market.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pandemic forced Mark Santo (right) to modernize and diversify his traditional Japanese market. Here, he poses in front of the market with his brother, Scott Santo. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s Japanese population has been shrinking for decades, because of aging and exodus to the suburbs. Only one percent of the local residents \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=8600000US95112&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">identified as Japanese\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the latest census survey. In many ways, even without the massive new complex, change in San Jose’s Japantown is already well underway. A younger, more diverse crowd is drawn to the neighborhood for art walks and car shows. “Those who are coming to Obon were me and my parents, their friends who’ve been coming for 60 years,” Santo says of the annual Japanese Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors. “Where these guys are bringing in fresh blood, fresh people, new people.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Walk down Jackson Street today, and you can see the changes all around. A Depression-era gas station owned by Roy Murotsune, whose family bought the property after World War II, has been converted by his daughter and grandchildren into Roy’s Station. At this popular cafe, purple-haired Gen-Zers sip Verve coffee alongside Japanese retirees. Joggers with Labradoodles swerve around senior citizens ambling down the sidewalk. “I get annoyed sometimes when I’m trying to buy groceries at Nijiya and there are millennials and tech bros clogging the aisles, tripping out over the ‘crazy’ Japanese snacks and laughing at the labels,” says music journalist and longtime San Jose resident Todd Inoue, who frequents the neighborhood a few times a month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with the customers, the merchants are also becoming more diverse. Lotus blossom banners are fading, while street-art style murals brighten once blank walls. Empty storefronts fill up with snapbacks and T-shirts, succulents and art supplies, reflecting an urban, multicultural aesthetic. It’s less Nihonmachi and more JTown. In a way, it’s a return to the neighborhood’s pan-Asian roots, with Filipino, Vietnamese and Hawaiian business owners.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904861,arts_13905293,arts_13904835' label='More San Jose Food']In fact, the earliest restaurants in the area were not Japanese, but Chinese. The oldest one was Ken Ying Low, housed in a two-story Victorian era building across from the construction site, which was once the center of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s last Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. According to historian Curt Fukuda, the banquet room was the site of many Japanese Americans wedding and funeral banquets in the olden days. After housing Filipino, Cuban and Chinese cuisines, the building became home to a new tenant: a pizza shop whose signature pie, the “JTown Street,” is loosely modeled after Japanese okonomiyaki—hoisin sauce and sweet mayo drizzled over shiitake mushrooms and shredded romaine. Inoue, the music writer, enjoys the tekka don at Ginza restaurant, but he’ll also grab a beer at the pizza shop.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its moniker, Japantown has always been a big tent: There are Korean and Mexican restaurants, and even stalwart Gombei sometimes offers chicken adobo, a nod to its longtime Filipino neighbors. Being the overlooked country cousin, the community around Jackson Street has quietly watched and learned from redevelopment in San Francisco and LA in the 1960s and ’70s. And San Jose, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11890341/san-jose-to-apologize-for-the-1887-burning-of-the-citys-chinatown\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">city that recently apologized for the burning of an early Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, may have the kind of multicultural ethos where Japantown can grow, yet stay true to its roots.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After decades of exodus, some Japanese Americans are interested in returning to this urban village\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At age 55, Inoue is considering a move from the suburbs to one of the new apartments when he retires. “Japantown is still a living, breathing community and you see that in the people and the business. You see the Lotus preschool kids doing their rounds, the elders at Yu-Ai Kai [senior center] and Fuji Towers,” says Inoue. “There’s a comfort and familiarity in the daily life, but also glints of progressive change.”\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>\u003ci>Grace Hwang Lynch is a San Francisco Bay Area journalist and essayist, with an eye for Asian American culture and food. Her work can be found at PRI, NPR, Tin House and Catapult. She’s at work on a memoir about Taiwanese food and family. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GraceHwangLynch\">@GraceHwangLynch\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905100\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg\" alt='A man in a \"Japantown\" shirt holds out a tray of poke from the window of a Japanese market.' width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During the pandemic, Mark Santo started serving poke bowls at his 75-year-old Japantown grocery store, Santo Market. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">O\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n Jackson Street in San Jose, the one- and two-story wooden buildings—with their mid-century neon signs and lunch specials in the windows—haven’t changed much since Evelyn Hori first visited the neighborhood 30 years ago. A group of fellow Japanese Americans brought the homesick UC Santa Cruz student to \u003ca href=\"http://gombei.com/\">Gombei\u003c/a> restaurant, where the flavors transported her to her mother’s kitchen in Los Angeles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The style of Gombei restaurant is just so homey, traditional,” recalls Hori. “It’s the side dishes, like ohitashi—spinach with ground sesame seeds, fresh tofu. They’re not fancy, something you would make a batch of at home. When you have their fish, it’s with the bones and all.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hori was so charmed by that first visit to San Jose’s Japantown that she took a job at the senior center after graduation. And she’s raised her own family in the community, too. Since the end of World War II, Jackson Street has been a home away from home for Japanese Americans—first as refuge from racism and, more recently, as a place to attend cultural events, pick up fresh manju or slurp a bowl of udon. Unlike its counterparts in San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Jose’s Japantown is often overlooked. It’s just three blocks of low-slung buildings, and, like San Jose itself, it’s a place even other Bay Area residents don’t know much about.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Author Gil Asakawa, whose history of Japanese food in America, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tabemasho!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is slated for publication in 2022, calls it “Japanese American Mayberry.” Like the impossibly wholesome 1950s town from \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Andy Griffith Show\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it’s a safe, friendly neighborhood—with a Japanese twist. Bonsai trees stand in front of tidy bungalows, the main church is Buddhist and the corner grocery stocks miso and natto. \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 area between downtown and Mineta International Airport is also prime real estate in a housing-strapped market. For decades, Japantown has been a place to get a taste of the past, but a wave of ongoing development projects could bring new life into this sleepy burg—or wipe out its character altogether. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905128\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905128\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg\" alt=\"From inside a restaurant kitchen, a chef in a black uniform holds out a plate of katsu curry.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, but he still considers himself one neighborhood’s more “recent” immigrants. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What could be lost is a piece of Asian American history. The neighborhood has attracted immigrants from Asia for over 100 years, as far back as when it was part of a Chinatown that has long since been demolished. Its Japanese identity was cemented during the post-World War II years. After Americans of Japanese descent were released from remote camps, such as Tule Lake or Topaz, at the end of the war, many of them gravitated toward San Jose, where a population of Chinese and Filipinos had maintained homes and businesses. Soon, the blocks around Jackson and Fifth Streets came to life with grocers, dentists and hair salons, as well as Buddhist and Christian houses of worship. In their native tongue, they called it Nihonmachi. For decades, all of the shops in Japantown have been mom-and-pop businesses, some of them handed down through three or four generations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hovering over Jackson Street’s historic streetscape is the construction of a housing and retail complex that will bring 500 new apartments to the neighborhood. That means an influx of new residents, likely non-Japanese. Will they dine on donburi and join in the Nikkei Matsuri and Obon festivals? Or will they usher in a demand for Starbucks and Chipotle? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>America’s Most Traditional Japantown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, the comforting flavors at old mainstays like Gombei continue to draw visitors from near and far. “My wife and I go there every time we go to San Francisco. We love driving straight from SFO down to San Jose to have lunch,” Asakawa, the author, explains. “That’s definitely the kind of food I grew up with.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, dishing up homestyle meals to salarymen from the nearby Sony and Hitachi campuses. Now 70, he’s still behind the counter almost every day alongside a small crew of mostly Latino cooks. Although his staff fries croquettes and grills mackerel, he insists on arriving at the kitchen at 7am to make the curry and soups himself, keeping the flavor consistent, as he’s done nearly every day since 1981. “I have a recipe in here,” he says, chuckling and pointing to his head, “but it’s not written down.” \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>Although Kubota occasionally allows new specials, his goal is to serve meals that remind him of growing up in Japan. Even though he arrived in America in the 1970s, he’s still considered one of the “recent” immigrants here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some of Japantown’s restaurants go back much further. They evolved from the lunch counters that served the first wave of immigrants, farmers who began arriving around 1900 from rural southern Japan. The fare still reflects these down home roots. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Originally, with the Exclusion Act, there were mostly just guys here, so there were pool halls and barber shops,” says Gene Yoneda, who with his wife JoAnn owns Minato, the oldest operating Japanese restaurant in San Jose. Minato opened its doors in 1961 and changed ownership a few times before the Yonedas bought it. They still serve some of the original dishes, such as deep brown curry over rice or simmering pots of sukiyaki, but other entrées—such as homestyle butadofu, a stir-fry of pork and bean curd—have fallen off the menu. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905129\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905129\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of homey Japanese dishes; a plate of Japanese brown curry over rice is in the foreground.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato’s curry over rice has been a menu staple since the restaurant first opened in 1961. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1980s, Minato opened San Jose’s first sushi bar, which has now been replaced with additional seating. Today, the menu offers a little bit of this and that, including chicken-and-egg oyakodon or pork chop katsudon, along with several varieties of udon. It’s the kind of family-friendly place where Evelyn Hori brought her children to lunch after preschool or scout meetings. Kids receive tickets to trade in for plastic beads or a Disney notebook. Construction workers might sit next to local politicians. If a presidential candidate were to stump in Japantown, Minato would be the place.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant also sits directly across the street from the site of the new retail and housing complex under construction, whose exterior is now close to finished. “It was dusty, noisy, with tractors going back and forth,” Yoneda says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Will hundreds of new residents mean more patrons for restaurants like Minato? Japantown eateries walk a fine line between too much and not enough. Even if newcomers choose bentos over burrito bowls, too many new customers could flood these small dining rooms, leaving restaurateurs unable to serve their regulars, much less greet them by name. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the most part, Yoneda tries to be optimistic. “Parking is the only issue I have,” he says. “We welcome everybody. Anybody that wants to come down here. It’s kind of cool.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905130\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905130\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg\" alt=\"A view of one of the main stretches of Japantown, with a large construction zone to the right.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato sits directly across the street from the site of the new housing and retail complex. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spite of the looming changes, many of the shops in San Jose’s Japantown seem frozen in time. Shuei-Do Manju, a tiny storefront on Jackson Street, sells nearly a thousand pieces of mochi and other traditional sweets every day. Open since 1953, the shop gives off an old-fashioned candy store vibe. Youth sports trophies and a Kristi Yamaguchi cereal box are proudly displayed behind the counter, which features a glass case with round mochi, wafer-like monaka and pastel cubes of chi chi dango arrayed in lacquer trays. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Tom and Judy Kumamaru bought the shop in 1987, they spent six months learning the art of making manju from the original owners. Unlike packaged rice cakes sold in many Asian supermarket chains, the fillings and the chewy exteriors are all made from scratch each day, without preservatives. Each morning, the couple soaks azuki and lima beans for the fillings, which they wrap into handmade skins of mochiko sweet rice flour. Judy, whose parents were good friends of the founders, tests the fillings to make sure they’re just like she remembers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the decades, Tom has tested out various machines in hopes of perhaps modernizing the mochi-making process, but the equipment couldn’t handle Shuei-Do’s recipe for delicate, chewy dough. He says shops like theirs don’t even exist in Japanese cities. “They’re coming up with different types. Some really fancy, too, so fancy that you don’t want to eat them,” he explains. “When you go into the different countryside areas, the shops are kind of like ours.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg\" alt=\"An assortment of manju wrapped in paper sleeves.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The manju at Shuei-Do are made by hand from scratch each day. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When asked if they plan to branch out into the mochi donuts or muffins that are lighting up Instagram, Tom laughs and points to the peanut butter filled manju as their most adventurous variety. He prefers the kinako flavor, dusted with roasted soybean powder.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Less Nihonmachi, More JTown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a deep sense of community in Japantown, and perhaps no one is more deeply invested than James Nagareda. Not only does Nagareda oversee the local history museum, he serves on the board of the Japantown Business Association, and runs the Nikkei Traditions gift store and, until recently, an ice cream shop called Jimbo’s. He’s idealistic yet practical. “You have to look at it from both points of view, right?” Nagareda says about the new shopping plaza. “We’d rather have a small independent or family, which is awesome. But again, economics, it’s got to work.” Today, the only corporate presence is the San Diego-based Niijiya market. For many mom-and-pop shops, survival requires changing with the times. Nagareda sold Jimbo’s to new owners who have rebranded it as JT Express, serving take-out friendly sushi burritos as well as taiyaki and Bubbie’s ice cream mochi. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the businesses that Nagareda hopes to preserve, however, is Santo Market, the small Japanese-Hawaiian grocery store kitty-corner to the new housing complex. A giant ocean mural on the exterior befits a business riding the wave of change. Mark Santo leads his three siblings in running the store, which has been in the family since 1946. When local artist Juan Carlos Araujo approached him about having one of the first murals commissioned in Japantown, Santo convinced his nonagenarian parents to approve the work and persuaded Araujo to take inspiration from Hokusai’s classic art. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“Many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To keep island transplants from driving up to San Mateo to buy haupia mix and poi at Takahashi Market, the shop started expanding its selection of Hawaiian goods. The family developed a poke recipe, and Mark’s sisters started making strawberry daifuku on Tuesdays and Saturdays, tucking a whole berry and red bean filling into mochi dough. To fill the void left by the closure of San Jose’s beloved Aki’s Bakery, the market started selling guava cake by the slice at the takeout window. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Closed for in-person shopping since the beginning of the pandemic, Santo Market is now more of a takeout joint than a grocery. There’s usually a crowd in the small parking lot; the market averages 60 pounds of tuna a day, in addition to barbecued tri-tip and teriyaki sandwiches. The daifuku often sells out before noon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In early October, the market celebrated its 75\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">th\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> birthday. Mark Santo himself turned 60 this year, and many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are also in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905127\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905127\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg\" alt=\"Two men stand in front of a large, ocean-themed mural on the exterior wall of Santo Market.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pandemic forced Mark Santo (right) to modernize and diversify his traditional Japanese market. Here, he poses in front of the market with his brother, Scott Santo. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s Japanese population has been shrinking for decades, because of aging and exodus to the suburbs. Only one percent of the local residents \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=8600000US95112&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">identified as Japanese\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the latest census survey. In many ways, even without the massive new complex, change in San Jose’s Japantown is already well underway. A younger, more diverse crowd is drawn to the neighborhood for art walks and car shows. “Those who are coming to Obon were me and my parents, their friends who’ve been coming for 60 years,” Santo says of the annual Japanese Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors. “Where these guys are bringing in fresh blood, fresh people, new people.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Walk down Jackson Street today, and you can see the changes all around. A Depression-era gas station owned by Roy Murotsune, whose family bought the property after World War II, has been converted by his daughter and grandchildren into Roy’s Station. At this popular cafe, purple-haired Gen-Zers sip Verve coffee alongside Japanese retirees. Joggers with Labradoodles swerve around senior citizens ambling down the sidewalk. “I get annoyed sometimes when I’m trying to buy groceries at Nijiya and there are millennials and tech bros clogging the aisles, tripping out over the ‘crazy’ Japanese snacks and laughing at the labels,” says music journalist and longtime San Jose resident Todd Inoue, who frequents the neighborhood a few times a month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with the customers, the merchants are also becoming more diverse. Lotus blossom banners are fading, while street-art style murals brighten once blank walls. Empty storefronts fill up with snapbacks and T-shirts, succulents and art supplies, reflecting an urban, multicultural aesthetic. It’s less Nihonmachi and more JTown. In a way, it’s a return to the neighborhood’s pan-Asian roots, with Filipino, Vietnamese and Hawaiian business owners.\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 fact, the earliest restaurants in the area were not Japanese, but Chinese. The oldest one was Ken Ying Low, housed in a two-story Victorian era building across from the construction site, which was once the center of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s last Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. According to historian Curt Fukuda, the banquet room was the site of many Japanese Americans wedding and funeral banquets in the olden days. After housing Filipino, Cuban and Chinese cuisines, the building became home to a new tenant: a pizza shop whose signature pie, the “JTown Street,” is loosely modeled after Japanese okonomiyaki—hoisin sauce and sweet mayo drizzled over shiitake mushrooms and shredded romaine. Inoue, the music writer, enjoys the tekka don at Ginza restaurant, but he’ll also grab a beer at the pizza shop.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its moniker, Japantown has always been a big tent: There are Korean and Mexican restaurants, and even stalwart Gombei sometimes offers chicken adobo, a nod to its longtime Filipino neighbors. Being the overlooked country cousin, the community around Jackson Street has quietly watched and learned from redevelopment in San Francisco and LA in the 1960s and ’70s. And San Jose, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11890341/san-jose-to-apologize-for-the-1887-burning-of-the-citys-chinatown\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">city that recently apologized for the burning of an early Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, may have the kind of multicultural ethos where Japantown can grow, yet stay true to its roots.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After decades of exodus, some Japanese Americans are interested in returning to this urban village\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At age 55, Inoue is considering a move from the suburbs to one of the new apartments when he retires. “Japantown is still a living, breathing community and you see that in the people and the business. You see the Lotus preschool kids doing their rounds, the elders at Yu-Ai Kai [senior center] and Fuji Towers,” says Inoue. “There’s a comfort and familiarity in the daily life, but also glints of progressive change.”\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>\u003ci>Grace Hwang Lynch is a San Francisco Bay Area journalist and essayist, with an eye for Asian American culture and food. Her work can be found at PRI, NPR, Tin House and Catapult. She’s at work on a memoir about Taiwanese food and family. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GraceHwangLynch\">@GraceHwangLynch\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Boba, Chè and ABGs: A San Jose Local's Guide to Vietnamese Drinks",
"headTitle": "Boba, Chè and ABGs: A San Jose Local’s Guide to Vietnamese Drinks | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904916\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904916\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Two Vietnamese milk tea drinks, a pastry and a spiky green durian fruit spread out on a countertop.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dzui’s, in San Jose, is one of the few Bay Area shops that specializes in durian drinks. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]E[/dropcap]very article written about Vietnamese food in America reads like the beginning of an Asian American studies paper. And that’s fair: Food can’t be truly understood without getting into history and politics. The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War created a pathway for the first large wave of Vietnamese immigration into the states. Hundreds of thousands of refugees wound up landing in cities such as New Orleans, Houston and San Jose, the last of which is home to the Bay Area’s biggest concentration of Vietnamese Americans. In fact, San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city in the country—over 100,000, according to the 2010 census. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It should come as no surprise, then, that the city is also home to the best Vietnamese food that Northern California has to offer. Even Vietnamese people from San Francisco, Stockton and Sacramento often make the long journey for a taste. Savvy out-of-town readers have already seen the listicles featuring San Jose’s best phở\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">or\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bánh mì. But what’s spoken of less frequently is the city’s sprawling, vibrant Vietnamese drinks scene—an ever-evolving landscape of colorful, icy sweet soups layered with mung beans and pandan jelly, fresh-pressed sugarcane juice and distinctly Vietnamese takes on boba and coffee. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some drinks are traditional, others are new innovations popularized by Vietnamese American youth. In many ways, the entire chè and boba scene speaks not only to what Vietnamese culture in San Jose is, but also where it’s going.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After all, if wine can be Napa’s thing, why can’t Vietnamese beverages be San Jose’s?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Milk Tea and Boba\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These days, boba’s omnipresence is a distinctive characteristic of the Bay Area. Cruising through San Jose, you get the impression that there are more boba shops than Starbucks. San Jose is the so-called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/g5p44x/it-was-a-cultural-reset-a-short-history-of-the-abg-aesthetic\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asian Baby Girl \u003c/span>\u003c/a>(ABG) \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">capital of the Bay, after all, and big, colorful boba drinks are the accessory of choice for this particular subculture, alongside acrylic nails and lash extensions. While Taiwanese boba culture tends to dominate the discussion, in San Jose you’ll find a whole universe of Vietnamese takes on the cult drink. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904914\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904914\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Colorful boba drinks on a table lit with purplish-pink light.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pekoe is known for its colorful boba drinks, as well as its clubby, neon-lit atmosphere. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These boba shops take the Taiwanese boba canon—your classic milk teas with tapioca pearls—and build on that foundation by adding Vietnamese ingredients. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://7leavescafe.com/drink\">\u003cb>7 Leaves Cafe\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a good example of this approach. The local chain’s\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first Northern California location is in the sleepy suburban neighborhood of Berryessa, the less widely recognized Vietnamese ethnoburb within San Jose. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though the cafe serves the standard milk tea flavors of black, jasmine, and taro that you expect at any other boba shop, its standout items draw on distinctly Vietnamese influences. There’s mung bean milk tea, “herbal tea” (pandan, chrysanthemum and raw cane sugar) and, the student favorite, Vietnamese coffee. Fortunately, the hour-long waits from 7 Leaves’ debut have tapered off as the chain settled into the city, with three locations that act as popular hubs for midday caffeine boosts and hours-long study sessions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“San Jose is the so-called Asian Baby Girl capital of the Bay, after all, and big, colorful boba drinks are the accessory of choice for this particular subculture.”[/pullquote]To immerse yourself in San Jose’s Vietnamese youth culture (or one aspect of it, anyway), head over to \u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://pekoeteabar.com/\">Pekoe Tea Bar\u003c/a>. \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With its white leather couches, vibey dimmed lighting and neon LED strips, Pekoe embodies last decade’s Asian American raver revival and San Jose \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/style/cheugy.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cheugy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. During its heyday in the mid-2010s, you couldn’t make it to the register without swarms of teenagers and 20-somethings huddling around modded cars and vape circles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905037\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Young Asian Americans stand in line to order boba inside a shop with ornate light fixtures.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Vietnamese boba scene at shops like Pekoe is driven by Asian American teens and 20somethings. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The menu captures the aforementioned subculture’s casual geekery and tendency toward questionably appropriative hip-hop references, with drink names such as “Mario and Lui-lychee” and “I’m in Luv with the Coco.” Pekoe offers a cocktail style menu, pairing teas, flavorings and toppings that are meant to complement one another. “Pretty in Pink” features a strawberry-infused jasmine milk tea with heart-shaped strawberry jelly and boba, resulting in an adorable pink drink that, believe it or not, tastes like vape juice—in a good way. For an earthier drink, “Yung Mung-y” combines jasmine tea with “natural mung bean” and coconut pudding. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If your curiosity won’t let you decide between two menu options, Pekoe offers split cups. The drinks run sweeter than most, so ask for less sweetness than your usual order. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Chè\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chè is a category that covers an endless variety of desserts that can be hot or cold, savory or sweet, solid or soupy, chewy or smooth, fresh or cooked. It’s a maximalist dessert with no limitations. One popular iteration is chè ba màu, recognized for its striking tri-color layers of red bean, mung bean and pandan jelly topped with coconut milk and shaved ice. Another is chè thái, a canned-fruit cocktail—of jackfruit, lychee, grass jelly, water chestnut and coconut flesh—that’s reminiscent of ambrosia.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bay Area’s most recognizable chè shop, \u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://www.drinkbambu.com/\">BAMBU Dessert & Drinks\u003c/a>, \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">originated in San Jose, first opening in Berryessa in 2008. Since then, the chain has expanded to 15 stores serving Vietnamese enclaves as far away as Sacramento and Stockton, but the San Jose mothership is still worth a visit for an efficient and reliable pitstop while eating your way through the Eastside scene. The menu offers all the greatest hits of the icy variety of chè, though the shop also serves a host of flavored milk teas, fruit teas and coffees for those who prefer less texture. Drink your way through the shop’s preset chè options, or pick your favorite ingredients to create your own combination. When in doubt, the classic chè ba màu (#10 on the menu) is a dependable option.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Soy-Based Drinks\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Vietnam, freshly made soy milk is often served alongside street food and deli entrees. While American soy milk does its best to neutralize itself, waiting to be paired with coffee or utilized in baking, Asian soy milk is a delightful treat all on its own. It’s meant to taste like soy.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905047\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905047\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holds a soy pudding drink dotted with boba, pandan and shaved ice.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Soyful’s icy soy pudding drinks are a delightful hybrid of boba, soy and chè. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To enjoy Vietnamese soy milk in its purest form, head to \u003c/span>\u003cb>Hung Vuong Tofu\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905293/vietnamese-tofu-capital-san-jose\">soy- and tofu-focused deli\u003c/a> tucked in an unpretentious strip mall in Berryessa. Snake around the floating isle of imported snacks and prepared food trays to land at the shop’s fridge, with its nostalgic red, yellow and blue stripes. Inside, you’ll find bottles and jugs of freshly pressed soy milk available in four options: unsweetened, sweetened, pandan and matcha. Older patrons gravitate toward the unsweetened version, but the matcha flavor sells out quickly due to the younger crowd. If you’ve only had mass-produced soy milk from the supermarket, be prepared for a completely different sensation: a refreshing, subtly sweet silken tofu taste with a full mouthfeel. They don’t use preservatives here, so finish your drink within one to two days of opening.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For those seeking a more contemporary take on the genre, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soyfuldesserts/?hl=en\">\u003cb>Soyful Desserts\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is the ultimate lovechild of boba, chè and soy. Though the shop’s core options are Hong Kong-style milk teas (and at least one of its founders \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/soyfuldesserts/about/?ref=page_internal\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hails from Hong Kong\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), Soyful is best known for its soy pudding drinks. The tender, slurpable ginger syrup–dowsed tofu is layered with your toppings of choice. I recommend the pandan jelly, basil seeds, and of course boba. To really lean into the shop’s chè\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">side, opt for red beans as well. The soy pudding drinks are all accompanied by crushed ice—the kind that’s fun to stab with your straw and easy to drink.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Durian Drinks\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose is also one of the only places in America where even lesser known Vietnamese drinks are able to cultivate a devoted following. One such drink can be found at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Dzuis-Cakes-Desserts-771574152953969/\">\u003cb>Dzui’s Cakes and Desserts\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In 2017, Dzui Thai decided to open his namesake storefront in Eastside San Jose, building on the legacy of his family’s successful bakery which has operated in Vietnam for nearly 40 years. The shop specializes in pillowy durian crepe cakes and bánh mì muối ớt (grilled bread with spicy seasoning), but it’s also known for offering hard-to-find beverages like corn milk, mung bean milk and, especially, a variety of durian drinks—all made with super-fresh ingredients.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905049\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905049\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A line of customers stands in front of the display case waiting to order inside of Dzui's dessert shop.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Dzui’s, customers can get a durian crepe cakes to go with their durian milk tea. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dzui’s signature “á đù”rian (a pun on Vietnamese for “motherfucker”) milk tea originally featured fresh, high-quality durian chunks. Thai noticed that customers were either thrilled or repulsed by the contentious fruit in its purest form. It is durian, after all. To those less familiar, it’s \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">allegedly\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> offensive and reeks of onions (or worse). To its championing lovers, it’s an aromatic blend of perfume and—OK fine—garlic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Determined to adapt his signature drink to be friendlier to his new stateside market, Thai landed on a housemade durian pudding. The resulting product invites durian amateurs to familiarize themselves with the fruit’s complicated custardy notes. The pudding sits atop a salted cheese foam with fragrant jasmine tea, resulting in an alchemic blend of savory and sweet. Durian lovers can rest assured that fresh durian chunks are available for a worthwhile extra $1.50.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“Customers were either thrilled or repulsed by the contentious fruit in its purest form. It is durian, after all.”[/pullquote]“I wanted to stand out,” Thai says of his durian desserts and drinks. “There’s a lot of Vietnamese business around here. Why not try it? You can’t find it anywhere else.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Sugarcane Juice\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Californians have a reputation for being particularly health conscious, so it’s surprising that Vietnamese juices and smoothies haven’t taken the state by storm yet. One of the more popular options is fresh sugarcane juice, and the definitive sugarcane juicery in town is\u003c/span> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nkfreshjuice/?hl=en\">\u003cb>Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905050\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905050\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu’s bright, tropical storefront is located inside the Grand Century mall food court. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Located in the food court of the Grand Century Shopping mall—\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/a/mofad-city-guides/san-jose-vietnamese-restaurants\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">one of two almost exclusively Vietnamese malls in San Jose\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu is all about transparency and simplicity. Literally. Customers get to watch their order made from scratch right in front of them, explains Ron Kwok, the son of the company’s founder. Whole sugarcane sticks are run through an industrial press, with a filter that catches the inedible fibers, yielding a pure, refreshing cup of juice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Each menu option is an exhaustive list of the ingredients that go into that drink. In other words, the sugarcane juice only contains sugarcane, unless you decide to add fresh or preserved fruit (which you should!). Fresh-pressed sugarcane with a squeeze of kumquat is the most popular option, with bright citrus notes balancing out the sugarcane’s natural sweetness.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905051\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Two cups of iced sugarcane juice on a mall food court tabletop.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The fresh-pressed sugarcane drinks at Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu don’t have any added sugar or water. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Coffee\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s no talking about Vietnamese beverages without mentioning coffee. In the U.S., cà phê sữa đá, or Vietnamese iced coffee, sits in the hall of fame next to phở and bánh mì\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In San Jose, you don’t have to drive very far from wherever you are to find that bold and delicious bitter cup of robusta sweetened with condensed milk. Most boba shops in town even offer it alongside their milk and fruit tea options. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until recently, though, cà phê sữa đá was usually tucked at the end of bánh mì shop and restaurant menus rather than featured as a standalone product in its own right. “Vietnamese coffee shops” usually referred to late-night haunts for men to drink cà phê, chain-smoke, watch sports, play cards, buy lottery tickets and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ocregister.com/2009/05/21/sexy-cafes-are-little-saigons-twist-on-hooters-2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">generously tip bikini-clad servers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, there’s a younger generation of Vietnamese Americans eager to expand upon the existing cà phê\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">scene and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://imbibemagazine.com/ca-phe-culture-a-vietnamese-coffee-movement-is-brewing-across-america/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">close the gap on more recent trends in third wave coffee\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905052\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A barista in a face mask prepares an espresso drink.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Academic Coffee is known for its pandan lattes, which are inspired by a popular Vietnamese snack. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When husband-and-wife duo Frank and Kathy Nguyen opened \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.academiccoffee.com/\">\u003cb>Academic Coffee\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in 2017, they began with a straightforward, no-frills espresso focused menu—nothing especially Vietnamese about it. About a year into operating, though, Frank began experimenting with a housemade pandan syrup. The result was the shop’s iconic pandan lattes and cold brews. Inspired by the classic childhood snack, bánh kẹp\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">(pandan waffle), the pandan drink’s flavor lands between a vanilla and coconut latte. Don’t expect your coffee to be green, as the cafe opts to skip out on dyes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While Academic Coffee provides an option for Vietnamese-inspired espresso drinks, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kasamacaphe.com/\">\u003cstrong>Kasama Ca Phe\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> focuses on the classic cà phê itself. Childhood friends Erik Quiocho and Kevin Ho Nguyen developed their love for cà phê sữa đá when they’d have it as a casual after-school treat while grabbing phở. As the third wave coffee movement hit the Bay Area, the duo saw an opportunity to educate coffee enthusiasts on Vietnamese beans, labor and brewing methods. Thus came \u003c/span>Kasama Ca Phe\u003cb>, \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a pop-up concept that has halted during the pandemic and shifted to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kasamacaphe/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">growler pick-ups only\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904861,arts_13904835,arts_13905293' label='More San Jose Food']“We didn’t want to just go off the radar,” explains Quiocho, “There was a lot we wanted to do and a story we wanted to tell. We decided the best way to do it was curbside pickup.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The pair also increased their focus on online engagement. At the start of the shelter-in-place ordinance of 2020, they hosted an online workshop teaching participants how to brew a “proper” cup of cà phê trứng, or egg coffee. The Northern Vietnamese hot coffee drink is slowly becoming more widely available in the U.S.—though it’s still relatively hard to find in the Bay Area, especially outside of San Jose. To make cà phê trứng, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/blogs/news/vietnamese-coffee-phin-filter-stainless-steel\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">phin-brewed coffee\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is topped with a custard-like foam made from whipped egg yolks and condensed milk. The drink embodies the pop-up’s methodical approach to coffee, as well as its founders’ commitment to introducing customers to new-to-them Vietnamese coffee offerings. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And unlike more old school Vietnamese coffee spots, Kasama Ca Phe is vegan-friendly too, offering cà phê sữa dừa đá, or coconut coffee, which utilizes Thai coconut condensed milk. All drinks use Nguyen Coffee Supply beans,\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/pages/about-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a Brooklyn-based roaster best known for their single-origin, direct-trade Vietnamese coffee\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905053\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A hand reaching out to a cup of coffee decorated with elegant latte art.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coffee shops like Academic Coffee—whose latte is pictured here—bridge the gap between third wave trends and Vietnamese coffee culture. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a quickly growing diasporic coffee movement of young Vietnamese Americans who are eager to reclaim Vietnam’s robusta bean, often deemed inferior to arabica beans in terms of flavor and quality, and push back against Eurocentric coffee standards. Kasama Ca Phe proudly represents San Jose in this new wave. And Quiocho and Nguyen aren’t done yet: They have their sights set out on creating their own organic condensed milk, and plan to open their own storefront in San Jose in the near future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“San Jose’s always on this come-up moment. A lot of other folks in the South Bay feel it too. Times are changing,” Quiocho says. “As San Jose continues to grow, we want to help champion the coffee scene out here. Do it for the hometown.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\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\">\u003cem>Jacquelyn Tran is a San Jose–raised, Berkeley-based researcher and writer. She does not identify as an ABG but did write her college thesis on the subculture. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/jjjjacq\">@jjjjacq\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904916\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904916\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Two Vietnamese milk tea drinks, a pastry and a spiky green durian fruit spread out on a countertop.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/001_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dzui’s, in San Jose, is one of the few Bay Area shops that specializes in durian drinks. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">E\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>very article written about Vietnamese food in America reads like the beginning of an Asian American studies paper. And that’s fair: Food can’t be truly understood without getting into history and politics. The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War created a pathway for the first large wave of Vietnamese immigration into the states. Hundreds of thousands of refugees wound up landing in cities such as New Orleans, Houston and San Jose, the last of which is home to the Bay Area’s biggest concentration of Vietnamese Americans. In fact, San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city in the country—over 100,000, according to the 2010 census. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It should come as no surprise, then, that the city is also home to the best Vietnamese food that Northern California has to offer. Even Vietnamese people from San Francisco, Stockton and Sacramento often make the long journey for a taste. Savvy out-of-town readers have already seen the listicles featuring San Jose’s best phở\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">or\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bánh mì. But what’s spoken of less frequently is the city’s sprawling, vibrant Vietnamese drinks scene—an ever-evolving landscape of colorful, icy sweet soups layered with mung beans and pandan jelly, fresh-pressed sugarcane juice and distinctly Vietnamese takes on boba and coffee. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some drinks are traditional, others are new innovations popularized by Vietnamese American youth. In many ways, the entire chè and boba scene speaks not only to what Vietnamese culture in San Jose is, but also where it’s going.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After all, if wine can be Napa’s thing, why can’t Vietnamese beverages be San Jose’s?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Milk Tea and Boba\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These days, boba’s omnipresence is a distinctive characteristic of the Bay Area. Cruising through San Jose, you get the impression that there are more boba shops than Starbucks. San Jose is the so-called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/g5p44x/it-was-a-cultural-reset-a-short-history-of-the-abg-aesthetic\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asian Baby Girl \u003c/span>\u003c/a>(ABG) \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">capital of the Bay, after all, and big, colorful boba drinks are the accessory of choice for this particular subculture, alongside acrylic nails and lash extensions. While Taiwanese boba culture tends to dominate the discussion, in San Jose you’ll find a whole universe of Vietnamese takes on the cult drink. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904914\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904914\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Colorful boba drinks on a table lit with purplish-pink light.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/017_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pekoe is known for its colorful boba drinks, as well as its clubby, neon-lit atmosphere. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These boba shops take the Taiwanese boba canon—your classic milk teas with tapioca pearls—and build on that foundation by adding Vietnamese ingredients. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://7leavescafe.com/drink\">\u003cb>7 Leaves Cafe\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a good example of this approach. The local chain’s\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first Northern California location is in the sleepy suburban neighborhood of Berryessa, the less widely recognized Vietnamese ethnoburb within San Jose. \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\">Though the cafe serves the standard milk tea flavors of black, jasmine, and taro that you expect at any other boba shop, its standout items draw on distinctly Vietnamese influences. There’s mung bean milk tea, “herbal tea” (pandan, chrysanthemum and raw cane sugar) and, the student favorite, Vietnamese coffee. Fortunately, the hour-long waits from 7 Leaves’ debut have tapered off as the chain settled into the city, with three locations that act as popular hubs for midday caffeine boosts and hours-long study sessions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“San Jose is the so-called Asian Baby Girl capital of the Bay, after all, and big, colorful boba drinks are the accessory of choice for this particular subculture.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To immerse yourself in San Jose’s Vietnamese youth culture (or one aspect of it, anyway), head over to \u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://pekoeteabar.com/\">Pekoe Tea Bar\u003c/a>. \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With its white leather couches, vibey dimmed lighting and neon LED strips, Pekoe embodies last decade’s Asian American raver revival and San Jose \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/style/cheugy.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cheugy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. During its heyday in the mid-2010s, you couldn’t make it to the register without swarms of teenagers and 20-somethings huddling around modded cars and vape circles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905037\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Young Asian Americans stand in line to order boba inside a shop with ornate light fixtures.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/020_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Vietnamese boba scene at shops like Pekoe is driven by Asian American teens and 20somethings. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The menu captures the aforementioned subculture’s casual geekery and tendency toward questionably appropriative hip-hop references, with drink names such as “Mario and Lui-lychee” and “I’m in Luv with the Coco.” Pekoe offers a cocktail style menu, pairing teas, flavorings and toppings that are meant to complement one another. “Pretty in Pink” features a strawberry-infused jasmine milk tea with heart-shaped strawberry jelly and boba, resulting in an adorable pink drink that, believe it or not, tastes like vape juice—in a good way. For an earthier drink, “Yung Mung-y” combines jasmine tea with “natural mung bean” and coconut pudding. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If your curiosity won’t let you decide between two menu options, Pekoe offers split cups. The drinks run sweeter than most, so ask for less sweetness than your usual order. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Chè\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chè is a category that covers an endless variety of desserts that can be hot or cold, savory or sweet, solid or soupy, chewy or smooth, fresh or cooked. It’s a maximalist dessert with no limitations. One popular iteration is chè ba màu, recognized for its striking tri-color layers of red bean, mung bean and pandan jelly topped with coconut milk and shaved ice. Another is chè thái, a canned-fruit cocktail—of jackfruit, lychee, grass jelly, water chestnut and coconut flesh—that’s reminiscent of ambrosia.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bay Area’s most recognizable chè shop, \u003c/span>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://www.drinkbambu.com/\">BAMBU Dessert & Drinks\u003c/a>, \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">originated in San Jose, first opening in Berryessa in 2008. Since then, the chain has expanded to 15 stores serving Vietnamese enclaves as far away as Sacramento and Stockton, but the San Jose mothership is still worth a visit for an efficient and reliable pitstop while eating your way through the Eastside scene. The menu offers all the greatest hits of the icy variety of chè, though the shop also serves a host of flavored milk teas, fruit teas and coffees for those who prefer less texture. Drink your way through the shop’s preset chè options, or pick your favorite ingredients to create your own combination. When in doubt, the classic chè ba màu (#10 on the menu) is a dependable option.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Soy-Based Drinks\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Vietnam, freshly made soy milk is often served alongside street food and deli entrees. While American soy milk does its best to neutralize itself, waiting to be paired with coffee or utilized in baking, Asian soy milk is a delightful treat all on its own. It’s meant to taste like soy.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905047\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905047\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A woman holds a soy pudding drink dotted with boba, pandan and shaved ice.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/016_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Soyful’s icy soy pudding drinks are a delightful hybrid of boba, soy and chè. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To enjoy Vietnamese soy milk in its purest form, head to \u003c/span>\u003cb>Hung Vuong Tofu\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905293/vietnamese-tofu-capital-san-jose\">soy- and tofu-focused deli\u003c/a> tucked in an unpretentious strip mall in Berryessa. Snake around the floating isle of imported snacks and prepared food trays to land at the shop’s fridge, with its nostalgic red, yellow and blue stripes. Inside, you’ll find bottles and jugs of freshly pressed soy milk available in four options: unsweetened, sweetened, pandan and matcha. Older patrons gravitate toward the unsweetened version, but the matcha flavor sells out quickly due to the younger crowd. If you’ve only had mass-produced soy milk from the supermarket, be prepared for a completely different sensation: a refreshing, subtly sweet silken tofu taste with a full mouthfeel. They don’t use preservatives here, so finish your drink within one to two days of opening.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For those seeking a more contemporary take on the genre, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soyfuldesserts/?hl=en\">\u003cb>Soyful Desserts\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is the ultimate lovechild of boba, chè and soy. Though the shop’s core options are Hong Kong-style milk teas (and at least one of its founders \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/soyfuldesserts/about/?ref=page_internal\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hails from Hong Kong\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), Soyful is best known for its soy pudding drinks. The tender, slurpable ginger syrup–dowsed tofu is layered with your toppings of choice. I recommend the pandan jelly, basil seeds, and of course boba. To really lean into the shop’s chè\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">side, opt for red beans as well. The soy pudding drinks are all accompanied by crushed ice—the kind that’s fun to stab with your straw and easy to drink.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Durian Drinks\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose is also one of the only places in America where even lesser known Vietnamese drinks are able to cultivate a devoted following. One such drink can be found at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Dzuis-Cakes-Desserts-771574152953969/\">\u003cb>Dzui’s Cakes and Desserts\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In 2017, Dzui Thai decided to open his namesake storefront in Eastside San Jose, building on the legacy of his family’s successful bakery which has operated in Vietnam for nearly 40 years. The shop specializes in pillowy durian crepe cakes and bánh mì muối ớt (grilled bread with spicy seasoning), but it’s also known for offering hard-to-find beverages like corn milk, mung bean milk and, especially, a variety of durian drinks—all made with super-fresh ingredients.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905049\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905049\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A line of customers stands in front of the display case waiting to order inside of Dzui's dessert shop.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Dzui’s, customers can get a durian crepe cakes to go with their durian milk tea. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dzui’s signature “á đù”rian (a pun on Vietnamese for “motherfucker”) milk tea originally featured fresh, high-quality durian chunks. Thai noticed that customers were either thrilled or repulsed by the contentious fruit in its purest form. It is durian, after all. To those less familiar, it’s \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">allegedly\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> offensive and reeks of onions (or worse). To its championing lovers, it’s an aromatic blend of perfume and—OK fine—garlic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Determined to adapt his signature drink to be friendlier to his new stateside market, Thai landed on a housemade durian pudding. The resulting product invites durian amateurs to familiarize themselves with the fruit’s complicated custardy notes. The pudding sits atop a salted cheese foam with fragrant jasmine tea, resulting in an alchemic blend of savory and sweet. Durian lovers can rest assured that fresh durian chunks are available for a worthwhile extra $1.50.\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 wanted to stand out,” Thai says of his durian desserts and drinks. “There’s a lot of Vietnamese business around here. Why not try it? You can’t find it anywhere else.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Sugarcane Juice\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Californians have a reputation for being particularly health conscious, so it’s surprising that Vietnamese juices and smoothies haven’t taken the state by storm yet. One of the more popular options is fresh sugarcane juice, and the definitive sugarcane juicery in town is\u003c/span> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nkfreshjuice/?hl=en\">\u003cb>Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905050\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905050\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/007_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu’s bright, tropical storefront is located inside the Grand Century mall food court. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Located in the food court of the Grand Century Shopping mall—\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/a/mofad-city-guides/san-jose-vietnamese-restaurants\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">one of two almost exclusively Vietnamese malls in San Jose\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu is all about transparency and simplicity. Literally. Customers get to watch their order made from scratch right in front of them, explains Ron Kwok, the son of the company’s founder. Whole sugarcane sticks are run through an industrial press, with a filter that catches the inedible fibers, yielding a pure, refreshing cup of juice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Each menu option is an exhaustive list of the ingredients that go into that drink. In other words, the sugarcane juice only contains sugarcane, unless you decide to add fresh or preserved fruit (which you should!). Fresh-pressed sugarcane with a squeeze of kumquat is the most popular option, with bright citrus notes balancing out the sugarcane’s natural sweetness.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905051\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"Two cups of iced sugarcane juice on a mall food court tabletop.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The fresh-pressed sugarcane drinks at Nuoc Mia Ninh Kieu don’t have any added sugar or water. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Coffee\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s no talking about Vietnamese beverages without mentioning coffee. In the U.S., cà phê sữa đá, or Vietnamese iced coffee, sits in the hall of fame next to phở and bánh mì\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In San Jose, you don’t have to drive very far from wherever you are to find that bold and delicious bitter cup of robusta sweetened with condensed milk. Most boba shops in town even offer it alongside their milk and fruit tea options. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until recently, though, cà phê sữa đá was usually tucked at the end of bánh mì shop and restaurant menus rather than featured as a standalone product in its own right. “Vietnamese coffee shops” usually referred to late-night haunts for men to drink cà phê, chain-smoke, watch sports, play cards, buy lottery tickets and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ocregister.com/2009/05/21/sexy-cafes-are-little-saigons-twist-on-hooters-2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">generously tip bikini-clad servers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, there’s a younger generation of Vietnamese Americans eager to expand upon the existing cà phê\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">scene and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://imbibemagazine.com/ca-phe-culture-a-vietnamese-coffee-movement-is-brewing-across-america/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">close the gap on more recent trends in third wave coffee\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905052\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A barista in a face mask prepares an espresso drink.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Academic Coffee is known for its pandan lattes, which are inspired by a popular Vietnamese snack. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When husband-and-wife duo Frank and Kathy Nguyen opened \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.academiccoffee.com/\">\u003cb>Academic Coffee\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in 2017, they began with a straightforward, no-frills espresso focused menu—nothing especially Vietnamese about it. About a year into operating, though, Frank began experimenting with a housemade pandan syrup. The result was the shop’s iconic pandan lattes and cold brews. Inspired by the classic childhood snack, bánh kẹp\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">(pandan waffle), the pandan drink’s flavor lands between a vanilla and coconut latte. Don’t expect your coffee to be green, as the cafe opts to skip out on dyes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While Academic Coffee provides an option for Vietnamese-inspired espresso drinks, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kasamacaphe.com/\">\u003cstrong>Kasama Ca Phe\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> focuses on the classic cà phê itself. Childhood friends Erik Quiocho and Kevin Ho Nguyen developed their love for cà phê sữa đá when they’d have it as a casual after-school treat while grabbing phở. As the third wave coffee movement hit the Bay Area, the duo saw an opportunity to educate coffee enthusiasts on Vietnamese beans, labor and brewing methods. Thus came \u003c/span>Kasama Ca Phe\u003cb>, \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a pop-up concept that has halted during the pandemic and shifted to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kasamacaphe/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">growler pick-ups only\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\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>“We didn’t want to just go off the radar,” explains Quiocho, “There was a lot we wanted to do and a story we wanted to tell. We decided the best way to do it was curbside pickup.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The pair also increased their focus on online engagement. At the start of the shelter-in-place ordinance of 2020, they hosted an online workshop teaching participants how to brew a “proper” cup of cà phê trứng, or egg coffee. The Northern Vietnamese hot coffee drink is slowly becoming more widely available in the U.S.—though it’s still relatively hard to find in the Bay Area, especially outside of San Jose. To make cà phê trứng, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/blogs/news/vietnamese-coffee-phin-filter-stainless-steel\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">phin-brewed coffee\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is topped with a custard-like foam made from whipped egg yolks and condensed milk. The drink embodies the pop-up’s methodical approach to coffee, as well as its founders’ commitment to introducing customers to new-to-them Vietnamese coffee offerings. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And unlike more old school Vietnamese coffee spots, Kasama Ca Phe is vegan-friendly too, offering cà phê sữa dừa đá, or coconut coffee, which utilizes Thai coconut condensed milk. All drinks use Nguyen Coffee Supply beans,\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/pages/about-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a Brooklyn-based roaster best known for their single-origin, direct-trade Vietnamese coffee\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905053\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg\" alt=\"A hand reaching out to a cup of coffee decorated with elegant latte art.\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_KQED100321_VietnameseSJDrinks_AndriaLo-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Coffee shops like Academic Coffee—whose latte is pictured here—bridge the gap between third wave trends and Vietnamese coffee culture. \u003ccite>(Andria Lo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a quickly growing diasporic coffee movement of young Vietnamese Americans who are eager to reclaim Vietnam’s robusta bean, often deemed inferior to arabica beans in terms of flavor and quality, and push back against Eurocentric coffee standards. Kasama Ca Phe proudly represents San Jose in this new wave. And Quiocho and Nguyen aren’t done yet: They have their sights set out on creating their own organic condensed milk, and plan to open their own storefront in San Jose in the near future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“San Jose’s always on this come-up moment. A lot of other folks in the South Bay feel it too. Times are changing,” Quiocho says. “As San Jose continues to grow, we want to help champion the coffee scene out here. Do it for the hometown.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\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\">\u003cem>Jacquelyn Tran is a San Jose–raised, Berkeley-based researcher and writer. She does not identify as an ABG but did write her college thesis on the subculture. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/jjjjacq\">@jjjjacq\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "abuela-mexican-kitchen-undocumented-workers-san-jose",
"title": "My Abuela’s East San Jose Kitchen Fed Dozens of Undocumented Workers Every Week",
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"headTitle": "My Abuela’s East San Jose Kitchen Fed Dozens of Undocumented Workers Every Week | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904919\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904919\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly Latina woman grinds ingredients inside a stone molcajete.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During the ’90s, the author’s abuela, Mardonia Galeana, ran an informal restaurant out of her apartment. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]I[/dropcap] grew up on the corner of Story and Capitol, the heart of Eastside San Jose. Even back then, nearly three decades ago, San Jose had already developed a reputation as a booming hub of technology and innovation. It was already in the early stages of becoming one of the most expensive cities in the country. My family, undocumented, rented out our apartment’s two bedrooms while the three of us crowded into the living room—a common practice among the low-income families in the community. Everyone just did what they could to make rent. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most of the other residents in our apartment complex had the same immigration status. We’d migrated from places like Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero, in the southern part of Mexico. In our neighborhood, there was a common understanding that if you lived here, it was because of your legal status or your limited resources—probably both. It wasn’t a part of the city for people who had other options.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The early ’90s were particularly difficult for undocumented people in California. In 1994, then-governor Pete Wilson \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-29/proposition-187-california-pete-wilson-essay\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">inundated our airwaves with ads for Proposition 187\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, legislation that prohibited undocumented people from accessing public services such as hospitals or schools. The law was eventually struck down by the courts, but we all heard the talk of how “illegals” should be forced to go back where they came from.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regardless, with the little we had—and facing a hostile environment—the immigrants in my neighborhood created a community for ourselves. We shared tips on the different ways we were able to get by. We continued to build our lives in this country. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904938\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904938\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Outstretched hands holding three small red chile peppers.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abuela excelled at cooking dishes from her hometown in Guerrero, Mexico. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was around this time that my abuela took it upon herself to start her own informal business. In our neighborhood, this wasn’t an uncommon thing for people to do. For example, the lady in apartment 28 used to babysit kids. The lady in number 14 sold candies, and the one in number 11 sold bottles of soda. This underground economy was what kept our community afloat. Each dollar made a difference.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abuela noticed that most of the migrants moving into our apartment building were men. Often, they’d left their families behind to work in the U.S., sending most of the money they made back home to Mexico. What these men needed, Abuela realized, was a cook. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"left\"]“For those men, the camaraderie of sitting around Abuela’s table helped make being in this country feel less lonely.”[/pullquote]Gathering her pots and pans, Abuela began selling home-cooked meals, offering them at a reduced price. Before we knew it, her clientele grew. A few nights a week, the men filled up our small living room, drawn in by the telenovela blasting on the TV as they waited their turn. Others crowded around our kitchen table, gobbling up tortilla after tortilla. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The men laughed and bullied each other. Often, they’d also share their hardships—wage theft, humiliation, getting hurt. As a high-maintenance preteen at the time, I didn’t understand what was happening around me. All I thought about being undocumented was how unlucky we were. Now, looking back, I think that for those men, the camaraderie of sitting around Abuela’s table helped make being in this country feel less lonely.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904939\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904939\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman toasts chile peppers in a cast iron pan.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abuela would roast dozens of chiles to prepare for the meals she sold. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To prepare for these dinners, Abuela would roast dozens of chiles, the fumes often forcing us to step outside of the apartment. She mixed and poured, never using actual measuring cups or tablespoons, just intuition. The huge pots created steam that would consume the entire apartment and cause the walls to sweat. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time, the whole ordeal just intensified my annoyance with our living situation. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the food was delicious. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abuela mostly cooked traditional dishes from our home state of Guerrero—picaditas and carne de puerco en chile verde. And because many of her customers were from other parts of Mexico such as Puebla and Oaxaca, Abuela decided to learn how to make traditional meals from those regions as well. She learned how to make mole poblano. She would steam Oaxacan tamales de frijol filled with puréed black beans. Her clients walked in and out of our apartment. Each brought in a story and left with a full stomach. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, at 86, Abuela can no longer cook with the same fury. Severe glaucoma has taken the vision from her left eye, but her spirit is still unstoppable. We no longer live in the same apartment complex. But we are still undocumented; we’re still proud residents of the Eastside. And underground kitchens like my Abuela’s remain very common in San Jose’s low-income neighborhoods today. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904937\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904937\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly woman with glasses looks off into the distance.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mardonia Galeana poses for a portrait at her home in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These days, when nostalgia hits Abuela with a longing to return home, I know precisely the place where she wants to go. On weekends, Doña Estela transforms her Eastside living room into a makeshift restaurant just like Abuela used to do. She folds out tables, assembles a colorful table layout and welcomes her patrons. Her house is adorned with a Virgen de Guadalupe altar, and she attributes her underground success to her devotion. When you pay her, she takes the money y se persina—she makes the sign of the cross.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904835,arts_13904788' label='More San Jose Food']Doña Estela is known for her tacos sudados, which she steams until the tortillas and the meat tucked inside are perfectly tender. They’re magnificent. While Abuela eats, she sits and sparks conversations with the other customers. They hold a reverence for her: In her old age, Abuela resembles the mothers that these migrants left behind, or their own abuelas they could not bury.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Cuidala,” they implore me. “Look after her.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abuela talks to these strangers about the places and the people they left behind. Then, bite after bite, they envision their return.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904928\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13904928 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly Latina woman and her grandson post for a portrait outdoors in their tree-lined backyard.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The author (right) and his grandmother, now 86, still live in Eastside San Jose. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\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=\"http://yosimarreyes.com/bio\">Yosimar Reyes\u003c/a> is a nationally acclaimed poet and public speaker. Born in Guerrero, Mexico, and raised in Eastside San Jose, Reyes explores the themes of migration and sexuality in his work.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Informal restaurants like hers offer immigrants a support system—and a taste of home.",
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"title": "My Abuela’s East San Jose Kitchen Fed Dozens of Undocumented Workers Every Week | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904919\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904919\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly Latina woman grinds ingredients inside a stone molcajete.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/006_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During the ’90s, the author’s abuela, Mardonia Galeana, ran an informal restaurant out of her apartment. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \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> grew up on the corner of Story and Capitol, the heart of Eastside San Jose. Even back then, nearly three decades ago, San Jose had already developed a reputation as a booming hub of technology and innovation. It was already in the early stages of becoming one of the most expensive cities in the country. My family, undocumented, rented out our apartment’s two bedrooms while the three of us crowded into the living room—a common practice among the low-income families in the community. Everyone just did what they could to make rent. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most of the other residents in our apartment complex had the same immigration status. We’d migrated from places like Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero, in the southern part of Mexico. In our neighborhood, there was a common understanding that if you lived here, it was because of your legal status or your limited resources—probably both. It wasn’t a part of the city for people who had other options.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The early ’90s were particularly difficult for undocumented people in California. In 1994, then-governor Pete Wilson \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-29/proposition-187-california-pete-wilson-essay\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">inundated our airwaves with ads for Proposition 187\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, legislation that prohibited undocumented people from accessing public services such as hospitals or schools. The law was eventually struck down by the courts, but we all heard the talk of how “illegals” should be forced to go back where they came from.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regardless, with the little we had—and facing a hostile environment—the immigrants in my neighborhood created a community for ourselves. We shared tips on the different ways we were able to get by. We continued to build our lives in this country. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904938\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904938\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Outstretched hands holding three small red chile peppers.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/011_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abuela excelled at cooking dishes from her hometown in Guerrero, Mexico. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was around this time that my abuela took it upon herself to start her own informal business. In our neighborhood, this wasn’t an uncommon thing for people to do. For example, the lady in apartment 28 used to babysit kids. The lady in number 14 sold candies, and the one in number 11 sold bottles of soda. This underground economy was what kept our community afloat. Each dollar made a difference.\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\">Abuela noticed that most of the migrants moving into our apartment building were men. Often, they’d left their families behind to work in the U.S., sending most of the money they made back home to Mexico. What these men needed, Abuela realized, was a cook. \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>Gathering her pots and pans, Abuela began selling home-cooked meals, offering them at a reduced price. Before we knew it, her clientele grew. A few nights a week, the men filled up our small living room, drawn in by the telenovela blasting on the TV as they waited their turn. Others crowded around our kitchen table, gobbling up tortilla after tortilla. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The men laughed and bullied each other. Often, they’d also share their hardships—wage theft, humiliation, getting hurt. As a high-maintenance preteen at the time, I didn’t understand what was happening around me. All I thought about being undocumented was how unlucky we were. Now, looking back, I think that for those men, the camaraderie of sitting around Abuela’s table helped make being in this country feel less lonely.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904939\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904939\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman toasts chile peppers in a cast iron pan.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/002_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abuela would roast dozens of chiles to prepare for the meals she sold. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To prepare for these dinners, Abuela would roast dozens of chiles, the fumes often forcing us to step outside of the apartment. She mixed and poured, never using actual measuring cups or tablespoons, just intuition. The huge pots created steam that would consume the entire apartment and cause the walls to sweat. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time, the whole ordeal just intensified my annoyance with our living situation. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the food was delicious. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abuela mostly cooked traditional dishes from our home state of Guerrero—picaditas and carne de puerco en chile verde. And because many of her customers were from other parts of Mexico such as Puebla and Oaxaca, Abuela decided to learn how to make traditional meals from those regions as well. She learned how to make mole poblano. She would steam Oaxacan tamales de frijol filled with puréed black beans. Her clients walked in and out of our apartment. Each brought in a story and left with a full stomach. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, at 86, Abuela can no longer cook with the same fury. Severe glaucoma has taken the vision from her left eye, but her spirit is still unstoppable. We no longer live in the same apartment complex. But we are still undocumented; we’re still proud residents of the Eastside. And underground kitchens like my Abuela’s remain very common in San Jose’s low-income neighborhoods today. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904937\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904937\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly woman with glasses looks off into the distance.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/022_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mardonia Galeana poses for a portrait at her home in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These days, when nostalgia hits Abuela with a longing to return home, I know precisely the place where she wants to go. On weekends, Doña Estela transforms her Eastside living room into a makeshift restaurant just like Abuela used to do. She folds out tables, assembles a colorful table layout and welcomes her patrons. Her house is adorned with a Virgen de Guadalupe altar, and she attributes her underground success to her devotion. When you pay her, she takes the money y se persina—she makes the sign of the cross.\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>Doña Estela is known for her tacos sudados, which she steams until the tortillas and the meat tucked inside are perfectly tender. They’re magnificent. While Abuela eats, she sits and sparks conversations with the other customers. They hold a reverence for her: In her old age, Abuela resembles the mothers that these migrants left behind, or their own abuelas they could not bury.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Cuidala,” they implore me. “Look after her.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Abuela talks to these strangers about the places and the people they left behind. Then, bite after bite, they envision their return.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904928\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13904928 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An elderly Latina woman and her grandson post for a portrait outdoors in their tree-lined backyard.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/023_SanJose_MardoniaGaleana_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The author (right) and his grandmother, now 86, still live in Eastside San Jose. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\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=\"http://yosimarreyes.com/bio\">Yosimar Reyes\u003c/a> is a nationally acclaimed poet and public speaker. Born in Guerrero, Mexico, and raised in Eastside San Jose, Reyes explores the themes of migration and sexuality in his work.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "San Jose Is the Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City",
"headTitle": "San Jose Is the Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904840\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904840\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration of a spread of various international foods: a bowl of pho, a torta, an Ethiopian veggie combo plate, the cross section of a durian and so forth.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-2048x1535.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-1920x1439.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>(Illustration by Thien Pham)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen I talk about how I’d rather eat in San Jose than almost anywhere else in the Bay Area, I tend to get a lot of blank stares. In the eye of a certain beholder, the sprawling South Bay city is just a bland tech suburb—the “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/jenkins-its-time-to-drop-the-capital-of-silicon-valley-slogan/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Capital of Silicon Valley\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” sure. But beyond that, a place of culture? And, more to the point, a destination-worthy dining scene? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But in the circles I run in—which is to say heavily Asian American and immigrant—San Jose has always held a different meaning. It’s where you go, rush hour traffic be damned, if you want to score an actually good bowl of ramen. It’s your early morning weekend pho destination when you don’t want to settle for some spot in Oakland or San Francisco that won’t even be 30 percent as satisfying. It’s where you’ve had the best Ethiopian meal you’d ever eaten in the Bay Area. The best pandan waffle. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose is home to the only Somali restaurant in the entire Bay Area. It has not one but two H-Marts amid a sea of superlative ethnic supermarkets. When an outpost of the elusive \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2015/3/16/8225249/din-tai-fung-westfield-valley-fair-san-jose\">Taiwanese xiao long bao chain Din Tai Fung\u003c/a> finally came to Northern California, it almost goes without saying where it opened: a mall in San Jose. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Indeed, if San Jose has any distinguishing characteristic, it’s that it is, far and away, the Bay Area’s greatest immigrant food city. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Somehow, though, this culinary identity gets left out of the broader, tech-heavy narrative of Silicon Valley. And, in a classic case of collective West Bay/East Bay bias, even San Jose’s most beloved taquerias and pho shops are rarely written up by the local food media. If you don’t spend a lot of time in San Jose, you probably haven’t even heard of them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904851\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904851\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Meat and vegetables sizzling on a hot flat-top grill.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the signature dishes at Jubba, in San Jose, is the beef suqaar, a kind of Somali stir-fry. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But folks who grew up in the city say it has been an immigrant food hub for as long as they can remember—even if it doesn’t get recognition for being, for instance, one of the Bay Area’s great Mexican food cities. Cecilia Chavez, an organizer with the San Jose-based nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalleydebug.org/\">Silicon Valley De-Bug\u003c/a>, grew up near what she calls the “food strip” in East San Jose—a mile-and-a-half stretch of Story Road where she recently counted 23 individual taco stands. “And that’s only the visible ones,” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Chavez, food hubs like the predominantly Mexican and Vietnamese enclaves of East San Jose came into being, in large part, because those neighborhoods were the only areas in San Jose where working-class immigrants and refugees could afford to live and open businesses. “San Jose is this kind of hidden gem of food, just because of the nature of all of the low-income communities that have been marginalized into these pockets of [the city],” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“If San Jose has any distinguishing characteristic, it’s that it is, far and away, the Bay Area’s greatest immigrant food city.”[/pullquote]And because of the geographic proximity of these neighborhoods, all these immigrant kids wound up going to school together and learning about each other’s foods instead of staying cloistered in their own enclaves. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">Thien Pham\u003c/a>, a high school teacher and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905153/underground-vietnamese-restaurants-social-media-san-jose\">comics artist\u003c/a>, was a kid when he arrived in the city in 1980, as part of the large wave of Vietnamese refugees who made their home in San Jose around that time—attracted, Pham says, by the weather and the prospect of good, dignified jobs in the burgeoning tech and electronics industries. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What he remembers is how enmeshed the different immigrant communities were. In particular, he says, “There was a real nice Mexican and Vietnamese cohabitation in San Jose. A lot of Vietnamese people got into eating Mexican food, and Mexican people got into eating Vietnamese food.” The flavors of the two cuisines were just so compatible—all these bold, spicy, saucy dishes served with rice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of Pham’s earliest restaurant memories was of the Vietnamese-Chinese noodle house Tung Kee, which was frequented almost exclusively by Vietnamese folks when it first opened on the ground floor of an apartment building. Now, it’s a successful chain, rebranded as \u003ca href=\"https://www.tknoodle.com/\">TK Noodle\u003c/a>, and Pham says whenever he goes to one of the San Jose locations, the dining room is always full of Mexican Americans: “I think that’s really neat.” Even in the multicultural Bay Area, it’s relatively rare to find that kind of confluence of different communities—but in San Jose, it just feels natural, Pham says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904850\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904850\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a face mask and a hajib prepares food over a flat-top griddle.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amina Nur opened Jubba Restaurant as a place where Somali immigrants could show off their culture and cuisine. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Sarah Ali, moving to the San Jose area when she was a kid was like day and night compared to her old life in New York, where, as Ali recalls, the weather was bad and there wasn’t much of a Somali community. San Jose, on the other hand, had a comparatively large Somali population that gathered every Friday at the masjid, or local prayer place, in Santa Clara. “It was nice to see other people who looked like me,” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time, there wasn’t a Somali restaurant, though. And so, Ali’s mother, Amina Nur, opened Jubba Restaurant, which became a place where Somali Americans could introduce their culture to their friends. In the beginning, Ali says, Somali people were the only ones who ate there. But now? Now the restaurant brings in so many people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Indeed, what Ali remembers about growing up in San Jose were all the different types of food she was exposed to as a kid: Indian, Italian, Afghan, Turkish, Thai. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I feel like San Jose is the most diverse city in the whole world,” she says. “Honestly.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904870\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904870\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of Somali-style goat suqaar—a kind of stir-fry—on a table.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jubba is the only restaurant in the Bay Area where diners can feast on Somali-style goat suqaar. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you want a taste of that diversity, all you need to do is bring a hearty appetite. A good food day in San Jose might start with one of the oversized conchas at Mexico Bakery, a little strip mall shop that holds the top spot in the city’s pantheon of great panaderías. Often still warm from the oven, the conchas are only surpassed by the bakery’s tortas, which rank among the finest and most monstrously sized in the entire Bay Area. One of them, the milanesa, contains—just barely!—no fewer than four layers of breaded steak, an entire avocado, a thick wedge of queso fresco and probably a half-dozen other fillings. It is a work of art. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From there, if you haven’t killed your appetite by eating more than half the sandwich, it’s a quick drive over to Pho Papa, which serves what’s probably my favorite pho in the Bay. You know the restaurant is serious about pho because there’s nothing else on the menu—no obligatory rice plates or imperial rolls. Just fresh noodles and the best-tasting, most clarifying broth. What Pho Papa is known for, however, is offering a whole, slow-simmered beef short rib as a preposterously rich accompaniment for your pho—a pho house trend that appears to have started in San Jose and still hasn’t extended very far outside its borders. Indeed, when it comes to what’s new and trendy in the Bay Area’s Vietnamese food scene, San Jose is where to go to stay ahead of the curve. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904852\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904852\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A display case full of colorful pink pastries.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-2048x1151.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1920x1079.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The colorful conchas and other sweets and pastries at Mexico Bakery are often still warm from the oven. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have time to kill before your next meal, you could do a lot worse than spend the afternoon exploring one of the two all-Vietnamese malls on the Eastside, Grand Century or Vietnam Town, where you can pick up fresh-pressed sugarcane juice and some pandan waffles to snack on. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eventually, if you have a craving for Somali food (or are curious to try it), you might find yourself schlepping across town to yet another strip mall, this one tucked in a residential neighborhood next to a light rail station. There, at Jubba, almost everyone gets an order of the restaurant’s sensationally crispy and well-spiced sambusas before tucking into a big plate of beef or chicken suqaar (a slightly tangy, savory stir-fry studded with baby corn and crunchy water chestnuts), or roasted goat meat over rice. Every meal comes with a little chaser of very sweet, very gingery hot tea to aid your digestion for the trip back home. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All that food, and you haven’t even begun to dig into the city’s wealth of exceptional Japanese cuisine, or its enviable regional Chinese restaurant scene, or its deep roster of drop-dead delicious Ethiopian spots. This is the flip side to San Jose’s identity as the “Capital of Silicon Valley”: Even today, the tech industry continues to bring new immigrant populations into San Jose—and where there are large pockets of immigrants, there’s bound to be good food. So, now the city has great Korean restaurants too. It has excellent Indian and Pakistani restaurants. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Pham, the comics artist, puts it, “Immigrants have always been able to sniff out the restaurants that are amazing no matter where they are.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904854\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904854\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A samosa on a plate with a small container of green hot sauce.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sambusa at Jubba comes with a tub of deliciously tangy green hot sauce. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]G[/dropcap]iven this abundance of riches, why, then, is San Jose so rarely mentioned in the broader discourse about great Bay Area food cities? Part of it might have to do with the city’s geography, which is vast and spread out, and, in many stretches, laid out more like a suburb—strip mall after strip mall after strip mall. Never mind that much of the most delicious food in the U.S. can be found in suburban strip malls. San Jose’s immigrant enclaves just don’t fit the popular image of what an urban ethnic neighborhood ought to look like: There is no Chinatown equivalent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then there’s the fact, again, that the tech industry has become such a huge part of the city’s identity. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I think we get overshadowed by Silicon Valley,” says Yosimar Reyes, a San Jose-based poet and activist who grew up in a mostly Mexican apartment complex in East San Jose. “Oftentimes we don’t really focus on what the ethnic makeup is of this city and who the subgroups and populations are that create the culture.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cities like Oakland and San Francisco have a certain cultural cachet, Reyes explains, due to their vibrant, long-established, diverse arts scenes. Historically, San Jose hasn’t had that kind of foundation—instead, it has “tech”—which spills over into how people think of the food scene: that it must be dull, that it must cater mainly to wealthy suburbanites. But now, Reyes says, that cultural landscape is changing too, with a new generation of visual artists, musicians and poets like himself. “We’re seeing the resurgence of local San Jose artists that are really making things happen and creating that culture for young people to see themselves in the city.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And if the food media, at large, has a blind spot when it comes to the San Jose food scene, it’s at least in part because the only restaurants that send out press releases all seem to be located at Santana Row, San Jose’s splashy, behemothic outdoor mall that opened in the early 2000s. Designed to evoke the fountains and cobblestone streets of Europe, the mall exudes the simulacrum of charm—like a Downtown Disney—with its palm trees and vast swaths of outdoor seating. There’s food and culture here too, but it’s presented in the shiny package of an upscale chain restaurant or a celebrity chef’s fourth or fifth side venture. It’s a “non-place,” as one of my colleagues put it, where you can eat your poke bowl outdoors while facing a Tesla showroom or a Kate Spade boutique. (When the topic of Santana Row came up, every San Jose person I spoke to made the same scoffing sound.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Thien Pham\"]“Immigrants have always been able to sniff out the restaurants that are amazing no matter where they are.”[/pullquote]In some ways, then, what’s more surprising than the fact that all of these immigrant food cultures took root in San Jose is how they’ve continued to thrive, even as the city has grown outlandishly expensive. After all, a place like Santana Row offers one very specific vision of San Jose—and it isn’t necessarily one that has working class immigrants at top of mind.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s where San Jose’s geographic size works in its favor compared to places like Oakland or San Francisco, where the ongoing housing crisis has pushed many immigrants out into the distant suburbs. Chavez, the Silicon Valley De-Bug organizer, explains that the economics are a little bit different in San Jose. Yes, if you look on Zillow, you’ll have a hard time finding a house listed for less than a million dollars. But because there’s more space, the immigrant communities are able to make it work, often living three or four families in what was meant to be a single-family home. Drive through certain neighborhoods in San Jose, and you’ll find that nearly every home has a converted garage or unpermitted unit add-on.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultimately, Chavez says, the continued existence of these communities sustains all of the immigrant food businesses, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13904861/abuela-mexican-kitchen-undocumented-workers-san-jose\">a large number that operate informally\u003c/a>—just someone’s grandmother or uncle selling tacos or banh mi out of their apartment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Chavez, there’s an expression for this in Spanish: “Nunca falta un roto para un descosido.” There is a lid for every pot. In other words, Chavez says, “There’s always going to be somebody catering to you. If there’s a big immigrant community in San Jose, which there is, there are going to be people catering to that community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904856\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904856\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of a Mexican bakery, with a display of cakes visible to the side.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Known for its conchas and tortas, Mexico Bakery sits atop the pantheon of great San Jose panaderias. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Chavez, so much has already changed about San Jose since she was a kid. The parking lot where she learned to drive is now the site of townhouses. Legacy restaurants and other businesses have closed down, and new housing complexes are coming in—none of which, Chavez suspects, are going to be affordable. These are the reasons her organization advocates on behalf of working class immigrants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“San Jose is not catering to its current population; it is trying to attract a new generation, a different type of community,” Chavez says. “We’re just trying to preserve the current community so that we can continue having some of these treasures.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904861,arts_13904913,arts_13905153' label='More San Jose Food']In fact, several of Chavez’s own family members have had to leave San Jose and move out to the Central Valley, where it’s more affordable. When she visits them out in Madera or Manteca, they tell her that what they miss the most is the taco strip. “Those were the best tripas tacos,” they’ll reminisce. “This place had the hottest salsa.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“A lot of people that have moved out now, that’s what sticks with them,” Chavez says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The truth is that \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">every\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Bay Area food city worth its salt is an immigrant food city at its heart: Richmond, Hayward, Fremont, Millbrae, Daly City, Santa Clara. All my favorites. All mostly overlooked in conversations about great Bay Area dining destinations. Every last one of them a treasure trove of immigrant mom-and-pops—Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Mexican, Salvadoran, Samoan and so much more. San Jose might be the greatest and most varied among these hubs, but it isn’t unique.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The truth is that the past, present and future of what’s best about eating in the Bay Area isn’t fine dining or California cuisine. It’s all of these immigrant food communities. That’s the legacy that needs to be preserved. That’s what makes San Jose such a special place. \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>\u003cem>Luke Tsai is KQED’s food editor.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904840\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904840\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"An illustration of a spread of various international foods: a bowl of pho, a torta, an Ethiopian veggie combo plate, the cross section of a durian and so forth.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1919\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-2048x1535.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/san-jose-illo_thien-pham-1920x1439.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>(Illustration by Thien Pham)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\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>hen I talk about how I’d rather eat in San Jose than almost anywhere else in the Bay Area, I tend to get a lot of blank stares. In the eye of a certain beholder, the sprawling South Bay city is just a bland tech suburb—the “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/jenkins-its-time-to-drop-the-capital-of-silicon-valley-slogan/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Capital of Silicon Valley\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” sure. But beyond that, a place of culture? And, more to the point, a destination-worthy dining scene? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But in the circles I run in—which is to say heavily Asian American and immigrant—San Jose has always held a different meaning. It’s where you go, rush hour traffic be damned, if you want to score an actually good bowl of ramen. It’s your early morning weekend pho destination when you don’t want to settle for some spot in Oakland or San Francisco that won’t even be 30 percent as satisfying. It’s where you’ve had the best Ethiopian meal you’d ever eaten in the Bay Area. The best pandan waffle. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose is home to the only Somali restaurant in the entire Bay Area. It has not one but two H-Marts amid a sea of superlative ethnic supermarkets. When an outpost of the elusive \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2015/3/16/8225249/din-tai-fung-westfield-valley-fair-san-jose\">Taiwanese xiao long bao chain Din Tai Fung\u003c/a> finally came to Northern California, it almost goes without saying where it opened: a mall in San Jose. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Indeed, if San Jose has any distinguishing characteristic, it’s that it is, far and away, the Bay Area’s greatest immigrant food city. \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\">Somehow, though, this culinary identity gets left out of the broader, tech-heavy narrative of Silicon Valley. And, in a classic case of collective West Bay/East Bay bias, even San Jose’s most beloved taquerias and pho shops are rarely written up by the local food media. If you don’t spend a lot of time in San Jose, you probably haven’t even heard of them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904851\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904851\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Meat and vegetables sizzling on a hot flat-top grill.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/010_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the signature dishes at Jubba, in San Jose, is the beef suqaar, a kind of Somali stir-fry. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But folks who grew up in the city say it has been an immigrant food hub for as long as they can remember—even if it doesn’t get recognition for being, for instance, one of the Bay Area’s great Mexican food cities. Cecilia Chavez, an organizer with the San Jose-based nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://www.siliconvalleydebug.org/\">Silicon Valley De-Bug\u003c/a>, grew up near what she calls the “food strip” in East San Jose—a mile-and-a-half stretch of Story Road where she recently counted 23 individual taco stands. “And that’s only the visible ones,” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Chavez, food hubs like the predominantly Mexican and Vietnamese enclaves of East San Jose came into being, in large part, because those neighborhoods were the only areas in San Jose where working-class immigrants and refugees could afford to live and open businesses. “San Jose is this kind of hidden gem of food, just because of the nature of all of the low-income communities that have been marginalized into these pockets of [the city],” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“If San Jose has any distinguishing characteristic, it’s that it is, far and away, the Bay Area’s greatest immigrant food city.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>And because of the geographic proximity of these neighborhoods, all these immigrant kids wound up going to school together and learning about each other’s foods instead of staying cloistered in their own enclaves. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">Thien Pham\u003c/a>, a high school teacher and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905153/underground-vietnamese-restaurants-social-media-san-jose\">comics artist\u003c/a>, was a kid when he arrived in the city in 1980, as part of the large wave of Vietnamese refugees who made their home in San Jose around that time—attracted, Pham says, by the weather and the prospect of good, dignified jobs in the burgeoning tech and electronics industries. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What he remembers is how enmeshed the different immigrant communities were. In particular, he says, “There was a real nice Mexican and Vietnamese cohabitation in San Jose. A lot of Vietnamese people got into eating Mexican food, and Mexican people got into eating Vietnamese food.” The flavors of the two cuisines were just so compatible—all these bold, spicy, saucy dishes served with rice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of Pham’s earliest restaurant memories was of the Vietnamese-Chinese noodle house Tung Kee, which was frequented almost exclusively by Vietnamese folks when it first opened on the ground floor of an apartment building. Now, it’s a successful chain, rebranded as \u003ca href=\"https://www.tknoodle.com/\">TK Noodle\u003c/a>, and Pham says whenever he goes to one of the San Jose locations, the dining room is always full of Mexican Americans: “I think that’s really neat.” Even in the multicultural Bay Area, it’s relatively rare to find that kind of confluence of different communities—but in San Jose, it just feels natural, Pham says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904850\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904850\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a face mask and a hajib prepares food over a flat-top griddle.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/028_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amina Nur opened Jubba Restaurant as a place where Somali immigrants could show off their culture and cuisine. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Sarah Ali, moving to the San Jose area when she was a kid was like day and night compared to her old life in New York, where, as Ali recalls, the weather was bad and there wasn’t much of a Somali community. San Jose, on the other hand, had a comparatively large Somali population that gathered every Friday at the masjid, or local prayer place, in Santa Clara. “It was nice to see other people who looked like me,” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time, there wasn’t a Somali restaurant, though. And so, Ali’s mother, Amina Nur, opened Jubba Restaurant, which became a place where Somali Americans could introduce their culture to their friends. In the beginning, Ali says, Somali people were the only ones who ate there. But now? Now the restaurant brings in so many people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Indeed, what Ali remembers about growing up in San Jose were all the different types of food she was exposed to as a kid: Indian, Italian, Afghan, Turkish, Thai. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I feel like San Jose is the most diverse city in the whole world,” she says. “Honestly.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904870\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904870\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of Somali-style goat suqaar—a kind of stir-fry—on a table.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/025_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jubba is the only restaurant in the Bay Area where diners can feast on Somali-style goat suqaar. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\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 want a taste of that diversity, all you need to do is bring a hearty appetite. A good food day in San Jose might start with one of the oversized conchas at Mexico Bakery, a little strip mall shop that holds the top spot in the city’s pantheon of great panaderías. Often still warm from the oven, the conchas are only surpassed by the bakery’s tortas, which rank among the finest and most monstrously sized in the entire Bay Area. One of them, the milanesa, contains—just barely!—no fewer than four layers of breaded steak, an entire avocado, a thick wedge of queso fresco and probably a half-dozen other fillings. It is a work of art. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From there, if you haven’t killed your appetite by eating more than half the sandwich, it’s a quick drive over to Pho Papa, which serves what’s probably my favorite pho in the Bay. You know the restaurant is serious about pho because there’s nothing else on the menu—no obligatory rice plates or imperial rolls. Just fresh noodles and the best-tasting, most clarifying broth. What Pho Papa is known for, however, is offering a whole, slow-simmered beef short rib as a preposterously rich accompaniment for your pho—a pho house trend that appears to have started in San Jose and still hasn’t extended very far outside its borders. Indeed, when it comes to what’s new and trendy in the Bay Area’s Vietnamese food scene, San Jose is where to go to stay ahead of the curve. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904852\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904852\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A display case full of colorful pink pastries.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1439\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-2048x1151.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/003_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1920x1079.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The colorful conchas and other sweets and pastries at Mexico Bakery are often still warm from the oven. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have time to kill before your next meal, you could do a lot worse than spend the afternoon exploring one of the two all-Vietnamese malls on the Eastside, Grand Century or Vietnam Town, where you can pick up fresh-pressed sugarcane juice and some pandan waffles to snack on. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eventually, if you have a craving for Somali food (or are curious to try it), you might find yourself schlepping across town to yet another strip mall, this one tucked in a residential neighborhood next to a light rail station. There, at Jubba, almost everyone gets an order of the restaurant’s sensationally crispy and well-spiced sambusas before tucking into a big plate of beef or chicken suqaar (a slightly tangy, savory stir-fry studded with baby corn and crunchy water chestnuts), or roasted goat meat over rice. Every meal comes with a little chaser of very sweet, very gingery hot tea to aid your digestion for the trip back home. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All that food, and you haven’t even begun to dig into the city’s wealth of exceptional Japanese cuisine, or its enviable regional Chinese restaurant scene, or its deep roster of drop-dead delicious Ethiopian spots. This is the flip side to San Jose’s identity as the “Capital of Silicon Valley”: Even today, the tech industry continues to bring new immigrant populations into San Jose—and where there are large pockets of immigrants, there’s bound to be good food. So, now the city has great Korean restaurants too. It has excellent Indian and Pakistani restaurants. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Pham, the comics artist, puts it, “Immigrants have always been able to sniff out the restaurants that are amazing no matter where they are.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904854\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904854\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A samosa on a plate with a small container of green hot sauce.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_JubbaSomaliRestaurant_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sambusa at Jubba comes with a tub of deliciously tangy green hot sauce. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">G\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>iven this abundance of riches, why, then, is San Jose so rarely mentioned in the broader discourse about great Bay Area food cities? Part of it might have to do with the city’s geography, which is vast and spread out, and, in many stretches, laid out more like a suburb—strip mall after strip mall after strip mall. Never mind that much of the most delicious food in the U.S. can be found in suburban strip malls. San Jose’s immigrant enclaves just don’t fit the popular image of what an urban ethnic neighborhood ought to look like: There is no Chinatown equivalent.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then there’s the fact, again, that the tech industry has become such a huge part of the city’s identity. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I think we get overshadowed by Silicon Valley,” says Yosimar Reyes, a San Jose-based poet and activist who grew up in a mostly Mexican apartment complex in East San Jose. “Oftentimes we don’t really focus on what the ethnic makeup is of this city and who the subgroups and populations are that create the culture.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cities like Oakland and San Francisco have a certain cultural cachet, Reyes explains, due to their vibrant, long-established, diverse arts scenes. Historically, San Jose hasn’t had that kind of foundation—instead, it has “tech”—which spills over into how people think of the food scene: that it must be dull, that it must cater mainly to wealthy suburbanites. But now, Reyes says, that cultural landscape is changing too, with a new generation of visual artists, musicians and poets like himself. “We’re seeing the resurgence of local San Jose artists that are really making things happen and creating that culture for young people to see themselves in the city.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And if the food media, at large, has a blind spot when it comes to the San Jose food scene, it’s at least in part because the only restaurants that send out press releases all seem to be located at Santana Row, San Jose’s splashy, behemothic outdoor mall that opened in the early 2000s. Designed to evoke the fountains and cobblestone streets of Europe, the mall exudes the simulacrum of charm—like a Downtown Disney—with its palm trees and vast swaths of outdoor seating. There’s food and culture here too, but it’s presented in the shiny package of an upscale chain restaurant or a celebrity chef’s fourth or fifth side venture. It’s a “non-place,” as one of my colleagues put it, where you can eat your poke bowl outdoors while facing a Tesla showroom or a Kate Spade boutique. (When the topic of Santana Row came up, every San Jose person I spoke to made the same scoffing sound.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“Immigrants have always been able to sniff out the restaurants that are amazing no matter where they are.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In some ways, then, what’s more surprising than the fact that all of these immigrant food cultures took root in San Jose is how they’ve continued to thrive, even as the city has grown outlandishly expensive. After all, a place like Santana Row offers one very specific vision of San Jose—and it isn’t necessarily one that has working class immigrants at top of mind.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s where San Jose’s geographic size works in its favor compared to places like Oakland or San Francisco, where the ongoing housing crisis has pushed many immigrants out into the distant suburbs. Chavez, the Silicon Valley De-Bug organizer, explains that the economics are a little bit different in San Jose. Yes, if you look on Zillow, you’ll have a hard time finding a house listed for less than a million dollars. But because there’s more space, the immigrant communities are able to make it work, often living three or four families in what was meant to be a single-family home. Drive through certain neighborhoods in San Jose, and you’ll find that nearly every home has a converted garage or unpermitted unit add-on.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultimately, Chavez says, the continued existence of these communities sustains all of the immigrant food businesses, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13904861/abuela-mexican-kitchen-undocumented-workers-san-jose\">a large number that operate informally\u003c/a>—just someone’s grandmother or uncle selling tacos or banh mi out of their apartment.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Chavez, there’s an expression for this in Spanish: “Nunca falta un roto para un descosido.” There is a lid for every pot. In other words, Chavez says, “There’s always going to be somebody catering to you. If there’s a big immigrant community in San Jose, which there is, there are going to be people catering to that community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904856\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904856\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of a Mexican bakery, with a display of cakes visible to the side.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/005_SanJose_MexicoBakery_10072021-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Known for its conchas and tortas, Mexico Bakery sits atop the pantheon of great San Jose panaderias. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Chavez, so much has already changed about San Jose since she was a kid. The parking lot where she learned to drive is now the site of townhouses. Legacy restaurants and other businesses have closed down, and new housing complexes are coming in—none of which, Chavez suspects, are going to be affordable. These are the reasons her organization advocates on behalf of working class immigrants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“San Jose is not catering to its current population; it is trying to attract a new generation, a different type of community,” Chavez says. “We’re just trying to preserve the current community so that we can continue having some of these treasures.” \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 fact, several of Chavez’s own family members have had to leave San Jose and move out to the Central Valley, where it’s more affordable. When she visits them out in Madera or Manteca, they tell her that what they miss the most is the taco strip. “Those were the best tripas tacos,” they’ll reminisce. “This place had the hottest salsa.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“A lot of people that have moved out now, that’s what sticks with them,” Chavez says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The truth is that \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">every\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Bay Area food city worth its salt is an immigrant food city at its heart: Richmond, Hayward, Fremont, Millbrae, Daly City, Santa Clara. All my favorites. All mostly overlooked in conversations about great Bay Area dining destinations. Every last one of them a treasure trove of immigrant mom-and-pops—Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Mexican, Salvadoran, Samoan and so much more. San Jose might be the greatest and most varied among these hubs, but it isn’t unique.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The truth is that the past, present and future of what’s best about eating in the Bay Area isn’t fine dining or California cuisine. It’s all of these immigrant food communities. That’s the legacy that needs to be preserved. That’s what makes San Jose such a special place. \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>\u003cem>Luke Tsai is KQED’s food editor.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Old Oakland Is Quickly Becoming the East Bay’s Most International Food District",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It has been a year and a half since pandemic shutdowns wreaked havoc on Bay Area restaurants—about a year since the restaurants in Old Oakland, specifically, parkleted up in the hopes that outdoor dining might keep their businesses afloat. It hasn’t been easy, but \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/the-year-of-the-food-court-2-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the neighborhood’s much-vaunted food scene\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—centered on the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://swansmarket.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swan’s Market\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> food hall—has largely survived. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To commemorate this very coronavirus-era anniversary of sorts, Old Oakland’s restaurants, galleries and other businesses are throwing a big block party, dubbed “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CUqiwmWpfZZ/\">Old Oakland Celebrates,\u003c/a>” on Saturday, Oct. 9, from noon–6pm. Many of the neighborhood’s restaurants will set up sidewalk tables to show off a deliciously diverse mix of signature menu items and specials only available that day—everything from tamales and birria tacos to sashimi and omurice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Tommy Wong, co-founder of the Oakland nonprofit Good Good Eatz, which is helping to organize the event, the goal is to highlight the neighborhood’s international flavors. “Old Oakland is a cultural and creative hub,” he says. And a big part of that, Wong notes, is the global character of the local food scene. That has only become more apparent with the new crop of restaurants that have moved into the neighborhood during the pandemic, including handmade noodle specialist \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2021/1/25/22245029/huangcheng-noodle-house-opening-photos-oakland-shanxi-knife-cut-noodles\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Huangcheng Noodle House\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">; worker-led \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13903133/oakland-bloom-understory-primas-corner-asukar-cuban-palestinian-pop-up\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Understory\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, with its focus on spotlighting immigrant and refugee chefs; and, opening soon, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.laguerreraskitchen.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Guerrera’s Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which specializes in masa-based dishes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Add those to the existing businesses at Swan’s Market—where you can eat excellent Afro-Caribbean, Indian, Japanese, Ethiopian and more—and Old Oakland is quickly becoming one of the East Bay’s most international food districts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904420\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904420\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Exterior of the Swan's Market food hall with red tables set up outside for outdoor dining.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For the past year, outdoor dining has been the dominant feature at Swan’s Market. \u003ccite>(Good Good Eatz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For food lovers who aren’t familiar with the neighborhood, the block party will be a great opportunity to try several of the area’s most exciting restaurants at once. La Guerrera’s Kitchen, which is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2021/07/12/oaklands-beloved-la-guerreras-kitchen-is-moving-to-swans-market/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">moving into the former Cosecha space\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> inside Swan’s, will be on hand not only to sell its signature tamales but also several new specials, including a torta de chicharron en salsa verde and a torta de chilaquiles roja (yes, a chilaquiles \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sandwich\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">). Dela Curo, another relative newcomer, will be selling its signature omucurry—Japanese black curry and rice cradled inside an airy omelet—for a discounted price. Meanwhile, neighborhood staples like Annapurna, Sincere Seafood and Yammy’s Cafe will be out on the street slinging Kashmiri lamb rogan josh, sashimi and Ethiopian chicken doro tibs, respectively.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_1390171,arts_13903133']The celebration won’t only\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">be about food, either. As Wong notes, another thing that’s happened over the past few years is that Old Oakland now has a burgeoning art scene, which will be on full display on Saturday, with augmented-reality murals, gallery exhibits and about 20 different vendors selling their art. In fact, the block party is simply building onto an existing artists’ market that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.e14gallery.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">E14 Gallery\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—another of the event’s co-organizers—puts on the second Saturday of every month. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If all goes well, then, there’s potential for the block party to turn into a semi-regular event that happens a few times a year. “This is a kickstarter to just get the recognition out about this, and then we’ll see what the merchants want to do beyond that,” Wong says.\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Old Oakland Celebrates takes place on Saturday, Oct. 9, from noon–6pm throughout Old Oakland (from Broadway to Clay Street between 10th and 7th avenues), with many of the outdoor food options concentrated in the area around Swan’s Market (538 9th St.).\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It has been a year and a half since pandemic shutdowns wreaked havoc on Bay Area restaurants—about a year since the restaurants in Old Oakland, specifically, parkleted up in the hopes that outdoor dining might keep their businesses afloat. It hasn’t been easy, but \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/the-year-of-the-food-court-2-1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the neighborhood’s much-vaunted food scene\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—centered on the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://swansmarket.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swan’s Market\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> food hall—has largely survived. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To commemorate this very coronavirus-era anniversary of sorts, Old Oakland’s restaurants, galleries and other businesses are throwing a big block party, dubbed “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CUqiwmWpfZZ/\">Old Oakland Celebrates,\u003c/a>” on Saturday, Oct. 9, from noon–6pm. Many of the neighborhood’s restaurants will set up sidewalk tables to show off a deliciously diverse mix of signature menu items and specials only available that day—everything from tamales and birria tacos to sashimi and omurice. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Tommy Wong, co-founder of the Oakland nonprofit Good Good Eatz, which is helping to organize the event, the goal is to highlight the neighborhood’s international flavors. “Old Oakland is a cultural and creative hub,” he says. And a big part of that, Wong notes, is the global character of the local food scene. That has only become more apparent with the new crop of restaurants that have moved into the neighborhood during the pandemic, including handmade noodle specialist \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2021/1/25/22245029/huangcheng-noodle-house-opening-photos-oakland-shanxi-knife-cut-noodles\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Huangcheng Noodle House\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">; worker-led \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13903133/oakland-bloom-understory-primas-corner-asukar-cuban-palestinian-pop-up\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Understory\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, with its focus on spotlighting immigrant and refugee chefs; and, opening soon, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.laguerreraskitchen.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Guerrera’s Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which specializes in masa-based dishes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Add those to the existing businesses at Swan’s Market—where you can eat excellent Afro-Caribbean, Indian, Japanese, Ethiopian and more—and Old Oakland is quickly becoming one of the East Bay’s most international food districts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13904420\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13904420\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Exterior of the Swan's Market food hall with red tables set up outside for outdoor dining.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/SwansMarket_GGE-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For the past year, outdoor dining has been the dominant feature at Swan’s Market. \u003ccite>(Good Good Eatz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For food lovers who aren’t familiar with the neighborhood, the block party will be a great opportunity to try several of the area’s most exciting restaurants at once. La Guerrera’s Kitchen, which is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2021/07/12/oaklands-beloved-la-guerreras-kitchen-is-moving-to-swans-market/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">moving into the former Cosecha space\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> inside Swan’s, will be on hand not only to sell its signature tamales but also several new specials, including a torta de chicharron en salsa verde and a torta de chilaquiles roja (yes, a chilaquiles \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">sandwich\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">). Dela Curo, another relative newcomer, will be selling its signature omucurry—Japanese black curry and rice cradled inside an airy omelet—for a discounted price. Meanwhile, neighborhood staples like Annapurna, Sincere Seafood and Yammy’s Cafe will be out on the street slinging Kashmiri lamb rogan josh, sashimi and Ethiopian chicken doro tibs, respectively.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The celebration won’t only\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">be about food, either. As Wong notes, another thing that’s happened over the past few years is that Old Oakland now has a burgeoning art scene, which will be on full display on Saturday, with augmented-reality murals, gallery exhibits and about 20 different vendors selling their art. In fact, the block party is simply building onto an existing artists’ market that \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.e14gallery.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">E14 Gallery\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—another of the event’s co-organizers—puts on the second Saturday of every month. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If all goes well, then, there’s potential for the block party to turn into a semi-regular event that happens a few times a year. “This is a kickstarter to just get the recognition out about this, and then we’ll see what the merchants want to do beyond that,” Wong says.\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Old Oakland Celebrates takes place on Saturday, Oct. 9, from noon–6pm throughout Old Oakland (from Broadway to Clay Street between 10th and 7th avenues), with many of the outdoor food options concentrated in the area around Swan’s Market (538 9th St.).\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "There’s a New Indigenous Restaurant Coming to Fruitvale",
"headTitle": "There’s a New Indigenous Restaurant Coming to Fruitvale | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the past 10 years, customers have been asking Crystal Wahpepah when she would turn her Oakland-based Indigenous catering business, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wahpepahskitchen.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah’s Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, into a proper restaurant. Her response was always the same: “Right time, right place.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTQbMpjvHHt/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that time has come\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Wahpepah has taken over the Fruitvale BART–adjacent space formerly occupied by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.reemscalifornia.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reem’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the groundbreaking Arab bakery. When the new Wahpepah’s Kitchen opens there later this fall—hopefully by the end of October, Wahpepah says—it will be an all-day Indigenous restaurant serving blue corn waffles, blueberry bison meatballs and a variety of colorful Native salads and stews. It will be the only place of its kind in Oakland.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903544\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903544\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A chef holds a wooden bowl inside her restaurant.\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1920x2880.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crystal Wahpepah poses inside her new restaurant in Fruitvale—the old Reem’s space. \u003ccite>(Wahpepah's Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reem’s, which converted its Fruitvale location into a commissary kitchen during the pandemic, will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Arab-hit-Reem-s-is-moving-its-original-Oakland-16449156.php\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">move its wholesale and catering operations just around the corner\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Wahpepah, who was born and raised in East Oakland, the restaurant’s debut will also be a homecoming. “I went to elementary school not too far from here; I live a few blocks away,” she says. “What better opportunity to literally serve the community you grew up in?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant is also part of a modern Indigenous cooking movement that has been ascendant in the United States for several years now, most visibly in the Bay Area through \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13899524/cafe-ohlone-restaurant-hearst-museum-berkeley-opening\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Berkeley’s Cafe Ohlone\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and Wahpepah’s own catering business, whose popularity helped land the chef a spot on the Food Network cooking competition show \u003cem>Chopped\u003c/em>. Wahpepah was the first Native chef chosen to participate. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah, who identifies as Indigenous Black American, says her business was thriving before the pandemic brought all catering to a standstill, forcing the chef to give up her commercial kitchen space. “I was trying to make ends meet,” Wahpepah says, when she started inquiring about potential kitchen spaces in Fruitvale. Reem’s founder Reem Assil wound up reaching out to her a little over a year ago, and the two women connected over their shared vision for serving Fruitvale. At the time, Assil was already contemplating a move to a larger kitchen, and she told Wahpepah that she wanted to pass the original Reem’s space on to her. “That touched my heart big time,” Wahpepah says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was really important that we pass the torch to someone from the neighborhood,” Assil says. “It was also really important to be an ally to an Indigenous Black chef as fierce as Crystal and to continue the legacy of a strong, diverse ecosystem of local business that serves the community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It wound up taking a year to complete the transition, during which time Wahpepah kept her business afloat by selling \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wahpepahskitchen.com/new-products\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a line of nutrition bars\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> made with Indigenous ingredients, including a chocolate and chokeberry bar she’s especially proud of.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903548\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903548\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of meat stew topped with tortilla chips.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the hearty stews that will feature prominently on the Wahpepah’s Kitchen menu. \u003ccite>(Wahpepah's Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a registered member of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kickapootribeofoklahoma.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Wahpepah is part of what she describes as a small but vibrant Kickapoo community in Oakland. (“When I run into another Kickapoo, it’s pretty cool,” she says.) Naturally, Kickapoo dishes will be well represented on the restaurant’s menu, with crowd pleasers like Wahpepah’s Kickapoo chili, which she likes to serve with a side of cornbread, and a version of the hominy and venison soup that her grandmother made back home in Oklahoma. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah is no purist, though. She talks about growing up in Oakland’s “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wahpepahskitchen.com/about-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">multi-tribal, tight-knit, urban Native community\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” whose foodways spanned ingredients and influences far beyond those specific to any one tribe. The Ohlones and the Pomo tribe, both native to Northern California, were particularly influential. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’ve seen so many different beautiful tribes and different foods,” Wahpepah says. “So all these foods that I cook, it’s something that I grew up with and something that means a lot to me.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903549\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903549\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of fried salmon and sweet potato fries, with berry sauce for dipping.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plate of corn-crusted salmon with fries. \u003ccite>(Wahpepah's Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That approach translates into a modern, varied cuisine that isn’t locked into any one tradition. The food at Wahpepah’s Kitchen is “just kind of what’s going on in Native cooking today,” as Wahpepah puts it. She’s probably best known for her blue corn blueberry bison meatballs, her vibrant, colorful salads made with whatever’s in season—gorgeously multi-colored flint corn, for instance—and her various hearty, wholesome corn and squash stews. But she’ll also serve french fries seasoned with sage or cedar salt. She’s experimented with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CRK0xzkrXEh/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">snow cones\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that feature Indigenous flavors like blackberry-sage. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the restaurant, the meal Wahpepah is most excited to serve is breakfast, which will feature things like sweet potato hash and waffles made with acorn or blue corn batter. “I just love creating with Indigenous ingredients,” she says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13899524,news_11789158']“Crystal has always been as much about this place, the Bay Area, as she is Native and Indigenous foods,” says Caleb Zigas, the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://lacocinasf.org/letterfromcaleb\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">departing executive director\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the La Cocina kitchen incubator, recalling the time when Wahpepah went through the program about a decade ago. “That kind of relationship to place is so special to me, and I think you can really taste it in her food.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah says the restaurant’s prominent location should give her the opportunity to reach new customers who haven’t experienced Indigenous food, but she believes her Native customers (“my number one clients”) will continue to form the backbone of the business. And Wahpepah sees herself as very much aligned with the broader movement to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/dining/new-native-american-cuisine.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">revitalize Native cuisine\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the U.S.—a movement that’s deeply connected to issues of food sovereignty and healing from trauma, she says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultimately, Wahpepah wants Native customers who walk into her restaurant to feel inspired. “If they see a dish from their tribe, I want them to feel pride. I want people to taste and feel the love. To know that these foods matter.”\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wapepah’s Kitchen is tentatively slated to open in late October at 1419 34th Avenue in Oakland, adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station. Follow the business on \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wahpepahskitchen/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for updates.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the past 10 years, customers have been asking Crystal Wahpepah when she would turn her Oakland-based Indigenous catering business, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wahpepahskitchen.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah’s Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, into a proper restaurant. Her response was always the same: “Right time, right place.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTQbMpjvHHt/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that time has come\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Wahpepah has taken over the Fruitvale BART–adjacent space formerly occupied by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.reemscalifornia.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reem’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the groundbreaking Arab bakery. When the new Wahpepah’s Kitchen opens there later this fall—hopefully by the end of October, Wahpepah says—it will be an all-day Indigenous restaurant serving blue corn waffles, blueberry bison meatballs and a variety of colorful Native salads and stews. It will be the only place of its kind in Oakland.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903544\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903544\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A chef holds a wooden bowl inside her restaurant.\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_portrait-1920x2880.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crystal Wahpepah poses inside her new restaurant in Fruitvale—the old Reem’s space. \u003ccite>(Wahpepah's Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reem’s, which converted its Fruitvale location into a commissary kitchen during the pandemic, will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Arab-hit-Reem-s-is-moving-its-original-Oakland-16449156.php\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">move its wholesale and catering operations just around the corner\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Wahpepah, who was born and raised in East Oakland, the restaurant’s debut will also be a homecoming. “I went to elementary school not too far from here; I live a few blocks away,” she says. “What better opportunity to literally serve the community you grew up in?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant is also part of a modern Indigenous cooking movement that has been ascendant in the United States for several years now, most visibly in the Bay Area through \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13899524/cafe-ohlone-restaurant-hearst-museum-berkeley-opening\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Berkeley’s Cafe Ohlone\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and Wahpepah’s own catering business, whose popularity helped land the chef a spot on the Food Network cooking competition show \u003cem>Chopped\u003c/em>. Wahpepah was the first Native chef chosen to participate. \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\">Wahpepah, who identifies as Indigenous Black American, says her business was thriving before the pandemic brought all catering to a standstill, forcing the chef to give up her commercial kitchen space. “I was trying to make ends meet,” Wahpepah says, when she started inquiring about potential kitchen spaces in Fruitvale. Reem’s founder Reem Assil wound up reaching out to her a little over a year ago, and the two women connected over their shared vision for serving Fruitvale. At the time, Assil was already contemplating a move to a larger kitchen, and she told Wahpepah that she wanted to pass the original Reem’s space on to her. “That touched my heart big time,” Wahpepah says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was really important that we pass the torch to someone from the neighborhood,” Assil says. “It was also really important to be an ally to an Indigenous Black chef as fierce as Crystal and to continue the legacy of a strong, diverse ecosystem of local business that serves the community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It wound up taking a year to complete the transition, during which time Wahpepah kept her business afloat by selling \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wahpepahskitchen.com/new-products\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a line of nutrition bars\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> made with Indigenous ingredients, including a chocolate and chokeberry bar she’s especially proud of.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903548\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903548\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of meat stew topped with tortilla chips.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_stew-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the hearty stews that will feature prominently on the Wahpepah’s Kitchen menu. \u003ccite>(Wahpepah's Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a registered member of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kickapootribeofoklahoma.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Wahpepah is part of what she describes as a small but vibrant Kickapoo community in Oakland. (“When I run into another Kickapoo, it’s pretty cool,” she says.) Naturally, Kickapoo dishes will be well represented on the restaurant’s menu, with crowd pleasers like Wahpepah’s Kickapoo chili, which she likes to serve with a side of cornbread, and a version of the hominy and venison soup that her grandmother made back home in Oklahoma. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah is no purist, though. She talks about growing up in Oakland’s “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://wahpepahskitchen.com/about-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">multi-tribal, tight-knit, urban Native community\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” whose foodways spanned ingredients and influences far beyond those specific to any one tribe. The Ohlones and the Pomo tribe, both native to Northern California, were particularly influential. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I’ve seen so many different beautiful tribes and different foods,” Wahpepah says. “So all these foods that I cook, it’s something that I grew up with and something that means a lot to me.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903549\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903549\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of fried salmon and sweet potato fries, with berry sauce for dipping.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/wahpepah_fries-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plate of corn-crusted salmon with fries. \u003ccite>(Wahpepah's Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That approach translates into a modern, varied cuisine that isn’t locked into any one tradition. The food at Wahpepah’s Kitchen is “just kind of what’s going on in Native cooking today,” as Wahpepah puts it. She’s probably best known for her blue corn blueberry bison meatballs, her vibrant, colorful salads made with whatever’s in season—gorgeously multi-colored flint corn, for instance—and her various hearty, wholesome corn and squash stews. But she’ll also serve french fries seasoned with sage or cedar salt. She’s experimented with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CRK0xzkrXEh/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">snow cones\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that feature Indigenous flavors like blackberry-sage. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the restaurant, the meal Wahpepah is most excited to serve is breakfast, which will feature things like sweet potato hash and waffles made with acorn or blue corn batter. “I just love creating with Indigenous ingredients,” she says.\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>“Crystal has always been as much about this place, the Bay Area, as she is Native and Indigenous foods,” says Caleb Zigas, the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://lacocinasf.org/letterfromcaleb\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">departing executive director\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the La Cocina kitchen incubator, recalling the time when Wahpepah went through the program about a decade ago. “That kind of relationship to place is so special to me, and I think you can really taste it in her food.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wahpepah says the restaurant’s prominent location should give her the opportunity to reach new customers who haven’t experienced Indigenous food, but she believes her Native customers (“my number one clients”) will continue to form the backbone of the business. And Wahpepah sees herself as very much aligned with the broader movement to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/dining/new-native-american-cuisine.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">revitalize Native cuisine\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the U.S.—a movement that’s deeply connected to issues of food sovereignty and healing from trauma, she says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultimately, Wahpepah wants Native customers who walk into her restaurant to feel inspired. “If they see a dish from their tribe, I want them to feel pride. I want people to taste and feel the love. To know that these foods matter.”\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wapepah’s Kitchen is tentatively slated to open in late October at 1419 34th Avenue in Oakland, adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station. Follow the business on \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wahpepahskitchen/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for updates.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "One of the East Bay’s Best Taquerias Is Coming to San Rafael",
"headTitle": "One of the East Bay’s Best Taquerias Is Coming to San Rafael | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marin County doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being one of the Bay Area’s premier taco destinations. (Some might even call certain stretches of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11307601/why-is-marin-county-so-white\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">wealthy, predominantly white\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> county a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/10/14/21515020/quesabirria-tacos-marin-county-richmond-san-rafael\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">taco \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">desert\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of sorts.) But no longer: Later this year, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.tacoseltucan.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">El Tucán\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, one of the East Bay’s very best taquerias, will open a new outpost on the San Rafael waterfront that’s larger and even more ambitious than its original Richmond location. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like the original El Tucán, tacos at the new spot—called El Tucán Tacos and Beer—will feature all the hallmarks of the Tijuana style: handmade tortillas, a dollop of guacamole on every taco and, most importantly, meats that have been grilled over fire. The idea is for customers at the new taqueria to be able to enjoy some of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/theluketsai/status/1433962298717081605\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tastiest carne asada in the Bay\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on the waterfront deck, cold beer or michelada in hand. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to co-owner Alfredo Padilla, El Tucán Tacos and Beer should open in December or January, in the space previously occupied by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pier15RestaurantandBar/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pier 15\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a San Rafael institution that closed in the early months of the pandemic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When El Tucán \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/12/5/20994943/tacos-el-tucan-tijuana-carne-asada-quesatacos-richmond\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first burst onto Richmond’s much-vaunted Mexican food scene\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> two years ago, the taqueria’s biggest point of distinction was its focus on Tijuana-style tacos—a rarity in the Bay Area. It was, and remains, one of a very small number of taquerias in the East Bay that grills its meats over fire instead of just on a flat-top. Its quesatacos, whose tortillas are gilded with a thin layer of brown, crispy cheese, can go toe to toe with any taco in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903361\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903361\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three tacos, topped with guacamole and crispy cheese, on a paper plate.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Tucán’s calling card is its Tijuana-style quesatacos. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant immediately drew long lines at all times of day and, according to Padilla, maintained its popularity even through the worst of the pandemic. “Being mostly a takeout restaurant helped us stay busy,” Padilla says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When business did slow down during the very first month of shelter in place, that gave Padilla and his taqueros time to experiment with their menu a bit. For the first time, they started selling \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/21/20937687/el-garage-quesabirria-birria-taco-richmond-instagram\">quesabirria\u003c/a>—the cheesy, red-tinged birria tacos that are the Bay Area taco scene’s most famous Tijuana import—along with other “red tacos” prepared in the same style. They also added a well-griddled version of a \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/theluketsai/status/1433962298717081605\">California burrito\u003c/a>, that deliciously fry-stuffed SoCal classic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903363\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903363\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017.jpg\" alt='Exterior of a restaurant with \"El Tucán Tacos and Beer\" signage.' width=\"1536\" height=\"2304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The exterior of the former Pier 15 space in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood. \u003ccite>(Tony Tamayo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All of those new additions will be on the menu at the San Rafael restaurant, which is a joint venture between Padilla, his brother Edgar and a third partner, Victor Ceja. The new El Tucán is located in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood, in what Padilla acknowledges is a bit of a weird location, “literally in the middle of an industrial area” surrounded by car dealerships. It’s one of the only restaurants that he’s aware of in the immediate vicinity. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the neighborhood also has its share of perks. The Canal neighborhood is the heart of Marin County’s working class Latino and Mexican American community, much of which lives in the sprawl of apartment complexes just a few blocks away from the restaurant. There is, in this part of San Rafael, a built-in audience for superlative tacos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, Padilla is excited about the space itself, which at 2,000 square feet is much larger than the Richmond location. This will be Padilla’s first sit-down restaurant, with indoor seating available in the bar area and dining room, with an additional 40 seats out back on the deck facing the water. Along the side of the building, there will be a little taco window for customers who want to grab their food to go. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13899700,arts_13896221,arts_13895488']The larger space will give Padilla the chance to flesh out the menu a bit. Most excitingly, there will be Baja-style fried fish and fried shrimp tacos—another iconic category of Baja California foods that’s rarely done well here in the Bay. Unlike the Richmond taqueria, the new restaurant has a liquor license and plans to offer a dozen beers on tap, so it’ll also add some bar bites to the menu, such as chicken wings served with housemade salsa—like Buffalo wings with a Mexican twist, Padilla says. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant will also serve five kinds of margaritas and five different micheladas, with both cocktails available as a flight.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Padilla, part of the reason he felt confident about the San Rafael expansion is that he often gets customers who drive across the bridge to Richmond from the North Bay just to eat at El Tucán—because of the lack of “good, authentic tacos” in the area, they tell him. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I think people are going to like the style that we have,” Padilla says.\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">El Tucán Tacos and Beer will open in December or January at 15 Harbor Street in San Rafael. Check El Tucán’s \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tacoseltucan/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> page for updates.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "El Tucán brings Tijuana-style flame-grilled meats and michelada flights to a historic waterfront spot.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marin County doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being one of the Bay Area’s premier taco destinations. (Some might even call certain stretches of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11307601/why-is-marin-county-so-white\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">wealthy, predominantly white\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> county a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/10/14/21515020/quesabirria-tacos-marin-county-richmond-san-rafael\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">taco \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">desert\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of sorts.) But no longer: Later this year, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.tacoseltucan.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">El Tucán\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, one of the East Bay’s very best taquerias, will open a new outpost on the San Rafael waterfront that’s larger and even more ambitious than its original Richmond location. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like the original El Tucán, tacos at the new spot—called El Tucán Tacos and Beer—will feature all the hallmarks of the Tijuana style: handmade tortillas, a dollop of guacamole on every taco and, most importantly, meats that have been grilled over fire. The idea is for customers at the new taqueria to be able to enjoy some of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/theluketsai/status/1433962298717081605\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tastiest carne asada in the Bay\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on the waterfront deck, cold beer or michelada in hand. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to co-owner Alfredo Padilla, El Tucán Tacos and Beer should open in December or January, in the space previously occupied by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pier15RestaurantandBar/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pier 15\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a San Rafael institution that closed in the early months of the pandemic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When El Tucán \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/12/5/20994943/tacos-el-tucan-tijuana-carne-asada-quesatacos-richmond\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first burst onto Richmond’s much-vaunted Mexican food scene\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> two years ago, the taqueria’s biggest point of distinction was its focus on Tijuana-style tacos—a rarity in the Bay Area. It was, and remains, one of a very small number of taquerias in the East Bay that grills its meats over fire instead of just on a flat-top. Its quesatacos, whose tortillas are gilded with a thin layer of brown, crispy cheese, can go toe to toe with any taco in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903361\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903361\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three tacos, topped with guacamole and crispy cheese, on a paper plate.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/eltucan_quesatacos_luketsai-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Tucán’s calling card is its Tijuana-style quesatacos. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant immediately drew long lines at all times of day and, according to Padilla, maintained its popularity even through the worst of the pandemic. “Being mostly a takeout restaurant helped us stay busy,” Padilla says.\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\">When business did slow down during the very first month of shelter in place, that gave Padilla and his taqueros time to experiment with their menu a bit. For the first time, they started selling \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/21/20937687/el-garage-quesabirria-birria-taco-richmond-instagram\">quesabirria\u003c/a>—the cheesy, red-tinged birria tacos that are the Bay Area taco scene’s most famous Tijuana import—along with other “red tacos” prepared in the same style. They also added a well-griddled version of a \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/theluketsai/status/1433962298717081605\">California burrito\u003c/a>, that deliciously fry-stuffed SoCal classic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903363\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1536px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903363\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017.jpg\" alt='Exterior of a restaurant with \"El Tucán Tacos and Beer\" signage.' width=\"1536\" height=\"2304\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/IMG_0017-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The exterior of the former Pier 15 space in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood. \u003ccite>(Tony Tamayo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">All of those new additions will be on the menu at the San Rafael restaurant, which is a joint venture between Padilla, his brother Edgar and a third partner, Victor Ceja. The new El Tucán is located in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood, in what Padilla acknowledges is a bit of a weird location, “literally in the middle of an industrial area” surrounded by car dealerships. It’s one of the only restaurants that he’s aware of in the immediate vicinity. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the neighborhood also has its share of perks. The Canal neighborhood is the heart of Marin County’s working class Latino and Mexican American community, much of which lives in the sprawl of apartment complexes just a few blocks away from the restaurant. There is, in this part of San Rafael, a built-in audience for superlative tacos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, Padilla is excited about the space itself, which at 2,000 square feet is much larger than the Richmond location. This will be Padilla’s first sit-down restaurant, with indoor seating available in the bar area and dining room, with an additional 40 seats out back on the deck facing the water. Along the side of the building, there will be a little taco window for customers who want to grab their food to go. \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>The larger space will give Padilla the chance to flesh out the menu a bit. Most excitingly, there will be Baja-style fried fish and fried shrimp tacos—another iconic category of Baja California foods that’s rarely done well here in the Bay. Unlike the Richmond taqueria, the new restaurant has a liquor license and plans to offer a dozen beers on tap, so it’ll also add some bar bites to the menu, such as chicken wings served with housemade salsa—like Buffalo wings with a Mexican twist, Padilla says. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant will also serve five kinds of margaritas and five different micheladas, with both cocktails available as a flight.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Padilla, part of the reason he felt confident about the San Rafael expansion is that he often gets customers who drive across the bridge to Richmond from the North Bay just to eat at El Tucán—because of the lack of “good, authentic tacos” in the area, they tell him. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I think people are going to like the style that we have,” Padilla says.\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">El Tucán Tacos and Beer will open in December or January at 15 Harbor Street in San Rafael. Check El Tucán’s \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tacoseltucan/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> page for updates.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Pop-Up Shines Spotlight on Immigrant and Refugee Chefs in Training",
"headTitle": "Oakland Pop-Up Shines Spotlight on Immigrant and Refugee Chefs in Training | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wanda Kruda had been selling plantains and rice from her driveway for about a year when she decided that it was time to take her Oakland-based vegan Cuban food business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/primascorner/\">Prima’s Corner\u003c/a> (aka Rincón de la Prima), to the next level. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kruda had been cooking almost all her life, including a stint at \u003ca href=\"https://www.reemscalifornia.com/\">Reem’s\u003c/a>, the popular Arab bakery, in 2016. Her driveway pop-ups were ambitious affairs, often featuring live cumbia or hip-hop and even vegan cooking classes for kids. But she’d reached the limit of how far she could carry the business on her own. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903140\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903140\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman wearing a face mask and black apron cuts up orange and red peppers on a small kitchen prep counter.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wanda Kruda preps vegetables in preparation for an Oakland Bloom pop-up. \u003ccite>(Oakland Bloom)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I tried to do it myself, but it’s a little hard,” Kruda says. “I need to build my relationship with the kitchen.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, Kruda enrolled in the kitchen incubator program run by the nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandbloom.org/\">Oakland Bloom\u003c/a>, where she’ll spend the next several months learning about “finances, marketing, cash flow—everything” while also building up her repertoire of recipes. She’ll be one of two Oakland Bloom chefs featured at a pop-up at \u003ca href=\"https://understoryoakland.com/\">Understory\u003c/a>, the incubator program’s partner restaurant, on Wednesday, Sept. 15, serving up a feast of cumin-dusted fried cauliflower “wings,” sweet plantains and lasagna-like Cuban pastelón. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The pop-up is part of a new beginning for Oakland Bloom, which has taken various forms since the immigrant- and refugee-focused kitchen incubator was founded in 2015, most prominently as a series of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/116328/oakland-bloom-nurtures-refugee-chefs-at-night-market-pop-ups\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">night market–style pop-ups\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in 2017. The program was always limited by the fact that it never had a commercial kitchen space of its own, but when the pandemic derailed the restaurant originally slated to open at 528 8th Street in downtown Oakland, one of its majority investors offered to turn the space over to Oakland Bloom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The result has been a dream project of sorts for social justice–minded food lovers: There’s Understory, which \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/Oakland-has-a-tropical-new-restaurant-where-16048131.php\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">opened in the space\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as a worker-led restaurant, with a menu that rotates between the cuisines of its four founding “worker-leaders”—\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2021/06/15/understory-oakland-review\">Filipino, Mexican, Moroccan\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, as board member Diana Wu explains, Oakland Bloom now has a permanent home for its Open Test Kitchen incubator program, whose participants have consistent access to the kitchen and can host pop-ups at the restaurant several times a month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903137\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2216px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13903137 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of a restaurant with bright, tropical color, including a pink bar counter.\" width=\"2216\" height=\"1246\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior.jpg 2216w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2216px) 100vw, 2216px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The interior of Understory, which serves Filipino, Moroccan and Mexican food on days when it isn’t hosting pop-ups. \u003ccite>(Understory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jenabi Pareja, one of Understory’s worker-leaders, says the incubator program takes roughly nine months to complete, as Oakland Bloom and Understory staff walk the trainees through every aspect of running a food business—recipe development, business plan formation, marketing, logo design and so on. Pop-ups like the one this Wednesday—and every Wednesday and Sunday for at least the next couple of weeks—provide hands-on experience for the chefs to see “the full fledge of what it’s like to run a restaurant,” Pareja says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The incubator’s first Understory-era graduating class, which included Hong Kong, Bosnian and Burmese chefs, completed the program earlier this summer, clearing the way for a new cohort of trainees, which includes the two chefs featured in Wednesday’s pop-up: Kruda (the vegan Cuban chef) and Nikki Garcia, who runs a Palestinian-Cuban fusion food business called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/palestinian_cuban_fusion/\">Asúkar\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Garcia says she started out just serving her food to co-workers at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, fusing together flavors and ingredients from from her own Palestinian background and her husband’s Cuban heritage. The response was so enthusiastic that she decided to turn it into a business. She initially reached out to Oakland Bloom just to inquire about kitchen space; when they contacted her earlier this summer, it was to offer her a spot in the incubator program.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Garcia, the hands-on training that Oakland Bloom has provided has been a game-changer. “I never worked in a kitchen or sold food in this quantity,” she says. “There were just a lot of things I wasn’t aware of.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903141\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903141\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of a tray of red, spice-stained chicken wings with a hint of charring.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Asúkar’s harissa chicken wings. \u003ccite>(Asúkar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzq15lpy3w/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wednesday’s pop-up\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Garcia will be selling several of Asúkar’s greatest Halal-friendly hits, including her harissa chicken wings, falafel salad and Palestinian samboosas filled with Cuban-style beef picadillio. Those offerings join Prima’s Corner’s, which in addition to appetizers like the plantains and the cauliflower wings will also include a full dinner plate featuring a dish that Kruda calls “moros y no cristianos”—her take on the classic black-bean-and-rice dish moros y cristianos, but made with brown rice instead of white.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One benefit of the regular pop-ups is that they give the chefs a chance to get immediate feedback on any recipe tweaks. At her first pop-up, Kruda says, customers went wild for her pastélon, in which strips of plantain are layered with vegan cheese and plant-based meat. But each time she makes it, it gets better and better. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13895067,bayareabites_116328']Ultimately, Oakland Bloom’s goal is to help chefs build sustainable businesses for themselves. In fact, Pareja says, one option is for chefs who graduate from the incubator program to have a pathway toward an ownership stake in Understory if they’re interested. At the moment the restaurant is still working out those details and formalizing the business’s status as a cooperative. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kruda, for her part, has dreams of starting a Prima’s Corner vegan Cuban food truck. But she says she would also love to have some role at Understory after she completes the training, perhaps as a mentor to a future group of aspiring chefs. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s awesome to have this kind of program for immigrants, for people who have an idea about their business but don’t know how to start,” Kruda says. “I think I can help other people like me.”\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Oakland Bloom and Understory collaborative pop-up will take place at Understory (528 8th Street, Oakland) on Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 4–9pm. Customers can \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://understoryoakland.square.site/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">pre-order online\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or walk up to order at the restaurant. Follow \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzq15lpy3w/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland Bloom\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Instagram for updates on future pop-ups.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wanda Kruda had been selling plantains and rice from her driveway for about a year when she decided that it was time to take her Oakland-based vegan Cuban food business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/primascorner/\">Prima’s Corner\u003c/a> (aka Rincón de la Prima), to the next level. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kruda had been cooking almost all her life, including a stint at \u003ca href=\"https://www.reemscalifornia.com/\">Reem’s\u003c/a>, the popular Arab bakery, in 2016. Her driveway pop-ups were ambitious affairs, often featuring live cumbia or hip-hop and even vegan cooking classes for kids. But she’d reached the limit of how far she could carry the business on her own. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903140\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903140\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Black woman wearing a face mask and black apron cuts up orange and red peppers on a small kitchen prep counter.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wanda-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wanda Kruda preps vegetables in preparation for an Oakland Bloom pop-up. \u003ccite>(Oakland Bloom)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I tried to do it myself, but it’s a little hard,” Kruda says. “I need to build my relationship with the kitchen.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, Kruda enrolled in the kitchen incubator program run by the nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandbloom.org/\">Oakland Bloom\u003c/a>, where she’ll spend the next several months learning about “finances, marketing, cash flow—everything” while also building up her repertoire of recipes. She’ll be one of two Oakland Bloom chefs featured at a pop-up at \u003ca href=\"https://understoryoakland.com/\">Understory\u003c/a>, the incubator program’s partner restaurant, on Wednesday, Sept. 15, serving up a feast of cumin-dusted fried cauliflower “wings,” sweet plantains and lasagna-like Cuban pastelón. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The pop-up is part of a new beginning for Oakland Bloom, which has taken various forms since the immigrant- and refugee-focused kitchen incubator was founded in 2015, most prominently as a series of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/116328/oakland-bloom-nurtures-refugee-chefs-at-night-market-pop-ups\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">night market–style pop-ups\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in 2017. The program was always limited by the fact that it never had a commercial kitchen space of its own, but when the pandemic derailed the restaurant originally slated to open at 528 8th Street in downtown Oakland, one of its majority investors offered to turn the space over to Oakland Bloom. \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\">The result has been a dream project of sorts for social justice–minded food lovers: There’s Understory, which \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/Oakland-has-a-tropical-new-restaurant-where-16048131.php\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">opened in the space\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as a worker-led restaurant, with a menu that rotates between the cuisines of its four founding “worker-leaders”—\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2021/06/15/understory-oakland-review\">Filipino, Mexican, Moroccan\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, as board member Diana Wu explains, Oakland Bloom now has a permanent home for its Open Test Kitchen incubator program, whose participants have consistent access to the kitchen and can host pop-ups at the restaurant several times a month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903137\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2216px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13903137 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of a restaurant with bright, tropical color, including a pink bar counter.\" width=\"2216\" height=\"1246\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior.jpg 2216w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Understory_interior-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2216px) 100vw, 2216px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The interior of Understory, which serves Filipino, Moroccan and Mexican food on days when it isn’t hosting pop-ups. \u003ccite>(Understory)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jenabi Pareja, one of Understory’s worker-leaders, says the incubator program takes roughly nine months to complete, as Oakland Bloom and Understory staff walk the trainees through every aspect of running a food business—recipe development, business plan formation, marketing, logo design and so on. Pop-ups like the one this Wednesday—and every Wednesday and Sunday for at least the next couple of weeks—provide hands-on experience for the chefs to see “the full fledge of what it’s like to run a restaurant,” Pareja says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The incubator’s first Understory-era graduating class, which included Hong Kong, Bosnian and Burmese chefs, completed the program earlier this summer, clearing the way for a new cohort of trainees, which includes the two chefs featured in Wednesday’s pop-up: Kruda (the vegan Cuban chef) and Nikki Garcia, who runs a Palestinian-Cuban fusion food business called \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/palestinian_cuban_fusion/\">Asúkar\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Garcia says she started out just serving her food to co-workers at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, fusing together flavors and ingredients from from her own Palestinian background and her husband’s Cuban heritage. The response was so enthusiastic that she decided to turn it into a business. She initially reached out to Oakland Bloom just to inquire about kitchen space; when they contacted her earlier this summer, it was to offer her a spot in the incubator program.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Garcia, the hands-on training that Oakland Bloom has provided has been a game-changer. “I never worked in a kitchen or sold food in this quantity,” she says. “There were just a lot of things I wasn’t aware of.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13903141\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13903141\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of a tray of red, spice-stained chicken wings with a hint of charring.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/oaklandbloom_wings-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Asúkar’s harissa chicken wings. \u003ccite>(Asúkar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzq15lpy3w/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wednesday’s pop-up\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Garcia will be selling several of Asúkar’s greatest Halal-friendly hits, including her harissa chicken wings, falafel salad and Palestinian samboosas filled with Cuban-style beef picadillio. Those offerings join Prima’s Corner’s, which in addition to appetizers like the plantains and the cauliflower wings will also include a full dinner plate featuring a dish that Kruda calls “moros y no cristianos”—her take on the classic black-bean-and-rice dish moros y cristianos, but made with brown rice instead of white.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One benefit of the regular pop-ups is that they give the chefs a chance to get immediate feedback on any recipe tweaks. At her first pop-up, Kruda says, customers went wild for her pastélon, in which strips of plantain are layered with vegan cheese and plant-based meat. But each time she makes it, it gets better and better. \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>Ultimately, Oakland Bloom’s goal is to help chefs build sustainable businesses for themselves. In fact, Pareja says, one option is for chefs who graduate from the incubator program to have a pathway toward an ownership stake in Understory if they’re interested. At the moment the restaurant is still working out those details and formalizing the business’s status as a cooperative. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kruda, for her part, has dreams of starting a Prima’s Corner vegan Cuban food truck. But she says she would also love to have some role at Understory after she completes the training, perhaps as a mentor to a future group of aspiring chefs. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It’s awesome to have this kind of program for immigrants, for people who have an idea about their business but don’t know how to start,” Kruda says. “I think I can help other people like me.”\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>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Oakland Bloom and Understory collaborative pop-up will take place at Understory (528 8th Street, Oakland) on Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 4–9pm. Customers can \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://understoryoakland.square.site/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">pre-order online\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or walk up to order at the restaurant. Follow \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTzq15lpy3w/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland Bloom\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Instagram for updates on future pop-ups.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Japantown’s New Korean-Inspired Bakery Is Spreading the Gospel of Kalbijjim Croissants",
"headTitle": "Japantown’s New Korean-Inspired Bakery Is Spreading the Gospel of Kalbijjim Croissants | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When pastry chef Jina Kim first collaborated with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/daeho_official/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> earlier this year to create a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2021/1/26/22249238/jina-bakes-daeho-kalbijjim-croissant-japantown-sf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">croissant version\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the restaurant’s runaway hit kalbijjim short rib stew, she’d hoped that the pastries would be a success. After all, Daeho’s spicy-sweet, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSpYvAlJAOS/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">delightfully cheesy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> version of the Korean classic had become one of the most sought after dishes in San Francisco. What Kim didn’t necessarily anticipate, however, was that a half year after their debut, the kalbijjim croissants would have a dedicated following all their own—that customers would line up for an hour at Kim’s Japantown bakery, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jinabakes/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jina Bakes\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and, in some cases, snatch up a dozen of the meaty pastries in one fell swoop.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Make no mistake: The kalbijjim croissants are poised to become the next big thing in the Bay Area pastry world. And now, Kim is ready to introduce local pastry lovers to her whole lineup of other creative Korean- and Japanese-inflected treats. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902817\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902817\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-scaled.jpg\" alt='A line of customers waits outside of a bakery; the sign above reads \"jina bakes.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1484\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-800x464.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-1020x591.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-768x445.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-1536x890.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-2048x1187.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-1920x1113.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The line of customers during Jina Bakes’ soft opening weekend. \u003ccite>(Jina Bakes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After a year of pandemic takeout boxes, construction delays and occasional in-person pop-ups, Jina Bakes finally opened its Japan Center storefront in late August. The bakery has been in “soft opening” mode on weekends only for the past two weeks, limiting both its hours of operation and the number of pastries that customers can purchase at one time. Starting next week, the shop will be open on Fridays as well, with the goal, Kim says, of eventually opening five days a week.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902819\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1366px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902819\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo.jpg\" alt=\"A square croissant topped with stretchy Korean rice cake dusted with roasted soybean poweder.\" width=\"1366\" height=\"1627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo.jpg 1366w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-800x953.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-1020x1215.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-160x191.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-768x915.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-1290x1536.jpg 1290w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The injeolmi croissant is inspired by one of the pastry chef’s favorite Korean treats. \u003ccite>(Christine Yoo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Customers who have been buying Jina Bakes’ pastries since the early days of the pandemic already know the bakery has a lot more to offer beyond its signature item. Prior to starting her business, Kim’s background had primarily been in French and Japanese pastry, but the wild, unexpected success of the kalbijjim croissant emboldened her to create other pastries that reflect her own heritage. “I started wanting to do more Korean things,” Kim says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For now, she’s added one additional Korean item inspired by injeolmi, a kind of sweet Korean sweet rice cake that was always Kim’s favorite special occasion treat. At Jina Bakes, she makes the rice cakes in-house, cuts them into squares and bakes them on top of square croissants, dusting the injeolmi afterwards with powdered sugar and roasted soybean powder. The best thing about these injeolmi croissants, Kim says, is that the rice cakes are wonderfully stretchy when they’re warm, so you get that gooey \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZdgaBdBhyE\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“cheese pull” effect\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that many Koreans and Korean Americans admire. (It’s part of the kalbijjim croissant’s appeal as well—and one of the reasons the bakery has a dedicated oven for reheating pastries.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902822\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 2109px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902822\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three coffee drinks on a countertop, variously topped with whipped cream and honeycomb toffee candy.\" width=\"2109\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-scaled.jpg 2109w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-800x971.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1020x1238.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-768x932.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1265x1536.jpg 1265w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1687x2048.jpg 1687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1920x2331.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2109px) 100vw, 2109px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lineup of the bakery’s signature coffee drinks, including the Einspänner (left) and the honeycomb toffee latte (center). \u003ccite>(Jina Bakes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other staples on the opening menu include a more traditionally French croissant, chocolate croissant and kouign-amann, plus a variety of cream puffs that feature Japanese flavors like matcha, hojicha and black sesame. It’s a pastry-heavy lineup for now, but Kim says she eventually wants to do more cakes and desserts, including individual-portion cakes—pound cakes, cheesecake slices and more.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With COVID concerns still very much front of mind, Jina Bakes won’t yet open up its indoor seating area. But eventually it should offer the kind of experience you’d expect at one of Seoul’s many stylish cafes, right down to the distinctly Korean coffee offerings. For instance, one of Kim’s honeycomb toffee latte is an iced latte that features chunks of housemade dalgona, a kind of Korean toffee that looks like pieces of honeycomb. (The trendy whipped coffee drink called “dalgona coffee” that went viral on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-13/dalgona-iced-coffee-south-korea-isolation\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Korean TikTok and Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during the early stages of the pandemic was named after its resemblance to the dalgona candy. “This is the real dalgona coffee,” Kim says.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bakery will also serve Einspänners, affogato-like espresso drinks topped with loads of whipped cream. Viennese in origin, the drinks are highly popular in South Korea right now, Kim says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13896729']Although \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/21524071/japantown-japan-center-restaurants-sf-rent-negotiations-takara-kui-shin-bo\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Japan Center food businesses\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—and Japantown as a whole—have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896729/benkyodo-mochi-on-the-bridge-sf-japantown-covid\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">struggled during the pandemic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Kim did steady business with her biweekly “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CGNhAbqjnqF/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">quarantine boxes\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” all through the most difficult months of the shutdown. Indeed, part of the reason she hasn’t been able to extend her hours yet is because she keeps selling out too quickly—after just two hours each day during the bakery’s first weekend of business.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For her part, Kim says she’s been pleasantly surprised by the turnout and, especially, the wide range of customers who have shown up and stood in line to buy her pastries: “I was like, ‘Oh, how did they know about me?’”\u003c/span>\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>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jinabakes/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jina Bakes\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is located on the first floor of Japan Center West, at 1581 Webster Street, Ste. 150, in San Francisco. During its soft opening period, it’s open Saturdays and Sundays only (and Fridays, starting on Sept. 17), 10am–2pm (or until sold out). \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When pastry chef Jina Kim first collaborated with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/daeho_official/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> earlier this year to create a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2021/1/26/22249238/jina-bakes-daeho-kalbijjim-croissant-japantown-sf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">croissant version\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the restaurant’s runaway hit kalbijjim short rib stew, she’d hoped that the pastries would be a success. After all, Daeho’s spicy-sweet, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CSpYvAlJAOS/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">delightfully cheesy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> version of the Korean classic had become one of the most sought after dishes in San Francisco. What Kim didn’t necessarily anticipate, however, was that a half year after their debut, the kalbijjim croissants would have a dedicated following all their own—that customers would line up for an hour at Kim’s Japantown bakery, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jinabakes/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jina Bakes\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and, in some cases, snatch up a dozen of the meaty pastries in one fell swoop.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Make no mistake: The kalbijjim croissants are poised to become the next big thing in the Bay Area pastry world. And now, Kim is ready to introduce local pastry lovers to her whole lineup of other creative Korean- and Japanese-inflected treats. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902817\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902817\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-scaled.jpg\" alt='A line of customers waits outside of a bakery; the sign above reads \"jina bakes.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1484\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-800x464.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-1020x591.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-768x445.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-1536x890.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-2048x1187.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_exterior-1920x1113.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The line of customers during Jina Bakes’ soft opening weekend. \u003ccite>(Jina Bakes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After a year of pandemic takeout boxes, construction delays and occasional in-person pop-ups, Jina Bakes finally opened its Japan Center storefront in late August. The bakery has been in “soft opening” mode on weekends only for the past two weeks, limiting both its hours of operation and the number of pastries that customers can purchase at one time. Starting next week, the shop will be open on Fridays as well, with the goal, Kim says, of eventually opening five days a week.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902819\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1366px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902819\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo.jpg\" alt=\"A square croissant topped with stretchy Korean rice cake dusted with roasted soybean poweder.\" width=\"1366\" height=\"1627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo.jpg 1366w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-800x953.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-1020x1215.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-160x191.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-768x915.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_injeolmi_christinecyoo-1290x1536.jpg 1290w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The injeolmi croissant is inspired by one of the pastry chef’s favorite Korean treats. \u003ccite>(Christine Yoo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Customers who have been buying Jina Bakes’ pastries since the early days of the pandemic already know the bakery has a lot more to offer beyond its signature item. Prior to starting her business, Kim’s background had primarily been in French and Japanese pastry, but the wild, unexpected success of the kalbijjim croissant emboldened her to create other pastries that reflect her own heritage. “I started wanting to do more Korean things,” Kim says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For now, she’s added one additional Korean item inspired by injeolmi, a kind of sweet Korean sweet rice cake that was always Kim’s favorite special occasion treat. At Jina Bakes, she makes the rice cakes in-house, cuts them into squares and bakes them on top of square croissants, dusting the injeolmi afterwards with powdered sugar and roasted soybean powder. The best thing about these injeolmi croissants, Kim says, is that the rice cakes are wonderfully stretchy when they’re warm, so you get that gooey \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZdgaBdBhyE\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“cheese pull” effect\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that many Koreans and Korean Americans admire. (It’s part of the kalbijjim croissant’s appeal as well—and one of the reasons the bakery has a dedicated oven for reheating pastries.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902822\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 2109px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902822\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three coffee drinks on a countertop, variously topped with whipped cream and honeycomb toffee candy.\" width=\"2109\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-scaled.jpg 2109w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-800x971.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1020x1238.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-768x932.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1265x1536.jpg 1265w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1687x2048.jpg 1687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/jinabakes_drinks-1920x2331.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2109px) 100vw, 2109px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lineup of the bakery’s signature coffee drinks, including the Einspänner (left) and the honeycomb toffee latte (center). \u003ccite>(Jina Bakes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other staples on the opening menu include a more traditionally French croissant, chocolate croissant and kouign-amann, plus a variety of cream puffs that feature Japanese flavors like matcha, hojicha and black sesame. It’s a pastry-heavy lineup for now, but Kim says she eventually wants to do more cakes and desserts, including individual-portion cakes—pound cakes, cheesecake slices and more.\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\">With COVID concerns still very much front of mind, Jina Bakes won’t yet open up its indoor seating area. But eventually it should offer the kind of experience you’d expect at one of Seoul’s many stylish cafes, right down to the distinctly Korean coffee offerings. For instance, one of Kim’s honeycomb toffee latte is an iced latte that features chunks of housemade dalgona, a kind of Korean toffee that looks like pieces of honeycomb. (The trendy whipped coffee drink called “dalgona coffee” that went viral on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-13/dalgona-iced-coffee-south-korea-isolation\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Korean TikTok and Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during the early stages of the pandemic was named after its resemblance to the dalgona candy. “This is the real dalgona coffee,” Kim says.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bakery will also serve Einspänners, affogato-like espresso drinks topped with loads of whipped cream. Viennese in origin, the drinks are highly popular in South Korea right now, Kim says.\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>Although \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/21524071/japantown-japan-center-restaurants-sf-rent-negotiations-takara-kui-shin-bo\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Japan Center food businesses\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—and Japantown as a whole—have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13896729/benkyodo-mochi-on-the-bridge-sf-japantown-covid\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">struggled during the pandemic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Kim did steady business with her biweekly “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CGNhAbqjnqF/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">quarantine boxes\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” all through the most difficult months of the shutdown. Indeed, part of the reason she hasn’t been able to extend her hours yet is because she keeps selling out too quickly—after just two hours each day during the bakery’s first weekend of business.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For her part, Kim says she’s been pleasantly surprised by the turnout and, especially, the wide range of customers who have shown up and stood in line to buy her pastries: “I was like, ‘Oh, how did they know about me?’”\u003c/span>\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>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jinabakes/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jina Bakes\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is located on the first floor of Japan Center West, at 1581 Webster Street, Ste. 150, in San Francisco. During its soft opening period, it’s open Saturdays and Sundays only (and Fridays, starting on Sept. 17), 10am–2pm (or until sold out). \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland’s Only Black-Owned Brewing Company Is Diversifying the Craft Beer Scene",
"headTitle": "Oakland’s Only Black-Owned Brewing Company Is Diversifying the Craft Beer Scene | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]E[/dropcap]ver seen a scraper bike mob pull up to a brewery in Jack London to get a taste of the latest saison? Up until recently, I hadn’t either. But with the arrival of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hellacoastal/?hl=en\">Hella Coastal\u003c/a>, Oakland’s only Black-owned brewing company, functions like this are bridging over into the region’s beer culture.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The whole idea stemmed from what we thought was missing in the community that could bring us all together,” says Mario Benjamin, co-founder of Hella Coastal. “We already enjoy making beer, so we might as well do something bigger than ourselves with it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Benjamin and his homie, Chaz Hubbard, started out brewing in their backyards as young fathers whose sons now attend the same school in Oakland. As the friends started brewing more often, they realized something was missing in the beer industry: Black folks. So, in December 2020, they decided to turn their years-long work into a legitimate brewing company, with the goal of emphasizing their local authenticity as an essential ingredient in their beer-making process.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And that’s exactly what they’ve done from the jump. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I discovered Hella Coastal at the start of this summer when they teamed up with Federation Brewing and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://scraperbiketeam.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Original Scraper Bike Team\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to launch their Scraper Season Saison. The craft brew, which is made with fresh chamomile flowers to highlight summery notes of peach, citrus and peppercorn, is an ode to East Oakland’s iconic scraper bikes—those colorful and vibrant street bicycles that any true Baydestrian would recognize from the Hyphy Movement. For the first time ever, I felt like a beer was being made for those of us who grew up in Bay Area subcultures as people of color. I was hooked before I even took my first sip.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CO3GYLSM9O8/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The release party featured a live DJ slapping “Blow the Whistle” and “I Got 5 On It” while Baybe Champ—who started the scraper bike movement—and his crew hung around Federation’s outdoor patio in Jack London with their wheels on display, as the buzzed crowd rapped along. Because Hella Coastal doesn’t yet have a brick-and-mortar location of its own, the business has been collaborating with nearby breweries to produce its beers—and to offer events like this one, all themed to promote diversity and cultural accessibility within the majority-white mainstream beer world here in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you’ve spent time in the craft brewery scene, you know there is a glaring absence of Black visibility. In fact, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gearpatrol.com/food/drinks/a35562233/black-owned-breweries/#:~:text=Less%20than%201%25%20of%20the,That%20needs%20to%20change.&text=In%20the%20Brewers%20Association's%202019,of%20brewery%20owners%20were%20white.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">less than 1% of breweries in the U.S. are Black-owned and operated\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Despite the Town’s much-vaunted diversity—and despite it being home to one of the nation’s first Black-owned beer companies, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/1999/08/02/editorial1.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brother’s Brewing Co.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which had a short run during the late ’90s—Oakland is surprisingly no different. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“For the first time ever, I felt like a beer was being made for those of us who grew up in Bay Area subcultures as people of color.”[/pullquote]Historically, craft beer hasn’t been inviting for Black Americans, the owners of Hella Coastal say. Years of systemic racial segregation, economic displacement and practices such as redlining and blockbusting have made it so that white-owned businesses can succeed without even having to consider Black clientele. This feels especially true in the beer industry, which has long been dominated by big corporate names like Budweiser and Miller that have done very little to reach out to non-white beer drinkers. If anything, the artisanal craft beer scene of the past couple of decades has felt even less viable for those who don’t fit the stereotypical image of a European-heritage, flannel wearing, bearded fellow sipping on a pale ale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Generally speaking, craft beer just isn’t being made or marketed with Black or brown customers in mind. Today, that might translate into someone from a historically Black West Oakland neighborhood going to the corner store to buy an affordably priced commercial malt liquor rather than driving to an upscale area to purchase a $9 pint of oatmeal stout—especially since those smaller, higher-end craft joints aren’t typically opening in Black neighborhoods. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is the blindspot that Hella Coastal is putting into view. And with carefully thought out collaborations, they are addressing this disconnect in creative ways.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part of that has to do with their choice of ingredients and niche themes for the beers they produce. But both Benjamin and Hubbard also hold strong convictions about giving back to their community in real ways, especially in light of the social injustices that have long prevented Black families like theirs from pursuing certain business opportunities.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“As Black men, going to the banks and knowing the history of what our grandparents went through, we have to go all gas and no brakes,” says Benjamin. “We’re not doing this for no trend. We’re coming from a place where a lot of options aren’t guaranteed. We want to change that narrative. We’re building this for our kids, to create generational wealth. And we’re very grateful to be in this position right now.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their gratitude transcends rhetoric and slogans. A portion of the proceeds from Scraper Season Saison, for example, went to the Original Scraper Team’s nonprofit, which “empowers urban youth living in underserved communities through self-expression and creativity” by providing a space for teens and adolescents to build and customize their own scrapers. In addition, the art for the can was designed by a local artist, who was commissioned to paint her rendition of young Oaklanders popping wheelies on rainbow-rimmed bikes around Lake Merritt.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite being around for less than a year, Hella Coastal has already gotten its name out, collaborating with respected local brewers such as Drake’s, Oak Park (a Black-owned brewery in Sacramento), and Hunters Point Brewery (which is the Bay Area’s only other Black-owned brewery at the moment, located in the HP district of San Francisco). It’s how they spread love, the liquid way.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902654\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1080px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902654\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery.jpg\" alt=\"Two men making beer with professional brewing equipment; one wears a visor for protection.\" width=\"1080\" height=\"909\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery.jpg 1080w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-800x673.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-1020x859.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-160x135.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-768x646.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Making beer at Sacramento’s Oak Park Brewing. \u003ccite>(Hella Coastal)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their partnership with Berkeley’s Rare Barrel was part of a national \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.breathingconversations.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Breathing Conversations” series\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, in which brewers of all backgrounds united to raise awareness for social and racial issues by printing questions on cans and bottles to facilitate dialogues between diverse communities of beer drinkers. In this case, the Rare Barrel took it one step further by offering to donate $10,000 to an organization of Hella Coastal’s choice: Youth Spirit Artworks, a nonprofit that builds tiny homes for unhoused youth in East Oakland. Benjamin and Hubbard say they were happily surprised by the size of the check, and that they’ve been thankful for the support from these larger, more established (and usually white-owned) breweries who appear to be genuinely invested in creating more equity within the beer-making community.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Mario Benjamin, co-founder Hella Coastal\"]“As Black men, going to the banks and knowing the history of what our grandparents went through, we have to go all gas and no brakes.”[/pullquote]At the moment, Hella Coastal does not have a physical brewery of its own, though they say they’re “one step away” in their licensing process from being able to open one. Once that becomes a reality, Benjamin and Hubbard plan to offer workshops and guest lectures, inspired by the work of Oakland-born groups like the Black Panther Party.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the meantime, they’re teaming up with breweries like Federation to help conceptualize, produce and distribute their thoughtful releases. This includes everything from their first-ever beer, “Bomba Nights”—a cinnamony coconut stout inspired by Benjamin’s Puerto Rican abuelita’s holiday coquitos—to their recent drop, “Shock G Forever Golden Ale”—which honored the passing of golden era hip hop legend, Gregory Jacobs, with ingredients that were selected by his Digital Underground partner, Money B. My personal favorite is the Fresh Pils—a smooth pilsner whose label design was inspired by the ’90s staple \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With each release, the intention is clear: to promote the visibility of Black and brown experiences with a California lens, and to give back to marginalized populations. “Bomba Nights” raised money for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, while another collaboration of theirs, “Black is Beautiful,” contributed funds to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.campaignzero.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Campaign Zero\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—a movement that aims to end police violence by supporting policy change. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Hella Coastal, being socially involved isn’t just about pouring good beers; it’s about pouring resources into positive community actions, and demanding more in an industry with tremendous potential to bring people together.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’s a little over 60 Black-owned breweries out of over 8,500 in the country. That’s a small number,” Hubbard explains. “We don’t only want to diversify the beer industry by producing it and normalizing us in this space, but we also need equity and ownership, that piece of the pie. This is for Black and brown folks. And maybe we can change some minds along the way, too—those who aren’t allies yet, they can become allies.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13900311,arts_13899700,arts_13896221']The brewery’s work has already made an impact on the Bay Area craft brew scene. Hella Coastal’s involvement with the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://drinkbaybeer.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Area Brewers Guild\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, for instance, helped local brewers envision the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://inclusionbeerproject.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inclusion Beer project\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, in which participating breweries “are required to create a DE&I committee within their brewery regardless of size.” Hella Coastal’s work and advocacy with partner breweries has also created a blueprint for new pipelines into the industry. Most notably, they are currently raising funds with the Bay Area Brewers Guild to provide stipends for POC, nonbinary and women brewers to attend UC Davis’s brewing program, in hopes of further diversifying the field. In a profession that has been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/hudsonlindenberger/2021/02/22/a-new-program-aims-to-improve-diversity-in-the-craft-beer-industry/?sh=224957313a8c\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">disproportionately and overwhelmingly white\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Hella Coastal is making waves—especially here in the Bay. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is much work to be done, but still, this gives hope. Hope that more brewers like Hella Coastal are able to change the beer industry. Hope that more hops will be brewed for various forms of cultural consumption—from \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRK1wKr-I6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Juneteenth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to Puerto Rican Christmas. Hope that Hennessey and craft beer—a combination that Hella Coastal has already experimented with—are indeed mixable.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s to raising a glass (and a fist) to more independent craft beers (and revolutionary traditions) in hand.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\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\n",
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"excerpt": "Hella Coastal brings scraper bikes, Shock G tribute beers to a scene that has historically ignored Black customers",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">E\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ver seen a scraper bike mob pull up to a brewery in Jack London to get a taste of the latest saison? Up until recently, I hadn’t either. But with the arrival of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hellacoastal/?hl=en\">Hella Coastal\u003c/a>, Oakland’s only Black-owned brewing company, functions like this are bridging over into the region’s beer culture.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The whole idea stemmed from what we thought was missing in the community that could bring us all together,” says Mario Benjamin, co-founder of Hella Coastal. “We already enjoy making beer, so we might as well do something bigger than ourselves with it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Benjamin and his homie, Chaz Hubbard, started out brewing in their backyards as young fathers whose sons now attend the same school in Oakland. As the friends started brewing more often, they realized something was missing in the beer industry: Black folks. So, in December 2020, they decided to turn their years-long work into a legitimate brewing company, with the goal of emphasizing their local authenticity as an essential ingredient in their beer-making process.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And that’s exactly what they’ve done from the jump. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I discovered Hella Coastal at the start of this summer when they teamed up with Federation Brewing and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://scraperbiketeam.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Original Scraper Bike Team\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to launch their Scraper Season Saison. The craft brew, which is made with fresh chamomile flowers to highlight summery notes of peach, citrus and peppercorn, is an ode to East Oakland’s iconic scraper bikes—those colorful and vibrant street bicycles that any true Baydestrian would recognize from the Hyphy Movement. For the first time ever, I felt like a beer was being made for those of us who grew up in Bay Area subcultures as people of color. I was hooked before I even took my first sip.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The release party featured a live DJ slapping “Blow the Whistle” and “I Got 5 On It” while Baybe Champ—who started the scraper bike movement—and his crew hung around Federation’s outdoor patio in Jack London with their wheels on display, as the buzzed crowd rapped along. Because Hella Coastal doesn’t yet have a brick-and-mortar location of its own, the business has been collaborating with nearby breweries to produce its beers—and to offer events like this one, all themed to promote diversity and cultural accessibility within the majority-white mainstream beer world here in the Bay Area.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you’ve spent time in the craft brewery scene, you know there is a glaring absence of Black visibility. In fact, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gearpatrol.com/food/drinks/a35562233/black-owned-breweries/#:~:text=Less%20than%201%25%20of%20the,That%20needs%20to%20change.&text=In%20the%20Brewers%20Association's%202019,of%20brewery%20owners%20were%20white.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">less than 1% of breweries in the U.S. are Black-owned and operated\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Despite the Town’s much-vaunted diversity—and despite it being home to one of the nation’s first Black-owned beer companies, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/1999/08/02/editorial1.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brother’s Brewing Co.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which had a short run during the late ’90s—Oakland is surprisingly no different. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“For the first time ever, I felt like a beer was being made for those of us who grew up in Bay Area subcultures as people of color.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Historically, craft beer hasn’t been inviting for Black Americans, the owners of Hella Coastal say. Years of systemic racial segregation, economic displacement and practices such as redlining and blockbusting have made it so that white-owned businesses can succeed without even having to consider Black clientele. This feels especially true in the beer industry, which has long been dominated by big corporate names like Budweiser and Miller that have done very little to reach out to non-white beer drinkers. If anything, the artisanal craft beer scene of the past couple of decades has felt even less viable for those who don’t fit the stereotypical image of a European-heritage, flannel wearing, bearded fellow sipping on a pale ale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Generally speaking, craft beer just isn’t being made or marketed with Black or brown customers in mind. Today, that might translate into someone from a historically Black West Oakland neighborhood going to the corner store to buy an affordably priced commercial malt liquor rather than driving to an upscale area to purchase a $9 pint of oatmeal stout—especially since those smaller, higher-end craft joints aren’t typically opening in Black neighborhoods. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is the blindspot that Hella Coastal is putting into view. And with carefully thought out collaborations, they are addressing this disconnect in creative ways.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Part of that has to do with their choice of ingredients and niche themes for the beers they produce. But both Benjamin and Hubbard also hold strong convictions about giving back to their community in real ways, especially in light of the social injustices that have long prevented Black families like theirs from pursuing certain business opportunities.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“As Black men, going to the banks and knowing the history of what our grandparents went through, we have to go all gas and no brakes,” says Benjamin. “We’re not doing this for no trend. We’re coming from a place where a lot of options aren’t guaranteed. We want to change that narrative. We’re building this for our kids, to create generational wealth. And we’re very grateful to be in this position right now.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their gratitude transcends rhetoric and slogans. A portion of the proceeds from Scraper Season Saison, for example, went to the Original Scraper Team’s nonprofit, which “empowers urban youth living in underserved communities through self-expression and creativity” by providing a space for teens and adolescents to build and customize their own scrapers. In addition, the art for the can was designed by a local artist, who was commissioned to paint her rendition of young Oaklanders popping wheelies on rainbow-rimmed bikes around Lake Merritt.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite being around for less than a year, Hella Coastal has already gotten its name out, collaborating with respected local brewers such as Drake’s, Oak Park (a Black-owned brewery in Sacramento), and Hunters Point Brewery (which is the Bay Area’s only other Black-owned brewery at the moment, located in the HP district of San Francisco). It’s how they spread love, the liquid way.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902654\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1080px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902654\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery.jpg\" alt=\"Two men making beer with professional brewing equipment; one wears a visor for protection.\" width=\"1080\" height=\"909\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery.jpg 1080w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-800x673.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-1020x859.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-160x135.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Hella-Coastal_Oak-Park-Brewery-768x646.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Making beer at Sacramento’s Oak Park Brewing. \u003ccite>(Hella Coastal)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their partnership with Berkeley’s Rare Barrel was part of a national \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.breathingconversations.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Breathing Conversations” series\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, in which brewers of all backgrounds united to raise awareness for social and racial issues by printing questions on cans and bottles to facilitate dialogues between diverse communities of beer drinkers. In this case, the Rare Barrel took it one step further by offering to donate $10,000 to an organization of Hella Coastal’s choice: Youth Spirit Artworks, a nonprofit that builds tiny homes for unhoused youth in East Oakland. Benjamin and Hubbard say they were happily surprised by the size of the check, and that they’ve been thankful for the support from these larger, more established (and usually white-owned) breweries who appear to be genuinely invested in creating more equity within the beer-making community.\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>At the moment, Hella Coastal does not have a physical brewery of its own, though they say they’re “one step away” in their licensing process from being able to open one. Once that becomes a reality, Benjamin and Hubbard plan to offer workshops and guest lectures, inspired by the work of Oakland-born groups like the Black Panther Party.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the meantime, they’re teaming up with breweries like Federation to help conceptualize, produce and distribute their thoughtful releases. This includes everything from their first-ever beer, “Bomba Nights”—a cinnamony coconut stout inspired by Benjamin’s Puerto Rican abuelita’s holiday coquitos—to their recent drop, “Shock G Forever Golden Ale”—which honored the passing of golden era hip hop legend, Gregory Jacobs, with ingredients that were selected by his Digital Underground partner, Money B. My personal favorite is the Fresh Pils—a smooth pilsner whose label design was inspired by the ’90s staple \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With each release, the intention is clear: to promote the visibility of Black and brown experiences with a California lens, and to give back to marginalized populations. “Bomba Nights” raised money for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, while another collaboration of theirs, “Black is Beautiful,” contributed funds to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.campaignzero.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Campaign Zero\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—a movement that aims to end police violence by supporting policy change. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Hella Coastal, being socially involved isn’t just about pouring good beers; it’s about pouring resources into positive community actions, and demanding more in an industry with tremendous potential to bring people together.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“There’s a little over 60 Black-owned breweries out of over 8,500 in the country. That’s a small number,” Hubbard explains. “We don’t only want to diversify the beer industry by producing it and normalizing us in this space, but we also need equity and ownership, that piece of the pie. This is for Black and brown folks. And maybe we can change some minds along the way, too—those who aren’t allies yet, they can become allies.”\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>The brewery’s work has already made an impact on the Bay Area craft brew scene. Hella Coastal’s involvement with the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://drinkbaybeer.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bay Area Brewers Guild\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, for instance, helped local brewers envision the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://inclusionbeerproject.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inclusion Beer project\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, in which participating breweries “are required to create a DE&I committee within their brewery regardless of size.” Hella Coastal’s work and advocacy with partner breweries has also created a blueprint for new pipelines into the industry. Most notably, they are currently raising funds with the Bay Area Brewers Guild to provide stipends for POC, nonbinary and women brewers to attend UC Davis’s brewing program, in hopes of further diversifying the field. In a profession that has been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/hudsonlindenberger/2021/02/22/a-new-program-aims-to-improve-diversity-in-the-craft-beer-industry/?sh=224957313a8c\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">disproportionately and overwhelmingly white\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Hella Coastal is making waves—especially here in the Bay. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is much work to be done, but still, this gives hope. Hope that more brewers like Hella Coastal are able to change the beer industry. Hope that more hops will be brewed for various forms of cultural consumption—from \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRK1wKr-I6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Juneteenth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to Puerto Rican Christmas. Hope that Hennessey and craft beer—a combination that Hella Coastal has already experimented with—are indeed mixable.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here’s to raising a glass (and a fist) to more independent craft beers (and revolutionary traditions) in hand.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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1630450822000
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"title": "This Fall, Bay Area Food Events Emphasize Culture and Community",
"headTitle": "This Fall, Bay Area Food Events Emphasize Culture and Community | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s no secret that fall is the real Bay Area summer, when temperatures push into the 80s and 90s—and, air quality permitting, food lovers loosen their pants and head outdoors for the region’s biggest and most highly anticipated food festivals. It’s stunt taco season. Fried food on a stick season. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fallarts2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13901773\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/FallArtsPreview2021_400x400_blue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/FallArtsPreview2021_400x400_blue.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/FallArtsPreview2021_400x400_blue-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year, of course, the delta variant had something to say about all that, and concerns about super spreader events put the kibosh on the largest of these in-person gatherings. Eat Real Fest was canceled \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CPTRnx3BvGp/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">months ago\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://lacocinasf.org/event-calendar/sf-food-festival\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Cocina’s annual San Francisco Street Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> won’t be happening this October.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, this fall does offer some of the first opportunities food lovers have had in a year and a half to gather in person—mostly outdoors, with masks—with a few hundred other mooncake connoisseurs or vegan burrito enthusiasts. In fact, this year’s small but mighty slate of food festivals looks more community-oriented and culturally significant than ever. Feel more comfortable chilling out at home with a virtual event? We’ve got a few options for you as well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cb>Reminder:\u003c/b> COVID precautions remain in flux. Proof of vaccination is a requirement for many indoor events. Before making plans, and again before arrival, be sure to check event websites for the latest protocols.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901744\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 827px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901744\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding a burrito split open so you can see the cross section of the filling: rice, refried beans, avocado.\" width=\"827\" height=\"961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley.jpg 827w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley-800x930.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley-160x186.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley-768x892.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A vegan burrito from De La Tierra Mexican Food. \u003ccite>(Erika Hazel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nSeptember 5, 2021, 11am–5pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/foodfest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Touted as Berkeley’s first ever dedicated vegan food festival, the Bizerkeley is the brainchild of Erika Hazel, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/\">vegan food blogger\u003c/a> and first-time festival organizer whose stated goal is to bring all of California’s most amazing vegan food to her adopted hometown—a daylong event held in Sports Basement’s spacious parking lot. In order to help attendees to experience the breadth and depth of today’s vegan scene, Hazel says the curated vendor lineup won’t include any duplicate cuisines: Brisbane-based \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://chefreina.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chef Reina\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will have the only booth selling Filipino food; \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calidawg.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cali Dawg\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a popular pop-up from the Central Coast, will be the only one selling vegan hot dogs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The idea, Hazel says, is to change the way that vegan food is perceived—even in famously vegan-friendly Berkeley. “It’s not just rabbit food,” she says. “It can be lasagna, ribs, hot dogs.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tickets ($5) for the masked, socially-distanced event must be purchased online in advance, with 50 percent of proceeds benefiting \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://friendsofbacs.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. On the day of the event itself, everything will be sold a la carte, and each booth is required to offer at least one affordable $5 option.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Schoolchildren in face masks stringing up paper lanterns in Clinton Park, Oakland.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children string up paper lanterns at Clinton Park during the 2020 edition of the Little Saigon Mid-Autumn Festival. \u003ccite>(Good Good Eatz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Oakland Little Saigon Mid-Autumn Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Clinton Park, Oakland\u003cbr>\nSeptember 18, 2021, noon–5pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTsCJRmJA9C/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To prepare for Eastlake Little Saigon’s big Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, the nonprofit Good Good Eatz and the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce are distributing 2,000 colorful paper lanterns to four local schools so that the students can paint and decorate them. On Sept. 18, the lanterns will light up dozens of restaurants around Eastlake, acting as beacons to draw customers toward delicious pho and banh mi at neighborhood standards like Pho Vy, Pho Mekong and Cam Huong. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Continuing an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900641/pokemon-go-little-saigon-oakland-vietnamese-food\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ongoing cross-promotion with Pokémon Go developer Niantic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, many of the restaurants and markets will be designated as Pokéstops, where players of the augmented reality game can accrue power-ups. In further keeping with the Vietnamese emphasis of Mid-Autumn Festival as a children’s holiday—like Halloween for Americans, Good Good Eatz co-founder Trinh Banh explains—kids will be able to go around and collect miniature mooncakes and other goodies from many of the participating merchants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This will be a masked event, and COVID vaccination and testing will be available at Clinton Park.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901761\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2006px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901761\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Deep red gochujang Korean pepper paste in a traditional earthenware pot.\" width=\"2006\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-scaled.jpg 2006w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-800x1021.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1020x1302.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-160x204.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-768x980.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1204x1536.jpg 1204w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1605x2048.jpg 1605w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1920x2450.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2006px) 100vw, 2006px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Homemade gochujang in a traditional earthenware pot. \u003ccite>(Sarah Kim-Lee)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>K-Food Gochujang Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Presidio of San Francisco, Presidio Theatre Outdoor Plaza\u003cbr>\nSeptember 18, 2021, 11am–2pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTN-0DfJvbL/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco’s Korean Consulate was all set to bring back its in-person Chuseok Festival (i.e., Korean harvest festival) when the delta variant put a damper on plans for such a large gathering. The good news is that while the Chuseok Festival is going all virtual (see below), the organizers had at least one smaller outdoor event in their back pocket, and it’s a rare treat: a gochujang-making class, with all of the materials—including the onggi, or traditional earthenware vessel—provided free of charge. Perhaps best known to American diners as the hot pepper paste used in bibimbap, gochujang is something that many Korean families no longer know how to make in the traditional way, according to event organizer Sarah Kim-Lee. “It’s a dying art in a way,” she says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luckily enough for participants in the workshop, Sun-Young Chang, author of the pioneering cookbook \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, will walk them through the process of preparing the gochujang and wrapping it beautifully inside the onggi, and participants will bring home the finished product, which will need to ferment at home for three months before it’s ready to eat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spots are extremely limited, so if you’d like to sign up, email Kim-Lee ASAP at koreancookingsf@gmail.com. It’s also fine to just come as a spectator, especially since there will be four local chefs on hand to demonstrate how to cook with gochujang. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test will be required for admission.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901763\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2038px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901763\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal.jpg\" alt='Colorfully painted bus with a \"SOMA Pilipinas\" sign in front.' width=\"2038\" height=\"1366\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal.jpg 2038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-1020x684.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-768x515.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-1536x1030.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-1920x1287.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2038px) 100vw, 2038px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A colorfully painted “SOMA Pilipinas” bus marks the entrance to Kapwa Gardens, one of the Culture Crawl’s featured venues. \u003ccite>(Mogli Maureal)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Undiscovered SF Culture Crawl 2021\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mission Street between 3rd and 7th, San Francisco; virtual\u003cbr>\nOctober 16, 2021, noon–6pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/culture-crawl-2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In pre-COVID times, Undiscovered SF’s periodic night markets were a blast of local Filipino American culture at its finest and most rollicking—the DJs, b-boys, traditional folk dancers and, of course, a taste of the most delicious Filipino food the Bay Area has to offer. This year’s edition will be a bit of a hybrid: For social distancing reasons, the live events—the DJ sets and other performances, the food pop-ups, the streetwear and jewelry vendors—will be spread across three indoor and outdoor venues, together forming a “culture crawl” meant to encourage guests to explore all that the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">SOMA Pilipinas corridor has to offer. For those in it primarily for the lechon (or the sisig or the halo-halo), a food passport will allow customers to access one menu item at every vendor for one fixed price. Confirmed vendors include Jeepney Guy (the local lechon master) and Barya Kitchen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, those who feel more comfortable avoiding the crowds don’t need to worry about missing out entirely: All of the performances and workshops will be livestreamed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901766\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901766\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo.jpg\" alt=\"Woman dressed in traditional Korean clothing prepares a dish made with instant noodles.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cook demonstrates how to make jjapaguri, a dish made with instant noodles, during the 2020 edition of the virtual Chuseok Festival. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Chuseok Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Chuseok Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Virtual\u003cbr>\nOct. 20–Oct. 27, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://koreancentersf.org/chuseok2021/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The organizers of San Francisco’s annual Chuseok Festival made a hard pivot just a couple of weeks ago, cancelling their plans for a large, extensive in-person event to instead focus their efforts on building an entire week’s worth of free, all-virtual festivities. Few of those plans have been finalized yet, but the organizers confirm that there will be a number of food and beverage workshops in the mix—perhaps a demonstration of how to make makgeolli, the milky Korean home brew, for instance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902156\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902156\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix.jpg\" alt=\"Two different kinds of lumpia in a cardboard takeout container.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LumpiaPalooza will be a celebration of all things lumpia. \u003ccite>(District Six)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>LumpiaPalooza\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>District Six, 428 11th Street, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nOct. 23–Oct. 24, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lumpiapalooza-tickets-165622835359?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In just before the end of Filipino American History Month, LumpiaPalooza is, of course, a celebration of all things lumpia. Ten different vendors, including Oakland’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thelumpiacompany/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lumpia Company\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and Hayward-based \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/marleystreats/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marley’s Treats\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, will each offer their own signature version of the quintessential Filipino deep-fried treat—from traditional pork- and chicken-filled versions to dessert lumpia, vegan lumpia and unorthodox, hybridized creations inspired by cheeseburgers or elote. And, for the brave of heart, there will be a lumpia eating contest too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because of COVID safety concerns, this year’s LumpiaPalooza will be spread across two days to help reduce the crowds, and District Six’s 18,000-square-foot outdoor space should allow for plenty of social distancing. That said, folks should come expecting a party—especially with legendary hype man Fran Boogie hosting and Bay Area icon DJ Shortkut behind the decks.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902133\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902133\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Día de los Muertos family altar display featuring a skull wearing a face mask. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This year’s Día de los Muertos Festival will be a socially distanced event. \u003ccite>(The Unity Council)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Día de los Muertos Festival and Fruitvale Restaurant Week\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>International Boulevard, from Fruitvale Ave. to 40th Ave., Oakland\u003cbr>\nOct. 24–Oct. 31, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://diaoakland.com/?ltclid=77d11583-837a-4d21-90d6-8c9422880804\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Normally one of the busiest and most lively days of the year in Oakland’s heavily Mexican and Latin American Fruitvale district, this year’s Día de los Muertos Festival will mark a \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">partial\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> return to the before-times celebration of this holiday honoring the dead. The jaw-droppingly athletic Aztec dancers, the sleek lowriders and the moving and intricately assembled ofrendas will all be back for this year’s festival, which takes place Oct. 31, says \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Itzel Diaz-Romo\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the I\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nterim Director of Development & Communications for the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unity Council, which is organizing the event. The performances and displays will just be spread out throughout the district to prevent crowds from accumulating at any one place. COVID vaccines and testing will be available on site.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The biggest difference, for food lovers, is that there won’t be any street vendors hawking tamales or pupusas this year. Instead, in an effort to support local restaurants, the week leading up to Día de los Muertos has been designated, as it was last year, as Fruitvale Restaurant Week. Details are still being finalized, but it’s likely that all participating restaurants will offer a $20 meal deal that includes a drink.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901765\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901765\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A collage of images from the 2020 Kimchi Cook-Off.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1222\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-800x382.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-1020x487.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-768x367.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-1536x733.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-2048x977.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-1920x916.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collage of images from the 2020 Kimchi Cook-Off. \u003ccite>(Kimchi Cook-Off)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Korean Kimchi Festival and Cook-Off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, Napa\u003cbr>\nNovember 7, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KoreanKimchiFestivalinSF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For those looking for a more hands-on food event, a kimchi cook-off might be just the thing. Part of an international series sponsored by the Jongga kimchi company in partnership with prominent culinary schools, this year’s Bay Area edition will take place at the CIA at Copia in downtown Napa, pitting eight finalists against each other to cook their own original recipes that incorporate kimchi. Top finishers will take home cash prizes. Kimchi enthusiasts who think they’ve got the right stuff simply need to submit an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/207820298049424/?ref=newsfeed\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">audition video\u003c/span>\u003c/a> to apply\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Festival director HJ Park says the original plan was to allow up to 200 audience members—each of whom would take home a DIY kimchi goodie bag—but since it’s an indoor event, those plans are up in the air. Either way, the whole competition will be livestreamed via the event’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KoreanKimchiFestivalinSF\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook page\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "In our fall preview of food events, you'll find lumpia, kimchi, pho, gochujang, banh mi and more.",
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"title": "This Fall, Bay Area Food Events Emphasize Culture and Community | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s no secret that fall is the real Bay Area summer, when temperatures push into the 80s and 90s—and, air quality permitting, food lovers loosen their pants and head outdoors for the region’s biggest and most highly anticipated food festivals. It’s stunt taco season. Fried food on a stick season. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fallarts2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13901773\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/FallArtsPreview2021_400x400_blue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/FallArtsPreview2021_400x400_blue.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/FallArtsPreview2021_400x400_blue-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year, of course, the delta variant had something to say about all that, and concerns about super spreader events put the kibosh on the largest of these in-person gatherings. Eat Real Fest was canceled \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CPTRnx3BvGp/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">months ago\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://lacocinasf.org/event-calendar/sf-food-festival\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Cocina’s annual San Francisco Street Food Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> won’t be happening this October.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Still, this fall does offer some of the first opportunities food lovers have had in a year and a half to gather in person—mostly outdoors, with masks—with a few hundred other mooncake connoisseurs or vegan burrito enthusiasts. In fact, this year’s small but mighty slate of food festivals looks more community-oriented and culturally significant than ever. Feel more comfortable chilling out at home with a virtual event? We’ve got a few options for you as well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cb>Reminder:\u003c/b> COVID precautions remain in flux. Proof of vaccination is a requirement for many indoor events. Before making plans, and again before arrival, be sure to check event websites for the latest protocols.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901744\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 827px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901744\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley.jpg\" alt=\"Hand holding a burrito split open so you can see the cross section of the filling: rice, refried beans, avocado.\" width=\"827\" height=\"961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley.jpg 827w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley-800x930.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley-160x186.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/De-La-Tierra-burrito_Bizerkeley-768x892.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A vegan burrito from De La Tierra Mexican Food. \u003ccite>(Erika Hazel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nSeptember 5, 2021, 11am–5pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/foodfest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\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\">Touted as Berkeley’s first ever dedicated vegan food festival, the Bizerkeley is the brainchild of Erika Hazel, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/\">vegan food blogger\u003c/a> and first-time festival organizer whose stated goal is to bring all of California’s most amazing vegan food to her adopted hometown—a daylong event held in Sports Basement’s spacious parking lot. In order to help attendees to experience the breadth and depth of today’s vegan scene, Hazel says the curated vendor lineup won’t include any duplicate cuisines: Brisbane-based \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://chefreina.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chef Reina\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will have the only booth selling Filipino food; \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calidawg.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cali Dawg\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a popular pop-up from the Central Coast, will be the only one selling vegan hot dogs.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The idea, Hazel says, is to change the way that vegan food is perceived—even in famously vegan-friendly Berkeley. “It’s not just rabbit food,” she says. “It can be lasagna, ribs, hot dogs.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tickets ($5) for the masked, socially-distanced event must be purchased online in advance, with 50 percent of proceeds benefiting \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://friendsofbacs.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. On the day of the event itself, everything will be sold a la carte, and each booth is required to offer at least one affordable $5 option.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Schoolchildren in face masks stringing up paper lanterns in Clinton Park, Oakland.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/midautumnfestival_goodgoodeatz-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children string up paper lanterns at Clinton Park during the 2020 edition of the Little Saigon Mid-Autumn Festival. \u003ccite>(Good Good Eatz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Oakland Little Saigon Mid-Autumn Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Clinton Park, Oakland\u003cbr>\nSeptember 18, 2021, noon–5pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTsCJRmJA9C/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To prepare for Eastlake Little Saigon’s big Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, the nonprofit Good Good Eatz and the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce are distributing 2,000 colorful paper lanterns to four local schools so that the students can paint and decorate them. On Sept. 18, the lanterns will light up dozens of restaurants around Eastlake, acting as beacons to draw customers toward delicious pho and banh mi at neighborhood standards like Pho Vy, Pho Mekong and Cam Huong. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Continuing an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900641/pokemon-go-little-saigon-oakland-vietnamese-food\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ongoing cross-promotion with Pokémon Go developer Niantic\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, many of the restaurants and markets will be designated as Pokéstops, where players of the augmented reality game can accrue power-ups. In further keeping with the Vietnamese emphasis of Mid-Autumn Festival as a children’s holiday—like Halloween for Americans, Good Good Eatz co-founder Trinh Banh explains—kids will be able to go around and collect miniature mooncakes and other goodies from many of the participating merchants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This will be a masked event, and COVID vaccination and testing will be available at Clinton Park.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901761\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2006px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901761\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Deep red gochujang Korean pepper paste in a traditional earthenware pot.\" width=\"2006\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-scaled.jpg 2006w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-800x1021.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1020x1302.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-160x204.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-768x980.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1204x1536.jpg 1204w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1605x2048.jpg 1605w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/gochujang_sarahkim-lee-1920x2450.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2006px) 100vw, 2006px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Homemade gochujang in a traditional earthenware pot. \u003ccite>(Sarah Kim-Lee)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>K-Food Gochujang Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Presidio of San Francisco, Presidio Theatre Outdoor Plaza\u003cbr>\nSeptember 18, 2021, 11am–2pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CTN-0DfJvbL/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco’s Korean Consulate was all set to bring back its in-person Chuseok Festival (i.e., Korean harvest festival) when the delta variant put a damper on plans for such a large gathering. The good news is that while the Chuseok Festival is going all virtual (see below), the organizers had at least one smaller outdoor event in their back pocket, and it’s a rare treat: a gochujang-making class, with all of the materials—including the onggi, or traditional earthenware vessel—provided free of charge. Perhaps best known to American diners as the hot pepper paste used in bibimbap, gochujang is something that many Korean families no longer know how to make in the traditional way, according to event organizer Sarah Kim-Lee. “It’s a dying art in a way,” she says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luckily enough for participants in the workshop, Sun-Young Chang, author of the pioneering cookbook \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, will walk them through the process of preparing the gochujang and wrapping it beautifully inside the onggi, and participants will bring home the finished product, which will need to ferment at home for three months before it’s ready to eat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spots are extremely limited, so if you’d like to sign up, email Kim-Lee ASAP at koreancookingsf@gmail.com. It’s also fine to just come as a spectator, especially since there will be four local chefs on hand to demonstrate how to cook with gochujang. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test will be required for admission.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901763\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2038px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901763\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal.jpg\" alt='Colorfully painted bus with a \"SOMA Pilipinas\" sign in front.' width=\"2038\" height=\"1366\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal.jpg 2038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-1020x684.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-768x515.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-1536x1030.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/KapwaGardens1_MogliMaureal-1920x1287.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2038px) 100vw, 2038px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A colorfully painted “SOMA Pilipinas” bus marks the entrance to Kapwa Gardens, one of the Culture Crawl’s featured venues. \u003ccite>(Mogli Maureal)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Undiscovered SF Culture Crawl 2021\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mission Street between 3rd and 7th, San Francisco; virtual\u003cbr>\nOctober 16, 2021, noon–6pm\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/culture-crawl-2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In pre-COVID times, Undiscovered SF’s periodic night markets were a blast of local Filipino American culture at its finest and most rollicking—the DJs, b-boys, traditional folk dancers and, of course, a taste of the most delicious Filipino food the Bay Area has to offer. This year’s edition will be a bit of a hybrid: For social distancing reasons, the live events—the DJ sets and other performances, the food pop-ups, the streetwear and jewelry vendors—will be spread across three indoor and outdoor venues, together forming a “culture crawl” meant to encourage guests to explore all that the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">SOMA Pilipinas corridor has to offer. For those in it primarily for the lechon (or the sisig or the halo-halo), a food passport will allow customers to access one menu item at every vendor for one fixed price. Confirmed vendors include Jeepney Guy (the local lechon master) and Barya Kitchen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, those who feel more comfortable avoiding the crowds don’t need to worry about missing out entirely: All of the performances and workshops will be livestreamed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901766\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901766\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo.jpg\" alt=\"Woman dressed in traditional Korean clothing prepares a dish made with instant noodles.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/chuseokfestival2020_cookingdemo-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cook demonstrates how to make jjapaguri, a dish made with instant noodles, during the 2020 edition of the virtual Chuseok Festival. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Chuseok Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Chuseok Festival\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Virtual\u003cbr>\nOct. 20–Oct. 27, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://koreancentersf.org/chuseok2021/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The organizers of San Francisco’s annual Chuseok Festival made a hard pivot just a couple of weeks ago, cancelling their plans for a large, extensive in-person event to instead focus their efforts on building an entire week’s worth of free, all-virtual festivities. Few of those plans have been finalized yet, but the organizers confirm that there will be a number of food and beverage workshops in the mix—perhaps a demonstration of how to make makgeolli, the milky Korean home brew, for instance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902156\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902156\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix.jpg\" alt=\"Two different kinds of lumpia in a cardboard takeout container.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix.jpg 1000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/lumpia_districtsix-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LumpiaPalooza will be a celebration of all things lumpia. \u003ccite>(District Six)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>LumpiaPalooza\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>District Six, 428 11th Street, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nOct. 23–Oct. 24, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lumpiapalooza-tickets-165622835359?aff=ebdsoporgprofile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In just before the end of Filipino American History Month, LumpiaPalooza is, of course, a celebration of all things lumpia. Ten different vendors, including Oakland’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thelumpiacompany/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lumpia Company\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and Hayward-based \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/marleystreats/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marley’s Treats\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, will each offer their own signature version of the quintessential Filipino deep-fried treat—from traditional pork- and chicken-filled versions to dessert lumpia, vegan lumpia and unorthodox, hybridized creations inspired by cheeseburgers or elote. And, for the brave of heart, there will be a lumpia eating contest too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because of COVID safety concerns, this year’s LumpiaPalooza will be spread across two days to help reduce the crowds, and District Six’s 18,000-square-foot outdoor space should allow for plenty of social distancing. That said, folks should come expecting a party—especially with legendary hype man Fran Boogie hosting and Bay Area icon DJ Shortkut behind the decks.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13902133\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13902133\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Día de los Muertos family altar display featuring a skull wearing a face mask. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/dia-display_unitycouncil-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This year’s Día de los Muertos Festival will be a socially distanced event. \u003ccite>(The Unity Council)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Día de los Muertos Festival and Fruitvale Restaurant Week\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>International Boulevard, from Fruitvale Ave. to 40th Ave., Oakland\u003cbr>\nOct. 24–Oct. 31, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://diaoakland.com/?ltclid=77d11583-837a-4d21-90d6-8c9422880804\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Normally one of the busiest and most lively days of the year in Oakland’s heavily Mexican and Latin American Fruitvale district, this year’s Día de los Muertos Festival will mark a \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">partial\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> return to the before-times celebration of this holiday honoring the dead. The jaw-droppingly athletic Aztec dancers, the sleek lowriders and the moving and intricately assembled ofrendas will all be back for this year’s festival, which takes place Oct. 31, says \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Itzel Diaz-Romo\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the I\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nterim Director of Development & Communications for the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unity Council, which is organizing the event. The performances and displays will just be spread out throughout the district to prevent crowds from accumulating at any one place. COVID vaccines and testing will be available on site.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The biggest difference, for food lovers, is that there won’t be any street vendors hawking tamales or pupusas this year. Instead, in an effort to support local restaurants, the week leading up to Día de los Muertos has been designated, as it was last year, as Fruitvale Restaurant Week. Details are still being finalized, but it’s likely that all participating restaurants will offer a $20 meal deal that includes a drink.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13901765\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13901765\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A collage of images from the 2020 Kimchi Cook-Off.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1222\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-800x382.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-1020x487.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-768x367.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-1536x733.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-2048x977.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/Kimchi-Cookoff02-1920x916.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collage of images from the 2020 Kimchi Cook-Off. \u003ccite>(Kimchi Cook-Off)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Korean Kimchi Festival and Cook-Off\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The Culinary Institute of America at Copia, Napa\u003cbr>\nNovember 7, 2021\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KoreanKimchiFestivalinSF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For those looking for a more hands-on food event, a kimchi cook-off might be just the thing. Part of an international series sponsored by the Jongga kimchi company in partnership with prominent culinary schools, this year’s Bay Area edition will take place at the CIA at Copia in downtown Napa, pitting eight finalists against each other to cook their own original recipes that incorporate kimchi. Top finishers will take home cash prizes. Kimchi enthusiasts who think they’ve got the right stuff simply need to submit an \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/207820298049424/?ref=newsfeed\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">audition video\u003c/span>\u003c/a> to apply\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\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\">Festival director HJ Park says the original plan was to allow up to 200 audience members—each of whom would take home a DIY kimchi goodie bag—but since it’s an indoor event, those plans are up in the air. Either way, the whole competition will be livestreamed via the event’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KoreanKimchiFestivalinSF\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook page\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "This Year, Fruitvale's Annual Día de los Muertos Festival Will Focus on Boosting Local Restaurants",
"headTitle": "This Year, Fruitvale’s Annual Día de los Muertos Festival Will Focus on Boosting Local Restaurants | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Normally one of the busiest and most lively days of the year in Oakland’s heavily Mexican and Latin American Fruitvale district, this year’s Día de los Muertos Festival will mark a \u003ci>partial\u003c/i> return to the before-times celebration of this holiday honoring the dead. The jaw-droppingly athletic Aztec dancers, the sleek lowriders and the moving and intricately assembled ofrendas will all be back for this year’s festival, which takes place Oct. 31, says Itzel Diaz-Romo, the Interim Director of Development & Communications for the Unity Council, which is organizing the event. The performances and displays will just be spread out throughout the district to prevent crowds from accumulating at any one place. COVID vaccines and testing will be available on site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest difference, for food lovers, is that there won’t be any street vendors hawking tamales or pupusas this year. Instead, in an effort to support local restaurants, the week leading up to Día de los Muertos has been designated, as it was last year, as Fruitvale Restaurant Week. Details are still being finalized, but it’s likely that all participating restaurants will offer a $20 meal deal that includes a drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Día de los Muertos Festival will take place on Oct. 31 throughout the Fruitvale district. Fruitvale Restaurant Week specials will run from Oct. 24–31. Details \u003ca href=\"https://diaoakland.com/?ltclid=77d11583-837a-4d21-90d6-8c9422880804\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A scaled-back version of the celebration will coincide with Fruitvale Restaurant Week meal deals.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Normally one of the busiest and most lively days of the year in Oakland’s heavily Mexican and Latin American Fruitvale district, this year’s Día de los Muertos Festival will mark a \u003ci>partial\u003c/i> return to the before-times celebration of this holiday honoring the dead. The jaw-droppingly athletic Aztec dancers, the sleek lowriders and the moving and intricately assembled ofrendas will all be back for this year’s festival, which takes place Oct. 31, says Itzel Diaz-Romo, the Interim Director of Development & Communications for the Unity Council, which is organizing the event. The performances and displays will just be spread out throughout the district to prevent crowds from accumulating at any one place. COVID vaccines and testing will be available on site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The biggest difference, for food lovers, is that there won’t be any street vendors hawking tamales or pupusas this year. Instead, in an effort to support local restaurants, the week leading up to Día de los Muertos has been designated, as it was last year, as Fruitvale Restaurant Week. Details are still being finalized, but it’s likely that all participating restaurants will offer a $20 meal deal that includes a drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Día de los Muertos Festival will take place on Oct. 31 throughout the Fruitvale district. Fruitvale Restaurant Week specials will run from Oct. 24–31. Details \u003ca href=\"https://diaoakland.com/?ltclid=77d11583-837a-4d21-90d6-8c9422880804\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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"order": 3
},
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},
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"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
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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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},
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"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",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"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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"meta": {
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},
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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.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"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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"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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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"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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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"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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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"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.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"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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"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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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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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": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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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"
}
},
"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)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"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",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
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