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"title": "SF’s Famous Chicken Garage Is a Late-Night Korean Classic",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981038\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981038\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Man devours stretchy cheesy corn while looking over a table crammed full of Korean pub food; his dining companion fills a mug with beer.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toyose is one of San Francisco’s most popular late-night restaurants, serving classic Korean pub food until 2 a.m. on weekends. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a little past 9 on a recent Friday night, we pulled up to what mostly looked like an ordinary house in the Outer Sunset, a few blocks from Ocean Beach. An angry cartoon chicken, lit up like a beacon next to the unmarked garage door, was the only real indication that this was a restaurant — let alone the most famous \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/late-night\">late-night dining\u003c/a> spot in the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As soon as we stepped inside the converted garage restaurant, it was easy to see the charm. The dim, cramped dining room was vaguely reminiscent of the hold of an old-timey ship — ropes coiled around wooden beams, half-enebriated diners wobbling their way to the restroom, like they hadn’t quite gotten their sea legs yet. Every table had a big pitcher of Korean lager or a bottle of soju, and a mountainous spread of steaming hot dishes: fiery, gochujang-stained rice cakes; crispy chicken wings; and burbling stone cauldrons of kimchi and soybean paste soup — the kind of simple, satisfying meal you’d expect to find at a classic Korean soju pub.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13980212,arts_13961328,arts_13973430']\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/span>Even though it was our first time at Toyose, I’d been hearing about the place for years, sometimes by name, or just as often as “the Korean chicken garage” or simply The Garage. Over the years, no other Korean restaurant in the city had been recommended to me more frequently or more enthusiastically — and almost always by non-Koreans. That sounds like shade, though I don’t mean it that way: As far as I can tell, Toyose and Dan Sung Sa (aka Porno Palace, in Oakland) were two of the first restaurants to bring the spicy, soju-and-OB-fueled pleasures of \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/the-pub-life-korean-style-1/\">Korean pub life\u003c/a> to the Bay Area mainstream in the early aughts. And if the diverse, jam-packed and \u003ci>extremely happy\u003c/i> dining room we encountered during our meal at Toyose was any indication, the restaurant’s popularity has simply extended far beyond its original niche audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is to say, Toyose belongs to all of San Francisco now. Or maybe it always has. And even after all these years, the restaurant is still cranking out huge portions of hot comfort food until 2 a.m. on the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981039\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Exterior of Toyose restaurant at night. A sign with a cartoon bird is lit up next to an unmarked garage door.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Located just blocks away from Ocean Beach, the restaurant has been an Outer Sunset staple since 2001. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The restaurant doesn’t really have a signature dish, though popular standards like its kimchi fried rice and seafood pancakes each have their legion of loyalists, quick to proclaim Toyose’s version the best in the city. My personal list of must-order items starts with the whole fried chicken, or tongdak — an entire bird cut up into big, bone-in pieces and then deep-fried. This is the OG style of Korean fried chicken, predating today’s more ubiquitous sweet and spicy sauce-slathered versions (though it’s still a staple \u003ca href=\"https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sijang-tongdak\">at traditional markets\u003c/a> in Korea). Toyose’s tongdak is a sight to behold — a mountain of fried chicken! — and comes to the table scorchingly hot, with a thin, extra-crispy batter that shatters when you take a bite. It’s especially delicious dipped into the little dish of pepper salt that comes on the side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toyose’s \u003ca href=\"https://496af86d-33ba-475e-bbdb-31e2a5abb6f7.filesusr.com/ugd/50518f_7d7113e602464ca1a01097eb9b493650.pdf\">menu\u003c/a> isn’t so different from what you’ll find at other soju bangs around the Bay, but the food comes out fast and it’s all solidly prepared — the stretchy, golden-brown cheese corn; the puffed-up steamed egg that tastes so juicy and savory spooned over white rice. We were especially fond of a spicy-sweet calamari stir-fry noodle dish, wherein the squid tentacle segments mirrored the thickness and bouncy chew of the accompanying udon noodles. And we were surprised by how rustic and homey the vegetable and seafood–laden doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew was — a soothing counterpoint when everything else you’ve ordered is spicy or deep-fried.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Really, though, where Toyose shines is in its atmosphere, which only gets more raucous and high-energy later into the night. If you want to have a quiet chat, you can grab one of the partitioned-off booths in front, which even have roll-down bamboo blinds for extra privacy. But the whole back of the restaurant \u003ci>feels\u003c/i> like you’re packed inside a friend’s crowded basement or garage, all the tables jammed right next to each other, the volume of everyone’s collective conversations loud enough that you need to raise your voice to be heard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time we left, at around 11, every table was filled. And while it’s true that the diners at the table nearest to us didn’t appear to be Korean, or even Asian American, they’d done admirable work on a big pot of budae jjigae and a plate of spicy stir-fried pork. They, too, were having a good night.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/toyose_sf/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Toyose\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is open Sunday through Thursday, 6 p.m.–midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays 6 p.m.–2 a.m., at 3814 Noriega St. in San Francisco. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981038\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981038\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Man devours stretchy cheesy corn while looking over a table crammed full of Korean pub food; his dining companion fills a mug with beer.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toyose is one of San Francisco’s most popular late-night restaurants, serving classic Korean pub food until 2 a.m. on weekends. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a little past 9 on a recent Friday night, we pulled up to what mostly looked like an ordinary house in the Outer Sunset, a few blocks from Ocean Beach. An angry cartoon chicken, lit up like a beacon next to the unmarked garage door, was the only real indication that this was a restaurant — let alone the most famous \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/late-night\">late-night dining\u003c/a> spot in the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As soon as we stepped inside the converted garage restaurant, it was easy to see the charm. The dim, cramped dining room was vaguely reminiscent of the hold of an old-timey ship — ropes coiled around wooden beams, half-enebriated diners wobbling their way to the restroom, like they hadn’t quite gotten their sea legs yet. Every table had a big pitcher of Korean lager or a bottle of soju, and a mountainous spread of steaming hot dishes: fiery, gochujang-stained rice cakes; crispy chicken wings; and burbling stone cauldrons of kimchi and soybean paste soup — the kind of simple, satisfying meal you’d expect to find at a classic Korean soju pub.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>\u003c/span>Even though it was our first time at Toyose, I’d been hearing about the place for years, sometimes by name, or just as often as “the Korean chicken garage” or simply The Garage. Over the years, no other Korean restaurant in the city had been recommended to me more frequently or more enthusiastically — and almost always by non-Koreans. That sounds like shade, though I don’t mean it that way: As far as I can tell, Toyose and Dan Sung Sa (aka Porno Palace, in Oakland) were two of the first restaurants to bring the spicy, soju-and-OB-fueled pleasures of \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/the-pub-life-korean-style-1/\">Korean pub life\u003c/a> to the Bay Area mainstream in the early aughts. And if the diverse, jam-packed and \u003ci>extremely happy\u003c/i> dining room we encountered during our meal at Toyose was any indication, the restaurant’s popularity has simply extended far beyond its original niche audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is to say, Toyose belongs to all of San Francisco now. Or maybe it always has. And even after all these years, the restaurant is still cranking out huge portions of hot comfort food until 2 a.m. on the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981039\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981039\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Exterior of Toyose restaurant at night. A sign with a cartoon bird is lit up next to an unmarked garage door.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Toyose-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Located just blocks away from Ocean Beach, the restaurant has been an Outer Sunset staple since 2001. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The restaurant doesn’t really have a signature dish, though popular standards like its kimchi fried rice and seafood pancakes each have their legion of loyalists, quick to proclaim Toyose’s version the best in the city. My personal list of must-order items starts with the whole fried chicken, or tongdak — an entire bird cut up into big, bone-in pieces and then deep-fried. This is the OG style of Korean fried chicken, predating today’s more ubiquitous sweet and spicy sauce-slathered versions (though it’s still a staple \u003ca href=\"https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sijang-tongdak\">at traditional markets\u003c/a> in Korea). Toyose’s tongdak is a sight to behold — a mountain of fried chicken! — and comes to the table scorchingly hot, with a thin, extra-crispy batter that shatters when you take a bite. It’s especially delicious dipped into the little dish of pepper salt that comes on the side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toyose’s \u003ca href=\"https://496af86d-33ba-475e-bbdb-31e2a5abb6f7.filesusr.com/ugd/50518f_7d7113e602464ca1a01097eb9b493650.pdf\">menu\u003c/a> isn’t so different from what you’ll find at other soju bangs around the Bay, but the food comes out fast and it’s all solidly prepared — the stretchy, golden-brown cheese corn; the puffed-up steamed egg that tastes so juicy and savory spooned over white rice. We were especially fond of a spicy-sweet calamari stir-fry noodle dish, wherein the squid tentacle segments mirrored the thickness and bouncy chew of the accompanying udon noodles. And we were surprised by how rustic and homey the vegetable and seafood–laden doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew was — a soothing counterpoint when everything else you’ve ordered is spicy or deep-fried.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Really, though, where Toyose shines is in its atmosphere, which only gets more raucous and high-energy later into the night. If you want to have a quiet chat, you can grab one of the partitioned-off booths in front, which even have roll-down bamboo blinds for extra privacy. But the whole back of the restaurant \u003ci>feels\u003c/i> like you’re packed inside a friend’s crowded basement or garage, all the tables jammed right next to each other, the volume of everyone’s collective conversations loud enough that you need to raise your voice to be heard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time we left, at around 11, every table was filled. And while it’s true that the diners at the table nearest to us didn’t appear to be Korean, or even Asian American, they’d done admirable work on a big pot of budae jjigae and a plate of spicy stir-fried pork. They, too, were having a good night.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/toyose_sf/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Toyose\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is open Sunday through Thursday, 6 p.m.–midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays 6 p.m.–2 a.m., at 3814 Noriega St. in San Francisco. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The East Bay’s Most Famous Indian Barbecue Spot Has Closed — For Now",
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"content": "\u003cp>For the past four years, Wah Jee Wah has tantalized street food lovers with its open-fire, charcoal-grilled Indian \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/barbecue\">barbecue\u003c/a> — a rarity in the Bay Area. On busy summer nights, crowds would line up outside the low-slung Hayward restaurant as chef-owner Ron Dumra and his team grilled yogurt-marinated chicken and sizzling lamb seekh kebabs over hot coals. Diners devoured the skewers in a haze of smoke at the picnic tables outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, Wah Jee Wah fans will have to travel elsewhere to get their Indian barbecue fix: The Hayward restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DNv-wYhZCbz/\">closed earlier this month\u003c/a> after the landlord nearly tripled the rent. Now Dumra is looking to relocate the restaurant, and he says he already has tentative plans in place to open a smaller, takeout-oriented kitchen in Milpitas, a regular pop-up in Fremont and, eventually, a new flagship location closer to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not the end,” Dumra says of his business. “It’s a new beginning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reached by phone, Dumra explained that he was forced to close the Hayward location after the landlord increased the rent from $4,000 to more than $11,000 a month after factoring in maintenance and other fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To Dumra, that large of an increase just didn’t seem reasonable. In particular, he noted that because Wah Jee Wah is an outdoor barbecue restaurant, business tends to be very slow during the winter months. What’s more, Dumra’s father passed away last year, and he’d had to pay a lot of expenses related to that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Dumra says, “We couldn’t afford to pay that much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980838\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1336px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron.jpg\" alt=\"A chef grilling meat skewers outdoors while a crowd looks on.\" width=\"1336\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron.jpg 1336w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron-1026x1536.jpg 1026w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1336px) 100vw, 1336px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef-owner Ron Dumra tends the grill during a past pop-up event. \u003ccite>(Jordan Foster, courtesy of Wah Jee Wah)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, it appears that longtime Wah Jee Wah customers won’t have to wait long for the next iteration of the business to emerge. Dumra already has one recurring \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DN4MgC5gTCl/\">Thursday night pop-up\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/californiacraftbeer/?hl=en\">California Craft Beer\u003c/a>, a brewpub in Fremont. Starting as early as mid-September, he expects to launch another pop-up at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bayarea.chowpatti/\">Chowpatti food truck park\u003c/a>, also in Fremont, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13963258,arts_13980212,arts_13962220']\u003c/span>Meanwhile, Dumra has a tentative deal in place to open a small, takeout-oriented restaurant in Milpitas that he hopes to have up and running by no later than November. And Dumra says he’s in talks to open a larger flagship restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating, at a location in South San Francisco. If it works out, the new restaurant would require an extensive build-out and wouldn’t likely be ready to open until sometime later next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The important thing, Dumra says, is to find a spot where he can grill outdoors over a live fire just like he did in Hayward — like he’s been doing since he was a seven-year-old kid helping out at his father’s restaurant in Fremont.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s part of our culture — it’s just the way we cook,” Dumra says. “I don’t even own a gas grill, and I don’t think I ever will.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Wah Jee Wah currently pops up at California Craft Beer (43377 Mission Blvd., Fremont) on Thursday nights, 5:30–9 p.m. For updates on other pop-ups and reopening plans, follow the restaurant \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wahjeewah/\">\u003ci>on Instagram\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For the past four years, Wah Jee Wah has tantalized street food lovers with its open-fire, charcoal-grilled Indian \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/barbecue\">barbecue\u003c/a> — a rarity in the Bay Area. On busy summer nights, crowds would line up outside the low-slung Hayward restaurant as chef-owner Ron Dumra and his team grilled yogurt-marinated chicken and sizzling lamb seekh kebabs over hot coals. Diners devoured the skewers in a haze of smoke at the picnic tables outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, Wah Jee Wah fans will have to travel elsewhere to get their Indian barbecue fix: The Hayward restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DNv-wYhZCbz/\">closed earlier this month\u003c/a> after the landlord nearly tripled the rent. Now Dumra is looking to relocate the restaurant, and he says he already has tentative plans in place to open a smaller, takeout-oriented kitchen in Milpitas, a regular pop-up in Fremont and, eventually, a new flagship location closer to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not the end,” Dumra says of his business. “It’s a new beginning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reached by phone, Dumra explained that he was forced to close the Hayward location after the landlord increased the rent from $4,000 to more than $11,000 a month after factoring in maintenance and other fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To Dumra, that large of an increase just didn’t seem reasonable. In particular, he noted that because Wah Jee Wah is an outdoor barbecue restaurant, business tends to be very slow during the winter months. What’s more, Dumra’s father passed away last year, and he’d had to pay a lot of expenses related to that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Dumra says, “We couldn’t afford to pay that much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980838\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1336px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron.jpg\" alt=\"A chef grilling meat skewers outdoors while a crowd looks on.\" width=\"1336\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron.jpg 1336w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/wah-jee-wah_ron-1026x1536.jpg 1026w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1336px) 100vw, 1336px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef-owner Ron Dumra tends the grill during a past pop-up event. \u003ccite>(Jordan Foster, courtesy of Wah Jee Wah)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, it appears that longtime Wah Jee Wah customers won’t have to wait long for the next iteration of the business to emerge. Dumra already has one recurring \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DN4MgC5gTCl/\">Thursday night pop-up\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/californiacraftbeer/?hl=en\">California Craft Beer\u003c/a>, a brewpub in Fremont. Starting as early as mid-September, he expects to launch another pop-up at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bayarea.chowpatti/\">Chowpatti food truck park\u003c/a>, also in Fremont, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>Meanwhile, Dumra has a tentative deal in place to open a small, takeout-oriented restaurant in Milpitas that he hopes to have up and running by no later than November. And Dumra says he’s in talks to open a larger flagship restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating, at a location in South San Francisco. If it works out, the new restaurant would require an extensive build-out and wouldn’t likely be ready to open until sometime later next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The important thing, Dumra says, is to find a spot where he can grill outdoors over a live fire just like he did in Hayward — like he’s been doing since he was a seven-year-old kid helping out at his father’s restaurant in Fremont.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s part of our culture — it’s just the way we cook,” Dumra says. “I don’t even own a gas grill, and I don’t think I ever will.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Wah Jee Wah currently pops up at California Craft Beer (43377 Mission Blvd., Fremont) on Thursday nights, 5:30–9 p.m. For updates on other pop-ups and reopening plans, follow the restaurant \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wahjeewah/\">\u003ci>on Instagram\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "We Just Figured Out Why 598 Guerrero Is the Most Cursed Restaurant Location in SF",
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"content": "\u003cp>This week, yet another restaurant boldly moved into 598 Guerrero St. in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, despite the Mission District location’s many years of proving how cursed it is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The owners of \u003ca href=\"https://www.handrollproject.com/\">Handroll Project\u003c/a>, the location’s most recent tenant, will reopen the restaurant as Hamburger Project Two — a second location for \u003ca href=\"https://www.hamburgerproject.com/\">the burger spot at 808 Divisadero\u003c/a>. Handroll Project took over the high-ceilinged space on the corner of 18th Street in 2022 and survived just over three years, having taken over from \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/als-deli-san-francisco\">AL’s Deli\u003c/a>, which soldiered on there for just eight months until March 2020. (At the time of that departure, owner \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/3/10/21173569/als-deli-aaron-london-mission-closed\">Aaron London told Eater\u003c/a>, “It just never really hit the mass appeal to make that model make sense.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13976828']Remarkably, AL’s Deli wasn’t even the shortest-lived restaurant to occupy 598 Guerrero. That honor belongs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/ebb-and-flow-san-francisco\">Ebb & Flow\u003c/a>, which lasted just six months in 2010. Before that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/craigs-place-san-francisco\">Craig’s Place\u003c/a> served diner food between 2007 and 2008. The location’s longest restaurant success story was \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swCTYmTmq2U\">Izakaya Yuzuki\u003c/a>, which endured from 2011 to 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sheer number of restaurants that have tried and failed to make this spot work belies good sense. Situated opposite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/tartine\">Tartine\u003c/a>’s always bustling original location, and a short walk from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/delfina\">Delfina\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/bi-rite-market\">Bi-Rite\u003c/a> and other popular neighborhood spots, the repeated failures at 598 Guerrero have been perplexing. (Just a few doors down, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/fayes-san-francisco\">Faye’s\u003c/a> has been going strong since 1998.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Handroll Project was a usually busy sushi joint that I believed would break the spell. I wasn’t the first to think a restaurant could actually survive there. Writing about Izakaya Yuzuki for the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> in 2017, Chris Ying remained idealistic: “It turns out there are no cursed restaurants. It comes down to the right idea taking root, and, when something great begins to grow from it, diners nurturing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Izakaya Yuzuki was gone two years later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what exactly \u003cem>is\u003c/em> wrong with 598 Guerrero? While claims of a curse have long been pooh-poohed by skeptics (and optimistic new tenants), the answer might be just as strange as rumored.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A paranormal property\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It turns out that, all the way back in 1889, 598 Guerrero was occupied by a “trance medium” and fortune teller by the name of Mrs. C. Mayo-Steers. Mayo-Steers held healing circles (“skeptics invited”), “psychometric readings,” “psychic delineations,” and claimed to provide “diagnosis of diseases.” For at least 15 years, Mayo-Steers operated out of locations all over San Francisco — Turk, Market, Oak, Grove, 24th and 17th Streets included — but 598 Guerrero was where she communed with spirits in daily “sittings,” at least for a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a member of the Progressive Mediums’ Society, Mayo-Steers was well known in Victorian San Francisco’s spookier society corners, once speaking at a meeting for Progressive Spiritualists in 1889 and appearing at the State Spiritualist Convention of 1896. In a 1903 edition of \u003cem>Now\u003c/em> — a journal “devoted to the science and art of soul culture” — the editor wrote that “among the Spiritualists, our friend … Mrs. C. Mayo-Steers [has] resumed work in the city. In work along New Thought and psychic lines, our city is wide awake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13919589']If in fact Mayo-Steers turned 598 Guerrero into a psychic hotspot, that could explain what happened there in 2022, shortly after Handroll Project moved in. At the time, Eater reported that staff members \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2022/10/17/23403425/handroll-project-san-francisco-haunted\">believed there was paranormal activity\u003c/a> at the restaurant. Lights were said to inexplicably flicker on and off, and containers seemed to fly across the room on their own volition. One employee even claimed to see a long-haired apparition in the basement break room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just too crazy,” restaurant partner Geoffrey Lee said at the time. “Customers have been saying the veil between the living and the dead is very thin right now because of Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos and I’m like, ‘I’m not trying to hear that stuff.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some observers at the time attributed the paranormal activity to an incident in 2003, just three months after Central American bistro \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/platanos-san-francisco\">Platanos\u003c/a> had moved into 598 Guerrero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After leaving work late one night, Platanos’ executive chef Carlos Perez got into an altercation and died on Valencia near 22nd. The fight reportedly started over the volume of Perez’s car stereo. According to a report in the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em> that February, police considered the death a result of self-defense. However, Platanos’ co-owner Lisa Lazarus told the newspaper, “I just saw him in the casket [and] this was not a guy hit with a couple of blows and then stopped breathing … He was beaten to death.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lazarus sold Platanos to a new owner, Pascal Rigo, in September 2005. Nine months later, the \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em>’s Michael Bauer wrote: “The food has now taken an even more delectable turn, and customers are returning.” Within a year, Platanos was gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980643\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980643\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photograph of a 1930s-era streetcar traveling along a residential street in San Francisco.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1176\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero-160x94.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero-768x452.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero-1536x903.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The corner of Guerrero and 18th in December 1939. On the left, out of frame, would be 958 Guerrero. The photographer probably left it out lest their camera burst into flames. \u003ccite>(OpenSFHistory/wnp14.1438)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Raided by federal agents\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>So what was at 598 Guerrero between the psychic lady and the failed restaurants? Well, a speakeasy, for one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The building’s post-1906 earthquake iteration arrived in about 1909, when it appeared for sale in the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em>’s “City Real Estate” classifieds as a “clean, level lot 25 x 80” complete with “gas, water, sewer.” By 1920, the address was an entertainment venue under the proprietorship of a J. Hoegeman. That year, Hoegeman advertised the availability of a beverage at his joint called New Crow, marketed as “the California drink that makes YOU FORGET prohibition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13881990']Clearly, New Crow did not achieve its stated goal. On Sept. 29, 1922, 598 Guerrero was raided by federal prohibition agents who hit venues all over the Mission that night. The speakeasy was forcibly closed for violating alcohol laws, and its operators at the time, Peter Jacobs and Jack Warren — as well as building owner Ellen Boardman — were charged in abatement suits by Assistant United States Attorney Garton D. Keystone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after prohibition hammered 598 Guerrero’s doors closed, the building transformed into a pharmacy — Dunnigan’s in the ’20s and ’30s, and Mission Prescription Pharmacy in the ’50s and ’60s. In the 1970s, the location became a produce store that wound up listed for sale in the \u003cem>Examiner\u003c/em>’s “Business Offers” in 1982. It was, the ad noted, “priced to sell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever happens to Hamburger Project Two, you have to admire the devil-may-care confidence to stay at 598 Guerrero. May the ghost of Mrs. C. Mayo-Steers enjoy smash burgers and loaded fries as much as the rest of us.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This week, yet another restaurant boldly moved into 598 Guerrero St. in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, despite the Mission District location’s many years of proving how cursed it is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The owners of \u003ca href=\"https://www.handrollproject.com/\">Handroll Project\u003c/a>, the location’s most recent tenant, will reopen the restaurant as Hamburger Project Two — a second location for \u003ca href=\"https://www.hamburgerproject.com/\">the burger spot at 808 Divisadero\u003c/a>. Handroll Project took over the high-ceilinged space on the corner of 18th Street in 2022 and survived just over three years, having taken over from \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/als-deli-san-francisco\">AL’s Deli\u003c/a>, which soldiered on there for just eight months until March 2020. (At the time of that departure, owner \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/3/10/21173569/als-deli-aaron-london-mission-closed\">Aaron London told Eater\u003c/a>, “It just never really hit the mass appeal to make that model make sense.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Remarkably, AL’s Deli wasn’t even the shortest-lived restaurant to occupy 598 Guerrero. That honor belongs to \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/ebb-and-flow-san-francisco\">Ebb & Flow\u003c/a>, which lasted just six months in 2010. Before that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/craigs-place-san-francisco\">Craig’s Place\u003c/a> served diner food between 2007 and 2008. The location’s longest restaurant success story was \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swCTYmTmq2U\">Izakaya Yuzuki\u003c/a>, which endured from 2011 to 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sheer number of restaurants that have tried and failed to make this spot work belies good sense. Situated opposite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/tartine\">Tartine\u003c/a>’s always bustling original location, and a short walk from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/delfina\">Delfina\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/tag/bi-rite-market\">Bi-Rite\u003c/a> and other popular neighborhood spots, the repeated failures at 598 Guerrero have been perplexing. (Just a few doors down, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/fayes-san-francisco\">Faye’s\u003c/a> has been going strong since 1998.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Handroll Project was a usually busy sushi joint that I believed would break the spell. I wasn’t the first to think a restaurant could actually survive there. Writing about Izakaya Yuzuki for the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> in 2017, Chris Ying remained idealistic: “It turns out there are no cursed restaurants. It comes down to the right idea taking root, and, when something great begins to grow from it, diners nurturing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Izakaya Yuzuki was gone two years later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what exactly \u003cem>is\u003c/em> wrong with 598 Guerrero? While claims of a curse have long been pooh-poohed by skeptics (and optimistic new tenants), the answer might be just as strange as rumored.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A paranormal property\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It turns out that, all the way back in 1889, 598 Guerrero was occupied by a “trance medium” and fortune teller by the name of Mrs. C. Mayo-Steers. Mayo-Steers held healing circles (“skeptics invited”), “psychometric readings,” “psychic delineations,” and claimed to provide “diagnosis of diseases.” For at least 15 years, Mayo-Steers operated out of locations all over San Francisco — Turk, Market, Oak, Grove, 24th and 17th Streets included — but 598 Guerrero was where she communed with spirits in daily “sittings,” at least for a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a member of the Progressive Mediums’ Society, Mayo-Steers was well known in Victorian San Francisco’s spookier society corners, once speaking at a meeting for Progressive Spiritualists in 1889 and appearing at the State Spiritualist Convention of 1896. In a 1903 edition of \u003cem>Now\u003c/em> — a journal “devoted to the science and art of soul culture” — the editor wrote that “among the Spiritualists, our friend … Mrs. C. Mayo-Steers [has] resumed work in the city. In work along New Thought and psychic lines, our city is wide awake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If in fact Mayo-Steers turned 598 Guerrero into a psychic hotspot, that could explain what happened there in 2022, shortly after Handroll Project moved in. At the time, Eater reported that staff members \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2022/10/17/23403425/handroll-project-san-francisco-haunted\">believed there was paranormal activity\u003c/a> at the restaurant. Lights were said to inexplicably flicker on and off, and containers seemed to fly across the room on their own volition. One employee even claimed to see a long-haired apparition in the basement break room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just too crazy,” restaurant partner Geoffrey Lee said at the time. “Customers have been saying the veil between the living and the dead is very thin right now because of Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos and I’m like, ‘I’m not trying to hear that stuff.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some observers at the time attributed the paranormal activity to an incident in 2003, just three months after Central American bistro \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/platanos-san-francisco\">Platanos\u003c/a> had moved into 598 Guerrero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After leaving work late one night, Platanos’ executive chef Carlos Perez got into an altercation and died on Valencia near 22nd. The fight reportedly started over the volume of Perez’s car stereo. According to a report in the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em> that February, police considered the death a result of self-defense. However, Platanos’ co-owner Lisa Lazarus told the newspaper, “I just saw him in the casket [and] this was not a guy hit with a couple of blows and then stopped breathing … He was beaten to death.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lazarus sold Platanos to a new owner, Pascal Rigo, in September 2005. Nine months later, the \u003cem>Chronicle\u003c/em>’s Michael Bauer wrote: “The food has now taken an even more delectable turn, and customers are returning.” Within a year, Platanos was gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980643\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980643\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photograph of a 1930s-era streetcar traveling along a residential street in San Francisco.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1176\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero-160x94.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero-768x452.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/18th-and-guerrero-1536x903.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The corner of Guerrero and 18th in December 1939. On the left, out of frame, would be 958 Guerrero. The photographer probably left it out lest their camera burst into flames. \u003ccite>(OpenSFHistory/wnp14.1438)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Raided by federal agents\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>So what was at 598 Guerrero between the psychic lady and the failed restaurants? Well, a speakeasy, for one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The building’s post-1906 earthquake iteration arrived in about 1909, when it appeared for sale in the \u003cem>San Francisco Examiner\u003c/em>’s “City Real Estate” classifieds as a “clean, level lot 25 x 80” complete with “gas, water, sewer.” By 1920, the address was an entertainment venue under the proprietorship of a J. Hoegeman. That year, Hoegeman advertised the availability of a beverage at his joint called New Crow, marketed as “the California drink that makes YOU FORGET prohibition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Clearly, New Crow did not achieve its stated goal. On Sept. 29, 1922, 598 Guerrero was raided by federal prohibition agents who hit venues all over the Mission that night. The speakeasy was forcibly closed for violating alcohol laws, and its operators at the time, Peter Jacobs and Jack Warren — as well as building owner Ellen Boardman — were charged in abatement suits by Assistant United States Attorney Garton D. Keystone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after prohibition hammered 598 Guerrero’s doors closed, the building transformed into a pharmacy — Dunnigan’s in the ’20s and ’30s, and Mission Prescription Pharmacy in the ’50s and ’60s. In the 1970s, the location became a produce store that wound up listed for sale in the \u003cem>Examiner\u003c/em>’s “Business Offers” in 1982. It was, the ad noted, “priced to sell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever happens to Hamburger Project Two, you have to admire the devil-may-care confidence to stay at 598 Guerrero. May the ghost of Mrs. C. Mayo-Steers enjoy smash burgers and loaded fries as much as the rest of us.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "contra-costa-county-fruit-rescue-gleaning-picking-pears-apples-peaches-volunteer",
"title": "Meet the Scrappy Volunteers Rescuing Fruit From Your Backyard",
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"content": "\u003cp>It was around 9 p.m. on a recent Sunday when the four-alarm email came through: A large number of volunteers were needed in Brentwood first thing Wednesday morning to harvest 80 peach trees — ideally before all of the lovely, softball-sized fruit dropped to the ground and went to waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With apologies for the short notice, the email asked, might I be able to help?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are the kinds of messages that pop into your inbox when you join \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/\">Contra Costa Fruit Rescue\u003c/a>’s scrappy band of volunteer fruit pickers. The volunteers harvest surplus cherries, peaches, apples and pears — whatever’s in season — from backyard orchards throughout Contra Costa County, donating the rescued fruit to local food pantries and soup kitchens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fruit Rescue is just one of a handful of fruit gleaning operations overseen by the Castro Valley–based nonprofit ForestR, which runs similar programs in \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/solano-gleans/\">Dixon\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/gleaning/\">Castro Valley\u003c/a>. And while a peach emergency might not seem like the \u003ci>most\u003c/i> pressing matter during this era of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052452/you-cant-trust-anyone-in-oakland-fear-of-ice-raids-grips-day-laborers\">ICE raids\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032030/uc-berkeley-faculty-rally-to-defend-free-speech-and-protest-cuts\">free speech crackdowns\u003c/a>, the group’s efforts are making a real impact. So far in 2025, in Contra Costa County alone, Fruit Rescue has harvested and donated more than 75,000 pounds of usable fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those donations are even more crucial now, with the country teetering on the \u003ca href=\"https://fortune.com/2025/08/22/recession-warning-economic-outlook-trump-tariffs-inflation-immigration-crackdown-zandi/\">brink of a recession\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/food-bank-trump-usda-cuts-20265038.php\">food insecurity on the rise\u003c/a>. Program lead Pat Schultz says the food banks she works with have seen their budgets slashed by a quarter or more, the result of \u003ca href=\"http://banks\">funding cuts by both the Trump administration and the state of California\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, the number of people who need food assistance \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/12/food-insecurity-california/\">has only gone up\u003c/a> since the height of the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980091\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980091\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in matching green Fruit Rescue T-shirts stand in a pear orchard.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ForestR CEO Nimone Li-Hardisty (left) and Pat Schultz, program lead and Lamorinda area harvest leader, stop at their first location of the morning — a Martinez home registered for “gleaning,” the practice of harvesting excess crops to donate to food partners. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Especially with the high cost that we have in the Bay Area, it’s easy to go from ‘everything is fine’ to ‘I’m on the street or food insecure.’ Most people are one month away from disaster,” Schultz says. “The need for this type of work is only increasing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even apart from the altruistic aspect of the work, Fruit Rescue’s gleaning events — which are open to anyone who signs up through the group’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fruit-rescue-57801496893\">Eventbrite page\u003c/a> — are a fun, family-friendly way to spend a morning. The aforementioned peach-picking session didn’t wind up happening (backyard fruit can be a fickle enterprise), but my nine-year-old daughter and I drove out to Martinez’s Alhambra Valley on an impossibly clear-skied Tuesday morning to harvest about a dozen Bartlett pear trees in a tidy, picturesque frontyard orchard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980089\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980089\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"People picking pears from trees in an orchard.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers harvest pears in the frontyard orchard. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Amber Martinez, who heads up Fruit Rescue’s Martinez gleaning events, showed us how to use long, lacrosse-stick-like fruit-picker poles to nudge the ripe pears off the tree branches and gave a quick rundown of dos and don’ts. (DON’T climb the trees. DO place squishy, rotten pears into blue buckets so they can be composted later.) Working alongside seven or eight other volunteers — mostly affable retirees for this midweek session — we picked the trees clean in about an hour and a half, ready to move on to the next harvest site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an added bonus? The pears were so plentiful that each volunteer wound up taking home a bagful for themselves — including fruit with slight imperfections that many food pantries can’t accept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980090\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980090\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Crates of pears loaded into the truck of a car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A volunteer’s vehicle filled with crates of fruit, snacks and tools. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nancy Hobart, the homeowner, says she’s had fruit gleaners come harvest the pear and Fuyu persimmon trees on her property for the past 15 years because she hates to see food going to waste. Fruit Rescue has been the most reliable of these services. “They’re so professional,” she says. “There’s hardly a leaf left out in the orchard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nimone Li-Hardisty says she and her husband, Yonaton Hardisty, founded ForestR — the nonprofit that operates Fruit Rescue — shortly after a conversation with their then-teenage children, who told them they weren’t planning on ever having kids of their own. “The world is burning,” Li-Hardisty recalls her children saying. “You guys messed it up.” Today, she remembers that conversation as an “oh shit” moment that made her want to be proactive about improving the planet. “We don’t want our kids to have to be on Mars,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Li-Hardisty explains it, ForestR takes a highly localized, three-pronged approach to environmental beautification that includes cleaning (mainly of a stretch of highway in Castro Valley), greening (e.g. through planting trees and creating small “\u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/pocket-parks/\">pocket parks\u003c/a>”) \u003ci>and \u003c/i>gleaning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980084\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980084\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A woman reaches up into a tree with a fruit-picking tool.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Li-Hardisty leans in to pick a pear. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Schultz, the Contra Costa Fruit Rescue lead, joined forces with ForestR in 2022 to revive the gleaning program she’d been involved in for about a decade but had shut down during the pandemic. A retired music teacher, Schultz says her interest in food rescue stems from her Depression-era parents, who taught her that wasting food was not okay. “They were the original recyclers,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here in the Bay Area, Schultz says interest in this kind of work accelerated during the pandemic, which “made people far more aware of food,” she says. Suddenly, in affluent parts of Contra Costa County like Lafayette, where Schultz lives, “You had to stand in line [at the grocery store,] and you may or may not get what you want.” Many people started gardening during that time, getting in touch with their yards in a deeper way — and they wanted to make sure the food they grew wouldn’t go to waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The upshot is that more and more people have \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/fruit-rescue-tree-donors/\">reached out to Fruit Rescue\u003c/a> to have their fruit trees gleaned. And it isn’t primarily folks like Hobart who have mini-orchards, essentially, in their yard, Schultz stresses. Most of the people who participate in the program only have one or two trees. “But one apple tree can easily yield 200 to 300 pounds,” she says. “One grapefruit tree can be 400 pounds.” In fact, Schultz says there’s one elderly gentleman who calls her every year about his apple tree, which only yields 10 pounds of apples — “but for him, it’s critical that this fruit not go to waste.” Schultz goes by herself each year to personally harvest his tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980088\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980088\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in work gloves holding pears.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aurora, a volunteer with Contra Costa Fruit Rescue for four years, holds pears that she harvested. She says cherry season is her favorite time to pick. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fruit Rescue isn’t unique. A handful of similar organizations operate around the Bay Area, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.villageharvest.org/\">Village Harvest\u003c/a>, which is mostly based in the South Bay and Peninsula, and \u003ca href=\"https://urbantilth.org/grow/orchard-for-all/\">Urban Tilth\u003c/a>, which oversees a network of small backyard orchards in Richmond. But these gleaning programs aren’t exactly super-common either, which is why Schultz hopes fruit lovers in other cities might be inspired to replicate Fruit Rescue and ForestR’s model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13976236,arts_13966665,news_12036573']\u003c/span>My own Tuesday morning fruit expedition ended at another backyard orchard in Martinez. There, a single large apple tree had at least three different varieties of apples grafted onto it, including a crop of Pink Ladies that were wonderfully crisp and tart straight off the tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The final tally for a couple of hours of work? 974 pounds of apples and pears, all donated to Concord’s \u003ca href=\"https://whiteponyexpress.org/\">White Pony Express\u003c/a>, whose food rescue program distributes the surplus fruit to food pantries and other nonprofit service providers across the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Schultz says, the bottom-line goal is simple: “To get the fruit and then get it to someone who can use it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/contracosta_fruitrescue/\">\u003ci>Contra Costa Fruit Rescue\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> posts upcoming gleaning events on its \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/\">\u003ci>website\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fruit-rescue-57801496893\">\u003ci>Eventbrite page\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Right now, mostly pears and apples are being harvested, including events in Walnut Creek and on Bethel Island on Saturday, Aug. 30, and one in Lamorinda on Sunday, Aug. 31. On Saturday, Sept. 6, Fruit Rescue will harvest several backyard orchards in the Pleasanton/San Ramon/Danville area. Fill out this \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/fruit-rescue-tree-donors/\">\u003ci>online form\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> to register your own fruit tree(s) to be gleaned.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>ForestR will be at the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edenareachamber.com/fall-fest/\">\u003ci>Castro Valley Fall Festival\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> on Sept. 6 and 7, where it will give away fruit and sell homemade jams made from the gleaned fruit. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "With its fruit gleaning events, ForestR does its part to reduce food waste and feed the hungry.",
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"title": "The Scrappy Volunteers Rescuing Fruit From East Bay Backyards | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It was around 9 p.m. on a recent Sunday when the four-alarm email came through: A large number of volunteers were needed in Brentwood first thing Wednesday morning to harvest 80 peach trees — ideally before all of the lovely, softball-sized fruit dropped to the ground and went to waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With apologies for the short notice, the email asked, might I be able to help?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are the kinds of messages that pop into your inbox when you join \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/\">Contra Costa Fruit Rescue\u003c/a>’s scrappy band of volunteer fruit pickers. The volunteers harvest surplus cherries, peaches, apples and pears — whatever’s in season — from backyard orchards throughout Contra Costa County, donating the rescued fruit to local food pantries and soup kitchens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fruit Rescue is just one of a handful of fruit gleaning operations overseen by the Castro Valley–based nonprofit ForestR, which runs similar programs in \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/solano-gleans/\">Dixon\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/gleaning/\">Castro Valley\u003c/a>. And while a peach emergency might not seem like the \u003ci>most\u003c/i> pressing matter during this era of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12052452/you-cant-trust-anyone-in-oakland-fear-of-ice-raids-grips-day-laborers\">ICE raids\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032030/uc-berkeley-faculty-rally-to-defend-free-speech-and-protest-cuts\">free speech crackdowns\u003c/a>, the group’s efforts are making a real impact. So far in 2025, in Contra Costa County alone, Fruit Rescue has harvested and donated more than 75,000 pounds of usable fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those donations are even more crucial now, with the country teetering on the \u003ca href=\"https://fortune.com/2025/08/22/recession-warning-economic-outlook-trump-tariffs-inflation-immigration-crackdown-zandi/\">brink of a recession\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/food-bank-trump-usda-cuts-20265038.php\">food insecurity on the rise\u003c/a>. Program lead Pat Schultz says the food banks she works with have seen their budgets slashed by a quarter or more, the result of \u003ca href=\"http://banks\">funding cuts by both the Trump administration and the state of California\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, the number of people who need food assistance \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/12/food-insecurity-california/\">has only gone up\u003c/a> since the height of the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980091\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980091\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in matching green Fruit Rescue T-shirts stand in a pear orchard.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ForestR CEO Nimone Li-Hardisty (left) and Pat Schultz, program lead and Lamorinda area harvest leader, stop at their first location of the morning — a Martinez home registered for “gleaning,” the practice of harvesting excess crops to donate to food partners. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Especially with the high cost that we have in the Bay Area, it’s easy to go from ‘everything is fine’ to ‘I’m on the street or food insecure.’ Most people are one month away from disaster,” Schultz says. “The need for this type of work is only increasing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even apart from the altruistic aspect of the work, Fruit Rescue’s gleaning events — which are open to anyone who signs up through the group’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fruit-rescue-57801496893\">Eventbrite page\u003c/a> — are a fun, family-friendly way to spend a morning. The aforementioned peach-picking session didn’t wind up happening (backyard fruit can be a fickle enterprise), but my nine-year-old daughter and I drove out to Martinez’s Alhambra Valley on an impossibly clear-skied Tuesday morning to harvest about a dozen Bartlett pear trees in a tidy, picturesque frontyard orchard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980089\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980089\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"People picking pears from trees in an orchard.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-25-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers harvest pears in the frontyard orchard. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Amber Martinez, who heads up Fruit Rescue’s Martinez gleaning events, showed us how to use long, lacrosse-stick-like fruit-picker poles to nudge the ripe pears off the tree branches and gave a quick rundown of dos and don’ts. (DON’T climb the trees. DO place squishy, rotten pears into blue buckets so they can be composted later.) Working alongside seven or eight other volunteers — mostly affable retirees for this midweek session — we picked the trees clean in about an hour and a half, ready to move on to the next harvest site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an added bonus? The pears were so plentiful that each volunteer wound up taking home a bagful for themselves — including fruit with slight imperfections that many food pantries can’t accept.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980090\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980090\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Crates of pears loaded into the truck of a car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-26-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A volunteer’s vehicle filled with crates of fruit, snacks and tools. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nancy Hobart, the homeowner, says she’s had fruit gleaners come harvest the pear and Fuyu persimmon trees on her property for the past 15 years because she hates to see food going to waste. Fruit Rescue has been the most reliable of these services. “They’re so professional,” she says. “There’s hardly a leaf left out in the orchard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nimone Li-Hardisty says she and her husband, Yonaton Hardisty, founded ForestR — the nonprofit that operates Fruit Rescue — shortly after a conversation with their then-teenage children, who told them they weren’t planning on ever having kids of their own. “The world is burning,” Li-Hardisty recalls her children saying. “You guys messed it up.” Today, she remembers that conversation as an “oh shit” moment that made her want to be proactive about improving the planet. “We don’t want our kids to have to be on Mars,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Li-Hardisty explains it, ForestR takes a highly localized, three-pronged approach to environmental beautification that includes cleaning (mainly of a stretch of highway in Castro Valley), greening (e.g. through planting trees and creating small “\u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/pocket-parks/\">pocket parks\u003c/a>”) \u003ci>and \u003c/i>gleaning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980084\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980084\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A woman reaches up into a tree with a fruit-picking tool.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-6-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Li-Hardisty leans in to pick a pear. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Schultz, the Contra Costa Fruit Rescue lead, joined forces with ForestR in 2022 to revive the gleaning program she’d been involved in for about a decade but had shut down during the pandemic. A retired music teacher, Schultz says her interest in food rescue stems from her Depression-era parents, who taught her that wasting food was not okay. “They were the original recyclers,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here in the Bay Area, Schultz says interest in this kind of work accelerated during the pandemic, which “made people far more aware of food,” she says. Suddenly, in affluent parts of Contra Costa County like Lafayette, where Schultz lives, “You had to stand in line [at the grocery store,] and you may or may not get what you want.” Many people started gardening during that time, getting in touch with their yards in a deeper way — and they wanted to make sure the food they grew wouldn’t go to waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The upshot is that more and more people have \u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/fruit-rescue-tree-donors/\">reached out to Fruit Rescue\u003c/a> to have their fruit trees gleaned. And it isn’t primarily folks like Hobart who have mini-orchards, essentially, in their yard, Schultz stresses. Most of the people who participate in the program only have one or two trees. “But one apple tree can easily yield 200 to 300 pounds,” she says. “One grapefruit tree can be 400 pounds.” In fact, Schultz says there’s one elderly gentleman who calls her every year about his apple tree, which only yields 10 pounds of apples — “but for him, it’s critical that this fruit not go to waste.” Schultz goes by herself each year to personally harvest his tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980088\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980088\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in work gloves holding pears.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/250812_RESCUING-FRUIT-IN-CONTRA-COSTA-COUNTY-_GH-24-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aurora, a volunteer with Contra Costa Fruit Rescue for four years, holds pears that she harvested. She says cherry season is her favorite time to pick. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fruit Rescue isn’t unique. A handful of similar organizations operate around the Bay Area, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.villageharvest.org/\">Village Harvest\u003c/a>, which is mostly based in the South Bay and Peninsula, and \u003ca href=\"https://urbantilth.org/grow/orchard-for-all/\">Urban Tilth\u003c/a>, which oversees a network of small backyard orchards in Richmond. But these gleaning programs aren’t exactly super-common either, which is why Schultz hopes fruit lovers in other cities might be inspired to replicate Fruit Rescue and ForestR’s model.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>My own Tuesday morning fruit expedition ended at another backyard orchard in Martinez. There, a single large apple tree had at least three different varieties of apples grafted onto it, including a crop of Pink Ladies that were wonderfully crisp and tart straight off the tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The final tally for a couple of hours of work? 974 pounds of apples and pears, all donated to Concord’s \u003ca href=\"https://whiteponyexpress.org/\">White Pony Express\u003c/a>, whose food rescue program distributes the surplus fruit to food pantries and other nonprofit service providers across the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Schultz says, the bottom-line goal is simple: “To get the fruit and then get it to someone who can use it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/contracosta_fruitrescue/\">\u003ci>Contra Costa Fruit Rescue\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> posts upcoming gleaning events on its \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/\">\u003ci>website\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/o/fruit-rescue-57801496893\">\u003ci>Eventbrite page\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Right now, mostly pears and apples are being harvested, including events in Walnut Creek and on Bethel Island on Saturday, Aug. 30, and one in Lamorinda on Sunday, Aug. 31. On Saturday, Sept. 6, Fruit Rescue will harvest several backyard orchards in the Pleasanton/San Ramon/Danville area. Fill out this \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forestr.org/fruit-rescue/fruit-rescue-tree-donors/\">\u003ci>online form\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> to register your own fruit tree(s) to be gleaned.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>ForestR will be at the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.edenareachamber.com/fall-fest/\">\u003ci>Castro Valley Fall Festival\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> on Sept. 6 and 7, where it will give away fruit and sell homemade jams made from the gleaned fruit. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Showing Soon at BAMPFA: Avocado Iced Coffee and Art-Inspired Cakes",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Nora Haron visited the vacant cafe space at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bampfa\">Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/a> earlier this summer, the museum had just put up a beautiful \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977115/bampfa-routed-west-african-american-quilts-review\">exhibition of African American quilts\u003c/a>. Her chef brain was immediately inspired by the colorful patterns: What if she baked a Swiss roll that emulated one of the designs? What if she turned one of the quilts into a cookie?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a no-brainer, then, for Haron to put in a bid to take over BAMPFA’s upstairs cafe, which has sat empty since its former tenant, Babette, moved out at the end of 2021. And as it turns out, the Berkeley museum was just as enthusiastic about her vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a couple of months, Haron will reopen the BAMPFA cafe as a new incarnation of her Indonesian-inspired coffee shop, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kopibar.us/?hl=en\">Kopi Bar & Bakery\u003c/a>. The idea, she says, is to bring a slice of Indonesian and Singaporean cafe culture to Berkeley. Think kaya toast; pastries made with pandan, coconut and palm sugar; and, perhaps Haron’s most famous creation, the iced coffee drink known as the Kopi Avocado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, Haron hopes the cafe will establish itself as an “extended visit for museumgoers” — in other words, that no trip to BAMPFA will feel complete without a stop at Kopi Bar. And yes, part of that will include creating a special art-themed cake or pastry to complement every big new exhibition that opens at the museum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980472\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980472\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34.jpg\" alt=\"A big spread of pastries at a cafe\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Selection of pastries at the original Kopi Bar in Walnut Creek. \u003ccite>(Adahlia Cole, courtesy of Kopi Bar & Bakery)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In many ways, the project is a dream come true for Haron. “I always wanted to go to Berkeley,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For East Bay food lovers, Haron’s comeback is big news in and of itself. Back in March, the chef made the \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/closings/203254/sandai-kopi-bar-closing-walnut-creek-east-bay\">difficult decision to close\u003c/a> SanDai, her two-year-old Indonesian-Singaporean restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, and the original Kopi Bar coffee shop that shared the space. Reached by phone, Haron explained that business had been terribly slow for well over a year — much too slow to justify the nearly $29,000 rent. At first she’d hoped that another restaurant would move into the space, allowing her to continue running Kopi Bar next door. But she never wound up finding the right collaborator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SanDai was a rare East Bay destination for Indonesian food — elegant, umami-packed versions of classics like beef rendang and seafood mee goreng. For the museum cafe, the savory side of the menu will be greatly simplified, consisting mostly of soups, sandwiches and congee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980473\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora.jpg\" alt=\"An Asian woman poses for a portrait inside an empy cafe.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Nora Haron poses inside the soon-to-be-reopened BAMPFA cafe space. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nora Horan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13929177,arts_13953078,arts_13969923']\u003c/span>The rotating selection of fusion pastries and creative coffee drinks, on the other hand, will be similar to what she served at the original Kopi Bar, where the Kopi Avocado — a cool, creamy blend of espresso, avocado and coconut condensed milk — was a particular standout. The cafe will also be one of the only places in the East Bay where diners can get the classic Singaporean breakfast of buttered toast slathered with coconut jam. (As a nod to the Bay Area, Kopi Bar’s kaya toast will feature sourdough bread made with a starter Haron has been feeding for 10 years.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Haron also plans to continue to hold special events at the cafe, like the occasional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13963228/indonesian-high-tea-kopi-bar-sandai-walnut-creek\">Indonesian-Singaporean high tea series\u003c/a> that she used to host in Walnut Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Haron says she expects the renovation process to be fairly quick. One of the only big changes that she’s excited to make is hanging up the collection of Balinese carvings that she used to display at the old restaurant. If all goes well, she hopes to open no later than October.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>To start out,\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kopibar.us/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Kopi Bar & Bakery\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will be open Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (and from 9–11 a.m. for UC Berkeley students and staff only) on the second floor at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2155 Center St., Berkeley).\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Nora Haron visited the vacant cafe space at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bampfa\">Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/a> earlier this summer, the museum had just put up a beautiful \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13977115/bampfa-routed-west-african-american-quilts-review\">exhibition of African American quilts\u003c/a>. Her chef brain was immediately inspired by the colorful patterns: What if she baked a Swiss roll that emulated one of the designs? What if she turned one of the quilts into a cookie?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a no-brainer, then, for Haron to put in a bid to take over BAMPFA’s upstairs cafe, which has sat empty since its former tenant, Babette, moved out at the end of 2021. And as it turns out, the Berkeley museum was just as enthusiastic about her vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a couple of months, Haron will reopen the BAMPFA cafe as a new incarnation of her Indonesian-inspired coffee shop, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kopibar.us/?hl=en\">Kopi Bar & Bakery\u003c/a>. The idea, she says, is to bring a slice of Indonesian and Singaporean cafe culture to Berkeley. Think kaya toast; pastries made with pandan, coconut and palm sugar; and, perhaps Haron’s most famous creation, the iced coffee drink known as the Kopi Avocado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, Haron hopes the cafe will establish itself as an “extended visit for museumgoers” — in other words, that no trip to BAMPFA will feel complete without a stop at Kopi Bar. And yes, part of that will include creating a special art-themed cake or pastry to complement every big new exhibition that opens at the museum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980472\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980472\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34.jpg\" alt=\"A big spread of pastries at a cafe\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/KopiSelect-34-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Selection of pastries at the original Kopi Bar in Walnut Creek. \u003ccite>(Adahlia Cole, courtesy of Kopi Bar & Bakery)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In many ways, the project is a dream come true for Haron. “I always wanted to go to Berkeley,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For East Bay food lovers, Haron’s comeback is big news in and of itself. Back in March, the chef made the \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/closings/203254/sandai-kopi-bar-closing-walnut-creek-east-bay\">difficult decision to close\u003c/a> SanDai, her two-year-old Indonesian-Singaporean restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, and the original Kopi Bar coffee shop that shared the space. Reached by phone, Haron explained that business had been terribly slow for well over a year — much too slow to justify the nearly $29,000 rent. At first she’d hoped that another restaurant would move into the space, allowing her to continue running Kopi Bar next door. But she never wound up finding the right collaborator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SanDai was a rare East Bay destination for Indonesian food — elegant, umami-packed versions of classics like beef rendang and seafood mee goreng. For the museum cafe, the savory side of the menu will be greatly simplified, consisting mostly of soups, sandwiches and congee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980473\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora.jpg\" alt=\"An Asian woman poses for a portrait inside an empy cafe.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/chef-nora-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Nora Haron poses inside the soon-to-be-reopened BAMPFA cafe space. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nora Horan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>The rotating selection of fusion pastries and creative coffee drinks, on the other hand, will be similar to what she served at the original Kopi Bar, where the Kopi Avocado — a cool, creamy blend of espresso, avocado and coconut condensed milk — was a particular standout. The cafe will also be one of the only places in the East Bay where diners can get the classic Singaporean breakfast of buttered toast slathered with coconut jam. (As a nod to the Bay Area, Kopi Bar’s kaya toast will feature sourdough bread made with a starter Haron has been feeding for 10 years.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Haron also plans to continue to hold special events at the cafe, like the occasional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13963228/indonesian-high-tea-kopi-bar-sandai-walnut-creek\">Indonesian-Singaporean high tea series\u003c/a> that she used to host in Walnut Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Haron says she expects the renovation process to be fairly quick. One of the only big changes that she’s excited to make is hanging up the collection of Balinese carvings that she used to display at the old restaurant. If all goes well, she hopes to open no later than October.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>To start out,\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kopibar.us/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Kopi Bar & Bakery\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will be open Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m.–3 p.m. (and from 9–11 a.m. for UC Berkeley students and staff only) on the second floor at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2155 Center St., Berkeley).\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "chinese-hamburger-barbecue-z-one-kitchen-san-bruno-rou-jia-mo",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980220\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980220\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Two men devour\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the last two years, San Bruno’s Z-One Kitchen has added ‘Texas’-style barbecue to its menu of Shaanxi drinking food. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we pulled into a cramped plaza in San Bruno, the bilingual sign above a modest-looking Chinese restaurant promised an ultra-rare, perhaps never-before-heard-of combination: “岐山肉夹馍 & Texas BBQ.” In other words, Xi’an-style rou jia mo (aka “Chinese hamburgers”) served alongside heaping stacks of Texas ’cue. What?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it turns out, the “Texas” part of the formula at Z-One Kitchen, as the restaurant is called, really stretches the limits of creative marketing. But that didn’t stop us from having an intensely meaty, rollicking good time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We arrived at around 9 o’clock on a recent Friday night, our curiosity piqued by online reports of this unusual fusion cuisine. The place closes up shop at 10:30 — decently late, even if it isn’t on the extreme end of the late-night dining spectrum. (Curiously, it doesn’t appear to have any connection to the similarly named A-One Kitchen — another \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951914/dungeness-crab-garlic-noodles-san-bruno-late-night\">Midnight Diners’ favorite\u003c/a> — just a mile up the road.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in terms of rowdy, slightly chaotic late-night vibes, Z-One has the part down to a tee, starting with the crowded parking lot, where a suped-up Volkswagen Beetle was gunning its engine. The dining room — a clutter of mismatched furniture and empty Tsingtao beer bottles — was loud, and so busy that we had to share a six-top booth with another party. The workers were all big, burly Chinese guys with Northern accents. After getting vague, slightly brusque responses to our questions about the menu, I finally interjected in Mandarin, prompting our server to cry out (also in Mandarin), “If you speak Chinese, why didn’t you just say so to begin with!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The overall effect was like we’d stumbled onto the kind of roadside food stand you might find somewhere in rural China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980221\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980221\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"The exterior of a Chinese restaurant lit up at night. The sign above advertises 'Texas BBQ.'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Though it’s only open until 10:30 p.m., the restaurant has its rowdy, slightly chaotic late-night vibes down to a tee. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As the restaurant’s signage and branding suggest, the menu is divided into two halves: one side has all the “Texas barbecue”; the other side is a mishmash of Chinese drinking food, most of it specific to Shaanxi province. For the barbecue, there’s a $35 all-you-can-eat option (!), or you can order a plate that comes with your choice of meat and two dishes for as little as $16 — not unlike the meat-and-two format you’d find at a classic barbecue joint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only difference? The spices, the seasoning, the flavor profile and probably the entirety of the cooking process. None of the meats we tried had seen the inside of a smoker. Instead, they appeared to have been braised in some soy sauce–based concoction, then finished on the grill. They tasted not Texan (you should just eliminate that expectation entirely) but rather wholly Chinese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which isn’t to say this take on barbecue wasn’t tasty in its own right. The flavor reminded me of Chinese beef jerky more than anything else — savory with a whisper of honeyed sweetness. We especially loved the beef spare ribs, which were luscious and slightly sticky, with tender meat that pulled right off the bone. We also ordered slippery, gelatinous pigs’ feet and, our least favorite, pork ribs that came out a bit too dry. Next time we might just get three orders of beef ribs. You can also choose from an assortment of cumin-dusted meat skewers, similar to what you’ll find at other \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951382/chinese-skewers-are-the-last-bastion-of-late-night-dining-in-the-bay\">Chinese barbecue restaurants\u003c/a> around the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13979460,arts_13978355,arts_13976695']In truth, the sides are probably the most fusion-y part of Z-One’s menu, allowing you to pair the meats with, say, potato salad (creamy and surprisingly addicting) and a satisfyingly greasy, soy sauce–drenched version of egg fried rice. We loved them both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apparently, when Z-One first opened in 2020, it was a straightforward Shaanxi restaurant, specializing in the northwestern Chinese regional cuisine that gained some mainstream prominence in the U.S. after \u003ca href=\"https://ny.eater.com/2018/6/8/17442082/xian-famous-foods-jason-wang-anthony-bourdain\">the rise of Xi’an Famous Foods\u003c/a>, in New York, in the late aughts. So while the barbecue is worth trying, Z-One’s real sweet spot is its Shaanxi food, especially those so-called “Chinese hamburgers.” These, too, aren’t a fusion thing; rou jia mo has a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230508-roujiamo-chinas-2200-year-old-burger\">2,200-year history in China\u003c/a>. The burger comparison comes from the well-seasoned meat stuffed inside a crisp flatbread — more akin to a paratha or an extra-thin English muffin than a burger bun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Z-One’s classic pork rou jia mo came crammed full of saucy, finely shredded meat. It was extraordinarily juicy and well-seasoned, with an occasional jolt of fresh chili heat. I liked the version stuffed with grilled cumin lamb and sliced onions even better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a warm summer night, the sandwiches pair perfectly with an order of liangpi — wide, crinkly cold noodles tossed in a spicy, tangy sesame sauce. Even better: Z-One serves one of the better versions of fried stinky tofu I’ve found in the Bay Area. The tofu cubes were expertly fried, super-crisp without getting dried out, served in a pool of deliciously garlicky chili sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everything Z-One serves goes exceptionally well with cold beer, so it came as no surprise that guys at the table next to us were three or four Tsingtaos in. They kept calling out to the owner (“Lao ban! Lao ban!”), teasing him half-nonsensically. We were feeling a little bit giddy too by the end of the night, even though we hadn’t been drinking. Instead, we left with full bellies — the smell of cumin and garlic heavy on our breath, with two big boxes of leftovers to tote home — feeling like we’d been taken on an unexpected journey. Not to Texas, certainly. But somewhere we hadn’t been before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Z-One Kitchen is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–10:30 p.m., at 130 El Camino Real Ste. C in San Bruno.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980220\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980220\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Two men devour\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-1-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the last two years, San Bruno’s Z-One Kitchen has added ‘Texas’-style barbecue to its menu of Shaanxi drinking food. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we pulled into a cramped plaza in San Bruno, the bilingual sign above a modest-looking Chinese restaurant promised an ultra-rare, perhaps never-before-heard-of combination: “岐山肉夹馍 & Texas BBQ.” In other words, Xi’an-style rou jia mo (aka “Chinese hamburgers”) served alongside heaping stacks of Texas ’cue. What?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it turns out, the “Texas” part of the formula at Z-One Kitchen, as the restaurant is called, really stretches the limits of creative marketing. But that didn’t stop us from having an intensely meaty, rollicking good time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We arrived at around 9 o’clock on a recent Friday night, our curiosity piqued by online reports of this unusual fusion cuisine. The place closes up shop at 10:30 — decently late, even if it isn’t on the extreme end of the late-night dining spectrum. (Curiously, it doesn’t appear to have any connection to the similarly named A-One Kitchen — another \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951914/dungeness-crab-garlic-noodles-san-bruno-late-night\">Midnight Diners’ favorite\u003c/a> — just a mile up the road.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in terms of rowdy, slightly chaotic late-night vibes, Z-One has the part down to a tee, starting with the crowded parking lot, where a suped-up Volkswagen Beetle was gunning its engine. The dining room — a clutter of mismatched furniture and empty Tsingtao beer bottles — was loud, and so busy that we had to share a six-top booth with another party. The workers were all big, burly Chinese guys with Northern accents. After getting vague, slightly brusque responses to our questions about the menu, I finally interjected in Mandarin, prompting our server to cry out (also in Mandarin), “If you speak Chinese, why didn’t you just say so to begin with!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The overall effect was like we’d stumbled onto the kind of roadside food stand you might find somewhere in rural China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13980221\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13980221\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"The exterior of a Chinese restaurant lit up at night. The sign above advertises 'Texas BBQ.'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Untitled_Artwork-2-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Though it’s only open until 10:30 p.m., the restaurant has its rowdy, slightly chaotic late-night vibes down to a tee. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As the restaurant’s signage and branding suggest, the menu is divided into two halves: one side has all the “Texas barbecue”; the other side is a mishmash of Chinese drinking food, most of it specific to Shaanxi province. For the barbecue, there’s a $35 all-you-can-eat option (!), or you can order a plate that comes with your choice of meat and two dishes for as little as $16 — not unlike the meat-and-two format you’d find at a classic barbecue joint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only difference? The spices, the seasoning, the flavor profile and probably the entirety of the cooking process. None of the meats we tried had seen the inside of a smoker. Instead, they appeared to have been braised in some soy sauce–based concoction, then finished on the grill. They tasted not Texan (you should just eliminate that expectation entirely) but rather wholly Chinese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which isn’t to say this take on barbecue wasn’t tasty in its own right. The flavor reminded me of Chinese beef jerky more than anything else — savory with a whisper of honeyed sweetness. We especially loved the beef spare ribs, which were luscious and slightly sticky, with tender meat that pulled right off the bone. We also ordered slippery, gelatinous pigs’ feet and, our least favorite, pork ribs that came out a bit too dry. Next time we might just get three orders of beef ribs. You can also choose from an assortment of cumin-dusted meat skewers, similar to what you’ll find at other \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13951382/chinese-skewers-are-the-last-bastion-of-late-night-dining-in-the-bay\">Chinese barbecue restaurants\u003c/a> around the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In truth, the sides are probably the most fusion-y part of Z-One’s menu, allowing you to pair the meats with, say, potato salad (creamy and surprisingly addicting) and a satisfyingly greasy, soy sauce–drenched version of egg fried rice. We loved them both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apparently, when Z-One first opened in 2020, it was a straightforward Shaanxi restaurant, specializing in the northwestern Chinese regional cuisine that gained some mainstream prominence in the U.S. after \u003ca href=\"https://ny.eater.com/2018/6/8/17442082/xian-famous-foods-jason-wang-anthony-bourdain\">the rise of Xi’an Famous Foods\u003c/a>, in New York, in the late aughts. So while the barbecue is worth trying, Z-One’s real sweet spot is its Shaanxi food, especially those so-called “Chinese hamburgers.” These, too, aren’t a fusion thing; rou jia mo has a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230508-roujiamo-chinas-2200-year-old-burger\">2,200-year history in China\u003c/a>. The burger comparison comes from the well-seasoned meat stuffed inside a crisp flatbread — more akin to a paratha or an extra-thin English muffin than a burger bun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Z-One’s classic pork rou jia mo came crammed full of saucy, finely shredded meat. It was extraordinarily juicy and well-seasoned, with an occasional jolt of fresh chili heat. I liked the version stuffed with grilled cumin lamb and sliced onions even better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a warm summer night, the sandwiches pair perfectly with an order of liangpi — wide, crinkly cold noodles tossed in a spicy, tangy sesame sauce. Even better: Z-One serves one of the better versions of fried stinky tofu I’ve found in the Bay Area. The tofu cubes were expertly fried, super-crisp without getting dried out, served in a pool of deliciously garlicky chili sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everything Z-One serves goes exceptionally well with cold beer, so it came as no surprise that guys at the table next to us were three or four Tsingtaos in. They kept calling out to the owner (“Lao ban! Lao ban!”), teasing him half-nonsensically. We were feeling a little bit giddy too by the end of the night, even though we hadn’t been drinking. Instead, we left with full bellies — the smell of cumin and garlic heavy on our breath, with two big boxes of leftovers to tote home — feeling like we’d been taken on an unexpected journey. Not to Texas, certainly. But somewhere we hadn’t been before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Z-One Kitchen is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–10:30 p.m., at 130 El Camino Real Ste. C in San Bruno.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "asi-mexican-middle-eastern-fusion-restaurant-san-jose-halal",
"title": "At This San Jose Fusion Restaurant, Mexican and Jordanian Flavors Collide",
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"content": "\u003cp>Located on a quiet corner of South \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-jose\">San Jose\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/asimexicanfusion/?hl=en\">Así Mexican Fusion Bistro\u003c/a> would be easy to miss if it weren’t for the vibrant butterfly mural on the wall — one of the butterfly’s wings is a Mexican flag, and the other is a Jordanian flag. Inside, where customers sip on micheladas and catch sports on the TV, the restaurant feels like a standard Mexican spot until the basket of pita chips and tortilla chips arrives at the table: Instead of guacamole, you dip the chips in hummus topped with salsa macha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dip is typical of Así’s hybrid approach, which supplements the restaurant’s traditional Mexican menu with dishes that incorporate Middle Eastern ingredients in surprisingly delicious ways. Mini blue tostadas come topped with ribbons of beef shawarma, toum (garlic sauce) and sumac pickled onions. The shakshuka a la Mexicana, meanwhile, is a cross between traditional shakshuka and huevos rancheros, combining eggs, salty cheese, cilantro and a sumac-spiced tomato sauce — again, all on top of a tostada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Owner Lourdes Barraza quit her job as a Group Supervisor at Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall to start a taco catering business in August 2018. “I’m a mom of three girls,” says Barraza, noting that catering allowed her to keep a flexible schedule. “For me, having my career was important, but being a mom was always number one.” Six years later, in January 2024, Barraza opened Así Mexican Fusion Bistro along with her eldest daughter, Isabella Astorga, who manages the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979657\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallo%CC%81n-Left-to-right.jpg\" alt=\"Four women pose for a portrait in front of a mural.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right: Lourdes Barraza and her daughters Isabella Astorga, Sophia Gallón and Ana Colin. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Así Mexican Fusion Bistro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the brick-and-mortar, the mother and daughter wanted to go beyond traditional Mexican food. “We thought, ‘Let’s do Middle Eastern fusion,’” says Barraza. As it turns out, Astorga’s partner is from Jordan, and as she became more familiar with that country’s cuisine, she was intrigued by how similar it was to Mexican food — and how well the two cuisines’ spices and cooking techniques blended together. The fusion dishes at Así don’t come across as a gimmick, then, but rather a love letter to both cultures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re also a lot of fun. Some of the restaurant’s most creative fusion creations include a falafel-stuffed burrito and fries loaded with chicken shawarma, black beans, feta and pickled turnips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recipe development starts by breaking dishes down into their components and examining potential twists. For example, if a Mexican dish has oregano, the chefs consider fortifying that earthy flavor by adding Middle Eastern spices like za’atar or sumac. “It’s trial and error,” says Barraza. “As we go, we make changes we feel necessary. It seems to be working, people seem to love it.” One of their greatest hits is the tahini-chipotle crema, which serves as a nutty, smoky complement to grilled meats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979658\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979658\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate.jpg\" alt=\"Chicken kebab, grilled tomatoes, cucumber salad and various sauces on a plate.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1126\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate-1536x865.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Así’s take on al pastor is like a deconstructed chicken kebab skewer. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s worth noting that there’s a long history of Mediterranean and Mexican fusion. Al pastor was created thanks to Lebanese immigrants who \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/08/584057034/building-a-latino-muslim-coalition-with-tacotrucksateverymosque\">introduced spit-roasted meat to Mexico in the 1930s\u003c/a>. Así shakes things up a bit by serving both chicken shawarma (cooked on a traditional vertical spit) and a pollo al pastor plate that’s essentially a deconstructed kebab: big, kebab-like chunks of spiced chicken paired with charred tomatoes, onion and a heaping pile of cucumber salad. The experience of loading up a freshly made corn tortilla with chicken kebab, tzatziki, toum and salsa verde is something you’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13977033,arts_13971280,arts_13976236']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Así is also a fusion of the family’s experiences and skills. Barraza brings her cooking experience as well as knowledge of family recipes — Así’s salsas are the same ones her father served at his taqueria in Southern California. Meanwhile, Astorga puts her communications degree to use by running an efficient floor and creating a strong sense of community with customers. Barraza’s youngest daughter helps out as a server and makes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DAl2EuYSxlV/?hl=en\">social media videos\u003c/a> for the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Así is relatively new, it has already earned a dedicated following, with some customers stopping in as many as five times a week. “We’ve become a pillar in the short time we’ve been in the community,” Astorga says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979656\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979656\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada.jpg\" alt=\"Tostada topped with egg cooked in tomato sauce.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1126\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada-1536x865.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Shakshuka a la Mexicana’ is a cross between traditional shakshuka and huevos rancheros. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The success can be attributed in part to Barraza’s willingness to adapt. When she noticed that a majority of Así’s customers were Muslims who had concerns about cross-contamination from pork, she decided to remove it from the menu. Now, all of the food they serve is halal. Meanwhile, Barraza says many Latino customers have been hesitant to try the restaurant’s Middle Eastern–influenced dishes. She hopes to entice them by pairing those items with more familiar Mexican dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family has bright hopes for the restaurant’s future, with plans to eventually open a nicer sit-down location with full table service. However, they’re in no rush to expand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The restaurant is in its toddler stages,” Barraza says. “Before we open another location, I need it walking on its own.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/asimexicanfusion/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Así Mexican Fusion Bistro\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located at 6239 Santa Teresa Blvd. in San Jose.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "A Mexican-Jordanian Fusion Restaurant Opens in San Jose | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Located on a quiet corner of South \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-jose\">San Jose\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/asimexicanfusion/?hl=en\">Así Mexican Fusion Bistro\u003c/a> would be easy to miss if it weren’t for the vibrant butterfly mural on the wall — one of the butterfly’s wings is a Mexican flag, and the other is a Jordanian flag. Inside, where customers sip on micheladas and catch sports on the TV, the restaurant feels like a standard Mexican spot until the basket of pita chips and tortilla chips arrives at the table: Instead of guacamole, you dip the chips in hummus topped with salsa macha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dip is typical of Así’s hybrid approach, which supplements the restaurant’s traditional Mexican menu with dishes that incorporate Middle Eastern ingredients in surprisingly delicious ways. Mini blue tostadas come topped with ribbons of beef shawarma, toum (garlic sauce) and sumac pickled onions. The shakshuka a la Mexicana, meanwhile, is a cross between traditional shakshuka and huevos rancheros, combining eggs, salty cheese, cilantro and a sumac-spiced tomato sauce — again, all on top of a tostada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Owner Lourdes Barraza quit her job as a Group Supervisor at Santa Cruz Juvenile Hall to start a taco catering business in August 2018. “I’m a mom of three girls,” says Barraza, noting that catering allowed her to keep a flexible schedule. “For me, having my career was important, but being a mom was always number one.” Six years later, in January 2024, Barraza opened Así Mexican Fusion Bistro along with her eldest daughter, Isabella Astorga, who manages the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979657\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallo%CC%81n-Left-to-right.jpg\" alt=\"Four women pose for a portrait in front of a mural.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Lourdes-Barraza-Isabella-Astorga-Ana-Colin-and-Sophia-Gallón-Left-to-right-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right: Lourdes Barraza and her daughters Isabella Astorga, Sophia Gallón and Ana Colin. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Así Mexican Fusion Bistro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the brick-and-mortar, the mother and daughter wanted to go beyond traditional Mexican food. “We thought, ‘Let’s do Middle Eastern fusion,’” says Barraza. As it turns out, Astorga’s partner is from Jordan, and as she became more familiar with that country’s cuisine, she was intrigued by how similar it was to Mexican food — and how well the two cuisines’ spices and cooking techniques blended together. The fusion dishes at Así don’t come across as a gimmick, then, but rather a love letter to both cultures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re also a lot of fun. Some of the restaurant’s most creative fusion creations include a falafel-stuffed burrito and fries loaded with chicken shawarma, black beans, feta and pickled turnips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recipe development starts by breaking dishes down into their components and examining potential twists. For example, if a Mexican dish has oregano, the chefs consider fortifying that earthy flavor by adding Middle Eastern spices like za’atar or sumac. “It’s trial and error,” says Barraza. “As we go, we make changes we feel necessary. It seems to be working, people seem to love it.” One of their greatest hits is the tahini-chipotle crema, which serves as a nutty, smoky complement to grilled meats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979658\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979658\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate.jpg\" alt=\"Chicken kebab, grilled tomatoes, cucumber salad and various sauces on a plate.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1126\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Pollo-Al-Pastor-Kebab-Plate-1536x865.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Así’s take on al pastor is like a deconstructed chicken kebab skewer. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s worth noting that there’s a long history of Mediterranean and Mexican fusion. Al pastor was created thanks to Lebanese immigrants who \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/08/584057034/building-a-latino-muslim-coalition-with-tacotrucksateverymosque\">introduced spit-roasted meat to Mexico in the 1930s\u003c/a>. Así shakes things up a bit by serving both chicken shawarma (cooked on a traditional vertical spit) and a pollo al pastor plate that’s essentially a deconstructed kebab: big, kebab-like chunks of spiced chicken paired with charred tomatoes, onion and a heaping pile of cucumber salad. The experience of loading up a freshly made corn tortilla with chicken kebab, tzatziki, toum and salsa verde is something you’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Así is also a fusion of the family’s experiences and skills. Barraza brings her cooking experience as well as knowledge of family recipes — Así’s salsas are the same ones her father served at his taqueria in Southern California. Meanwhile, Astorga puts her communications degree to use by running an efficient floor and creating a strong sense of community with customers. Barraza’s youngest daughter helps out as a server and makes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DAl2EuYSxlV/?hl=en\">social media videos\u003c/a> for the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Así is relatively new, it has already earned a dedicated following, with some customers stopping in as many as five times a week. “We’ve become a pillar in the short time we’ve been in the community,” Astorga says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979656\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979656\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada.jpg\" alt=\"Tostada topped with egg cooked in tomato sauce.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1126\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/Shakshuka-a-la-Mexicana-tostada-1536x865.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Shakshuka a la Mexicana’ is a cross between traditional shakshuka and huevos rancheros. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The success can be attributed in part to Barraza’s willingness to adapt. When she noticed that a majority of Así’s customers were Muslims who had concerns about cross-contamination from pork, she decided to remove it from the menu. Now, all of the food they serve is halal. Meanwhile, Barraza says many Latino customers have been hesitant to try the restaurant’s Middle Eastern–influenced dishes. She hopes to entice them by pairing those items with more familiar Mexican dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family has bright hopes for the restaurant’s future, with plans to eventually open a nicer sit-down location with full table service. However, they’re in no rush to expand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The restaurant is in its toddler stages,” Barraza says. “Before we open another location, I need it walking on its own.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/asimexicanfusion/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Así Mexican Fusion Bistro\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located at 6239 Santa Teresa Blvd. in San Jose.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "keiths-chicken-waffles-crunchiest-fried-chicken-daly-city-late-night",
"title": "Keith’s Chicken N Waffles Slings Some of the Bay’s Crunchiest Fried Chicken",
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"headTitle": "Keith’s Chicken N Waffles Slings Some of the Bay’s Crunchiest Fried Chicken | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979465\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979465\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Illustration: two men devour fried chicken and waffles inside a restaurant.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The fried chicken at Keith’s Chicken N Waffles is extraordinarily crunchy and flavorful. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sparse, vaguely industrial stretch of Daly City, tucked among a cluster of auto body shops, a tiny storefront sells some of the best fried chicken in the Bay Area — dollar for dollar, almost certainly the best you can get your hands on at 10 o’clock on a Wednesday night, which is when we were inducted into the cult of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/keithschickennwaffles/?hl=en\">Keith’s Chicken N Waffles\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith’s came onto our radar a few months ago, when it \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEk_2lDzRty/?hl=en\">extended its hours\u003c/a> to midnight four nights a week. But for the longest time afterward, we couldn’t find any online evidence of anyone ever actually eating there late at night: No one picked up the phone the dozen or so times I called, and the one time we showed up, hungry, on a Friday night, the place was closed. No sign on the door or anything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we were thrilled to confirm firsthand that you \u003ci>can\u003c/i> score a plate of top-notch chicken and waffles in Daly City until midnight — or at least 11:30 p.m., when the shop puts in its last call for orders. (The hours are a little wonky, though, so if you’re trekking from the other side of the Bay, you should double-check the \u003ca href=\"https://keithschickennwaffles.com/menu\">restaurant website\u003c/a> to make sure they are in fact open and accepting orders before heading out.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shop itself looks like your standard corner soul food joint — a bit cramped and well-worn, with black and white checkerboard-tile flooring and a jaunty, muscle-bound cartoon rooster painted on the facade. A few framed paintings of Bob Marley and Tupac hang on the walls, and a hand-written sign next to the counter reads: “Don’t stare. After you order please sit your ass down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979468\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979468\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2.jpeg\" alt=\"Exterior of a chicken and waffles restaurant lit up at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keith’s is now open late — until midnight — Wednesday through Saturday. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You will have to wait a little while, at least. One of the restaurant’s hallmarks is that the cooks fry every batch of chicken to order; there are no heat lamps to speak of. The chicken comes out burn-your-tongue hot, with a thin, well-bronzed, shatteringly crisp sheath. This was the crunchiest fried chicken I’ve eaten in recent memory, and some of the most flavorful too. I don’t know what they put in their seasoning mix, but every piece is seasoned extraordinarily well down to the last nook, cranny and crevice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the shop’s quirks is that the chicken pieces come in a range of sizes — we received a big, ample thigh, a slightly smaller one, and a rather diminutive drumstick. It didn’t bother us. If anything, the nonuniformity underscored Keith’s Chicken N Waffles’ status as a homegrown, made-from-scratch operation, not some cookie-cutter McNugget factory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you happen to be more of a chicken tender connoisseur, Keith’s still has you covered. The tenders here are plump, moist and uncommonly large — and, again, seasoned so aggressively well that you can enjoy them straight-up. (Though I did like the orange-gold, Carolina-style, honey-based barbecue sauce that the shop provided.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One remarkable thing about Keith’s is how reasonable the prices are. Combo meals — all named after rappers (the DMX, the Rick Ross and so on) — start at around $12 and come with waffles, sides, soda, the whole nine yards, and there’s always a bargain-priced daily special too (say, three wings and a waffle for $10). The upshot is you wind up paying cheaper-than-fast-food prices — I’m looking at you, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s — for fresher, more generous portions of chicken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the soul food side dishes (soupy, well-spiced collard greens, proper Southern-style mac and cheese, and more) were all better than solid, and we decided to save the saucy party wings and promising-looking fried chicken sandwich for our next visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13978355,arts_13956683,arts_13969092']Of course at Keith’s Chicken N Waffles, the chicken is only half the story. In much of the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/food/1337630/chicken\">fried chicken and waffles\u003c/a> is strictly a brunch-time treat, so it’s a rare pleasure to be able to score a good waffle late at night. And the waffles at Keith’s are very good, and available in a variety of flavors and sizes. We liked the standard Belgian waffle best: light, yeasty and super-buttery, with crisp edges, topped with a huge dollop of even more soft butter. It’s tasty enough that you don’t even really need to add syrup — though it’s hard to resist when the restaurant offers serve-yourself syrup, dispensed out of a gigantic coffee urn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone with a sweet tooth should also try the mini waffle trio, which comes with a pint-sized version of the standard waffle, plus a richly chocolatey (and surprisingly not-too-sweet) red velvet waffle and a waffle topped with candied yams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the union of the chicken and the waffles — of savory and sweet — is, of course, what has long made breakfast for dinner (or breakfast for a midnight snack) one of life’s most deeply pleasurable indulgences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That alone makes Keith’s well worth a visit. It might not be the most vibey or bustling of the late-night food destinations we’ve frequented — when we visited, it seemed to be doing all takeout business past 9 p.m., as hungry teens and twentysomethings pulled up to pick up buckets of chicken and waffles before heading out into the night. But who needs vibe when the cooking is this good? The air hung thick with the smell of sweet syrup and hot fryer oil. A match, honestly, made in heaven.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://keithschickennwaffles.com/\">\u003ci>Keith’s Chicken N Waffles\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m.–midnight, Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. and Mondays and Tuesdays 11 a.m.–8 p.m. at 270 San Pedro Rd. in Daly City. It’s within walking distance of the Colma BART station.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The Daly City staple now stays open until midnight four nights a week.",
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"title": "Keith’s Serves the Bay Area’s Crunchiest Fried Chicken | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979465\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979465\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Illustration: two men devour fried chicken and waffles inside a restaurant.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The fried chicken at Keith’s Chicken N Waffles is extraordinarily crunchy and flavorful. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a sparse, vaguely industrial stretch of Daly City, tucked among a cluster of auto body shops, a tiny storefront sells some of the best fried chicken in the Bay Area — dollar for dollar, almost certainly the best you can get your hands on at 10 o’clock on a Wednesday night, which is when we were inducted into the cult of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/keithschickennwaffles/?hl=en\">Keith’s Chicken N Waffles\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith’s came onto our radar a few months ago, when it \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEk_2lDzRty/?hl=en\">extended its hours\u003c/a> to midnight four nights a week. But for the longest time afterward, we couldn’t find any online evidence of anyone ever actually eating there late at night: No one picked up the phone the dozen or so times I called, and the one time we showed up, hungry, on a Friday night, the place was closed. No sign on the door or anything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we were thrilled to confirm firsthand that you \u003ci>can\u003c/i> score a plate of top-notch chicken and waffles in Daly City until midnight — or at least 11:30 p.m., when the shop puts in its last call for orders. (The hours are a little wonky, though, so if you’re trekking from the other side of the Bay, you should double-check the \u003ca href=\"https://keithschickennwaffles.com/menu\">restaurant website\u003c/a> to make sure they are in fact open and accepting orders before heading out.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shop itself looks like your standard corner soul food joint — a bit cramped and well-worn, with black and white checkerboard-tile flooring and a jaunty, muscle-bound cartoon rooster painted on the facade. A few framed paintings of Bob Marley and Tupac hang on the walls, and a hand-written sign next to the counter reads: “Don’t stare. After you order please sit your ass down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979468\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979468\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2.jpeg\" alt=\"Exterior of a chicken and waffles restaurant lit up at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2-160x160.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/08/keiths-2-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keith’s is now open late — until midnight — Wednesday through Saturday. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>You will have to wait a little while, at least. One of the restaurant’s hallmarks is that the cooks fry every batch of chicken to order; there are no heat lamps to speak of. The chicken comes out burn-your-tongue hot, with a thin, well-bronzed, shatteringly crisp sheath. This was the crunchiest fried chicken I’ve eaten in recent memory, and some of the most flavorful too. I don’t know what they put in their seasoning mix, but every piece is seasoned extraordinarily well down to the last nook, cranny and crevice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the shop’s quirks is that the chicken pieces come in a range of sizes — we received a big, ample thigh, a slightly smaller one, and a rather diminutive drumstick. It didn’t bother us. If anything, the nonuniformity underscored Keith’s Chicken N Waffles’ status as a homegrown, made-from-scratch operation, not some cookie-cutter McNugget factory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you happen to be more of a chicken tender connoisseur, Keith’s still has you covered. The tenders here are plump, moist and uncommonly large — and, again, seasoned so aggressively well that you can enjoy them straight-up. (Though I did like the orange-gold, Carolina-style, honey-based barbecue sauce that the shop provided.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One remarkable thing about Keith’s is how reasonable the prices are. Combo meals — all named after rappers (the DMX, the Rick Ross and so on) — start at around $12 and come with waffles, sides, soda, the whole nine yards, and there’s always a bargain-priced daily special too (say, three wings and a waffle for $10). The upshot is you wind up paying cheaper-than-fast-food prices — I’m looking at you, Popeyes and Raising Cane’s — for fresher, more generous portions of chicken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the soul food side dishes (soupy, well-spiced collard greens, proper Southern-style mac and cheese, and more) were all better than solid, and we decided to save the saucy party wings and promising-looking fried chicken sandwich for our next visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Of course at Keith’s Chicken N Waffles, the chicken is only half the story. In much of the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/food/1337630/chicken\">fried chicken and waffles\u003c/a> is strictly a brunch-time treat, so it’s a rare pleasure to be able to score a good waffle late at night. And the waffles at Keith’s are very good, and available in a variety of flavors and sizes. We liked the standard Belgian waffle best: light, yeasty and super-buttery, with crisp edges, topped with a huge dollop of even more soft butter. It’s tasty enough that you don’t even really need to add syrup — though it’s hard to resist when the restaurant offers serve-yourself syrup, dispensed out of a gigantic coffee urn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone with a sweet tooth should also try the mini waffle trio, which comes with a pint-sized version of the standard waffle, plus a richly chocolatey (and surprisingly not-too-sweet) red velvet waffle and a waffle topped with candied yams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the union of the chicken and the waffles — of savory and sweet — is, of course, what has long made breakfast for dinner (or breakfast for a midnight snack) one of life’s most deeply pleasurable indulgences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That alone makes Keith’s well worth a visit. It might not be the most vibey or bustling of the late-night food destinations we’ve frequented — when we visited, it seemed to be doing all takeout business past 9 p.m., as hungry teens and twentysomethings pulled up to pick up buckets of chicken and waffles before heading out into the night. But who needs vibe when the cooking is this good? The air hung thick with the smell of sweet syrup and hot fryer oil. A match, honestly, made in heaven.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://keithschickennwaffles.com/\">\u003ci>Keith’s Chicken N Waffles\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m.–midnight, Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. and Mondays and Tuesdays 11 a.m.–8 p.m. at 270 San Pedro Rd. in Daly City. It’s within walking distance of the Colma BART station.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "hyphy-burger-grand-opening-west-oakland-guapdad",
"title": "West Oakland’s Hyphy Burger Celebrates Its Grand Opening",
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"content": "\u003cp>In discussing this Saturday’s grand opening party for \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hyphy Burger\u003c/a> in West Oakland, locally raised rapper\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Guap (aka Guapdad 4000)\u003c/a> sounds like he’s describing the circus coming to town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got face paint for the kids, a photo booth, a jumper and horses,” he says. “And then we’ll roll in the cars, and the DJ starts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its soft opening back in February, the burger-fries-and-shakes joint has had a constant line of patrons. Now, Guap and the team of local owners will celebrate the restaurant’s official grand opening with an expansion of the menu (with more burger options, including a pastrami burger and a veggie burger) and food giveaways for those who arrive early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Hyphy Burger is an ode to the term “the king of the super-duper-hyphy,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/keak-da-sneak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keak Da Sneak\u003c/a>, helped popularize — one that represents the hyperactive energy that brewed out of the inner city of the Bay Area and fueled a cultural phenomenon in the early aughts — today the burger shack on West Grand and Market stands as another local eatery gaining its footing in a churning sea of ups and downs for East Bay food establishments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979394\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979394\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man in a black jacket and braids poses for a photo outside of a burger joint while holding a soda. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guap, part-owner of Hyphy Burger, stops by the restaurant for a meal. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Guapdad 4000,)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To launch the restaurant, Guap (real name Akeem Hayes) teamed up with Darion Frazier (known for his social media food reviews under the moniker \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bayareafoodz/\">@bayareafoodz)\u003c/a>, Julian “Jigga” Ervin and a duo of brothers, Fakri and Zakaria “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zackstv/?hl=en\">Zack\u003c/a>” Alwajeeh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an initial aim of opening a cheesesteak shop, Frazier joined Guap on tour with DMV Area lyricist Wale and Philadelphia MC Young Chris (of the Young Gunz), stopping in Philly to survey the local cuisine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>I recommended that we change it to smash burgers because I live in Los Angeles,” says Guap, noting how the craze over the flattened burgers was taking over Southern California. “I liked the simplicity of it, and I felt like it was doable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frazier, the food influencer, did more research and development, testing over 30 different burger spots and taking notes on his experiences. Guap, who in addition to rapping is an actor, designer and model, took the lead on other aspects of the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979395\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979395\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg\" alt='A mini yellow bus and signage that reads \"you feel me\" appear at the Hyphy Burger kiosk.' width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mini yellow bus and signage that reads “you feel me” shows how the eatery is hyphy down to the details. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I run, for the most part, creative design and customer experience,” he says, adding that he designed the employee uniforms and created a comic book that will be given away during Saturday’s event. “I did the 3-D mock-up for the fry holders and the bag,” says Guap. “I learned how to do that just to make our own for the restaurant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team added tables with signage that harken back 20 years to the era of going 18-dummy. The restaurant’s speakers blast local Bay Area hip-hop, new and old. The menu boasts a “Ya Feel Me” sauce, and the milkshakes are called “Stunna Shakes,” a play off of stunna shades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even a mini short bus parked outside of the restaurant, a nod to the unfortunate side of the hyphy movement that made light of stigmas about people with learning disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bright logos and fresh yellow, red and blue paint have replaced the signage from the old All Star Donuts & Burgers that previously occupied the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s crazy too,” exclaims Guap, “because we finna add donuts to the menu, and really call back to that. I’m not even playing, I’m working on the logo now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent revitalization of West Oakland’s food scene has been a process of two steps forward and one step back. There are newer eateries like \u003ca href=\"https://www.prescottmarket.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Prescott Market\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://junespizza.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June’s Pizza\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soulblendscoffee/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soul Blends Coffee.\u003c/a> There’s also \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/category/nosh/restaurant-closures/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a running list of closures\u003c/a> that includes places like the famed \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/03/14/west-oakland-horn-barbecue-will-not-reopen-after-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Horn BBQ\u003c/a>, which last year closed its West Oakland establishment and reopened in\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/03/17/horn-barbecue-oakland-updates/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> a new downtown location.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guap, who grew up in the neighborhood, understands this sea change. “I think the average person in the West, where we put the restaurant, wants to see new shiny things,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprO6K7KEw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In seeing how people have flocked to the business since its soft launch, whether to enjoy the food or \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprO6K7KEw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">film music videos\u003c/a> at the establishment, Guap notes that there’s value in making something presentable for the community. But it has to be bigger than doing it for clicks and shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“\u003c/i>I want people to Instagram some quality,” he says, alluding to it being deeper than social media. “I want to bring actual value to the real estate in the community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not an easy process. In the six months since its soft launch, the business has experienced employee turnover, isn’t yet on the delivery service apps and hasn’t opened its drive-thru window. But with the impending launch of a second location on 98th in Deep East Oakland, Guap says what they’re really celebrating on Saturday is the baby steps of a burgeoning business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been crazy to have that line of people” says Guap. “It is a blessing though. It’s a great problem to have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution, he says — for his team or any other business in their position — is to do research, work with the City and find a team of people who have the same “motion as you.” Ultimately, Guap says, it’s about working with “your innermost community and pooling your resources” to create something that benefits the larger collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland’s Hyphy Burger celebrates its grand opening all day Saturday, August 2, at 898 West Grand Ave. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check the restaurant’s IG page for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "West Oakland’s Hyphy Burger Celebrates Its Grand Opening | KQED",
"description": "Rapper Guap and friends launch a new eatery at a time of true ups and downs in the local food scene. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In discussing this Saturday’s grand opening party for \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hyphy Burger\u003c/a> in West Oakland, locally raised rapper\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943512/oakland-rapper-guap-on-his-black-and-filipino-roots-and-what-inspired-the-song-chicken-adobo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Guap (aka Guapdad 4000)\u003c/a> sounds like he’s describing the circus coming to town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got face paint for the kids, a photo booth, a jumper and horses,” he says. “And then we’ll roll in the cars, and the DJ starts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its soft opening back in February, the burger-fries-and-shakes joint has had a constant line of patrons. Now, Guap and the team of local owners will celebrate the restaurant’s official grand opening with an expansion of the menu (with more burger options, including a pastrami burger and a veggie burger) and food giveaways for those who arrive early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Hyphy Burger is an ode to the term “the king of the super-duper-hyphy,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/keak-da-sneak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Keak Da Sneak\u003c/a>, helped popularize — one that represents the hyperactive energy that brewed out of the inner city of the Bay Area and fueled a cultural phenomenon in the early aughts — today the burger shack on West Grand and Market stands as another local eatery gaining its footing in a churning sea of ups and downs for East Bay food establishments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979394\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979394\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man in a black jacket and braids poses for a photo outside of a burger joint while holding a soda. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-scaled.jpeg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_1739854768480-copy-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guap, part-owner of Hyphy Burger, stops by the restaurant for a meal. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Guapdad 4000,)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To launch the restaurant, Guap (real name Akeem Hayes) teamed up with Darion Frazier (known for his social media food reviews under the moniker \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bayareafoodz/\">@bayareafoodz)\u003c/a>, Julian “Jigga” Ervin and a duo of brothers, Fakri and Zakaria “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/zackstv/?hl=en\">Zack\u003c/a>” Alwajeeh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With an initial aim of opening a cheesesteak shop, Frazier joined Guap on tour with DMV Area lyricist Wale and Philadelphia MC Young Chris (of the Young Gunz), stopping in Philly to survey the local cuisine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>I recommended that we change it to smash burgers because I live in Los Angeles,” says Guap, noting how the craze over the flattened burgers was taking over Southern California. “I liked the simplicity of it, and I felt like it was doable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frazier, the food influencer, did more research and development, testing over 30 different burger spots and taking notes on his experiences. Guap, who in addition to rapping is an actor, designer and model, took the lead on other aspects of the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979395\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979395\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg\" alt='A mini yellow bus and signage that reads \"you feel me\" appear at the Hyphy Burger kiosk.' width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/IMG_5425-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mini yellow bus and signage that reads “you feel me” shows how the eatery is hyphy down to the details. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I run, for the most part, creative design and customer experience,” he says, adding that he designed the employee uniforms and created a comic book that will be given away during Saturday’s event. “I did the 3-D mock-up for the fry holders and the bag,” says Guap. “I learned how to do that just to make our own for the restaurant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team added tables with signage that harken back 20 years to the era of going 18-dummy. The restaurant’s speakers blast local Bay Area hip-hop, new and old. The menu boasts a “Ya Feel Me” sauce, and the milkshakes are called “Stunna Shakes,” a play off of stunna shades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even a mini short bus parked outside of the restaurant, a nod to the unfortunate side of the hyphy movement that made light of stigmas about people with learning disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bright logos and fresh yellow, red and blue paint have replaced the signage from the old All Star Donuts & Burgers that previously occupied the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s crazy too,” exclaims Guap, “because we finna add donuts to the menu, and really call back to that. I’m not even playing, I’m working on the logo now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent revitalization of West Oakland’s food scene has been a process of two steps forward and one step back. There are newer eateries like \u003ca href=\"https://www.prescottmarket.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Prescott Market\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://junespizza.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June’s Pizza\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/soulblendscoffee/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soul Blends Coffee.\u003c/a> There’s also \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/category/nosh/restaurant-closures/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a running list of closures\u003c/a> that includes places like the famed \u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/03/14/west-oakland-horn-barbecue-will-not-reopen-after-fire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Horn BBQ\u003c/a>, which last year closed its West Oakland establishment and reopened in\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2025/03/17/horn-barbecue-oakland-updates/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> a new downtown location.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guap, who grew up in the neighborhood, understands this sea change. “I think the average person in the West, where we put the restaurant, wants to see new shiny things,” he says.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/rLprO6K7KEw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/rLprO6K7KEw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In seeing how people have flocked to the business since its soft launch, whether to enjoy the food or \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLprO6K7KEw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">film music videos\u003c/a> at the establishment, Guap notes that there’s value in making something presentable for the community. But it has to be bigger than doing it for clicks and shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“\u003c/i>I want people to Instagram some quality,” he says, alluding to it being deeper than social media. “I want to bring actual value to the real estate in the community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not an easy process. In the six months since its soft launch, the business has experienced employee turnover, isn’t yet on the delivery service apps and hasn’t opened its drive-thru window. But with the impending launch of a second location on 98th in Deep East Oakland, Guap says what they’re really celebrating on Saturday is the baby steps of a burgeoning business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been crazy to have that line of people” says Guap. “It is a blessing though. It’s a great problem to have.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution, he says — for his team or any other business in their position — is to do research, work with the City and find a team of people who have the same “motion as you.” Ultimately, Guap says, it’s about working with “your innermost community and pooling your resources” to create something that benefits the larger collective.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland’s Hyphy Burger celebrates its grand opening all day Saturday, August 2, at 898 West Grand Ave. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyburger/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check the restaurant’s IG page for more information\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "A Barbecue Bash in Oakland to Lift Up Immigrant Communities",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Vibha Gupta organized the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928792/no-immigrants-no-spice-barbecue-yakitori-kebab-lechon-oakland\">BBQ Without Borders\u003c/a> event in Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://noimmigrantsnospice.org/bbq2019\">in 2019\u003c/a>, she conceived it as a response to the Trump administration’s anti-\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/immigration\">immigrant\u003c/a> rhetoric. In the era of “Build the Wall” and a Muslim travel ban, the barbecue feast celebrated Mexican barbacoa, Iranian kebabs and Indonesian grilled fish skewers — and, even more importantly, the diverse immigrant communities that brought those fire-kissed foods to America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No Immigrants, No Spice.” That was the name Gupta chose for her fledgling nonprofit that hosted the event, drawing inspiration from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOt5SmHf2aE\">Trevor Noah bit\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, six months into a second Trump presidency that has already put \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/07/03/nx-s1-5456246/immigrants-no-criminal-convictions-growth-ice-detention-population\">more than 56,000 immigrants into ICE detention centers\u003c/a>, Gupta believes the pro-immigrant barbecue fundraiser is more relevant than ever. The \u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/bbq-without-borders-2025\">2025 edition of BBQ Without Borders\u003c/a> takes place this Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Oakland Museum, featuring live music, kid-friendly activities and a star-studded lineup of local chefs from restaurants like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954899/latina-owned-pr-agency-popoca-oakland-east-bay-if-only-creative\">Popoca\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978846/new-ethiopian-eritrean-restaurants-bay-area-san-francisco-oakland\">Café Colucci\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Gupta, the work of her organization has never felt as radical to her as it has this year. “Something as simple as getting together and celebrating the contributions of immigrants feels dangerous,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gupta, an East Bay resident and emergency room doctor, explains that she chose barbecue because of the love that so many immigrant communities share for grilled foods. “When you say barbecue in the American lexicon, it conjures up images of hot dogs, hamburgers and, you know, brisket in the South,” Gupta says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979386\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of grilled dishes laid out on a picnic table.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A spread of dishes from the 2023 edition of BBQ Without Borders. \u003ccite>(Scott Hoag, courtesy of No Immigrants, No Spice)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The idea of “barbecue without borders” was to flip that script and show that barbecue can consist of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">many other fire-based dishes\u003c/a>, like Persian pomegranate-molasses grilled chicken wings and intricately spiced Indian barbecue served with gorgeous handmade chutneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We like to think of barbecue as a vehicle to introduce people to different cultures,” Gupta explains. “A barbecue conjures up images of community and people sharing. And we think that that’s the perfect place to talk about immigration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s participating chefs were chosen for both the deliciousness of their food and the fact that their community has been maligned and misrepresented by the current administration in some way. For instance, Café Colucci general manager Daniel Yeshiwas, who will be serving awaze tibs skewers, represents a story of intergenerational hustle — his auntie, Fetlework Tefferi, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978846/new-ethiopian-eritrean-restaurants-bay-area-san-francisco-oakland\">started the restaurant in the ’90s\u003c/a> and eventually opened the Bay Area’s first Ethiopian spice company. Now, three decades later, she and Yeshiwas have built up an impressive Ethiopian food empire that, as Gupta points out, stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s sneering reference to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/19/world/africa/document-Trump-African-Countries.html\">“shithole” African countries\u003c/a>. Chef Anthony Salguero will serve fresh herb–topped Salvadoran enchiladas. His Oakland restaurant, Popoca, is a love letter to the diverse, nuanced cuisine of El Salvador — a country associated, recently, with the massive CECOT prison where hundreds of alleged gang members have been “disappeared to” without a trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13915306,arts_13904835,arts_13915312']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Meanwhile, Sincere Justice of Oakland’s Tacos Sincero will showcase his unique brand of “Chino-Latino” fusion cuisine — tostadas topped with braised chicken and Sichuan salsa verde, and “Thai pastor” blistered green beans. (Maria Marquez of Tacos Mamá Cuca, who was originally slated to be the third chef, had to pull out due to a family emergency, but she’ll still be featured in an art exhibition that BBQ Without Borders staff are creating to tell each chef’s personal story.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To top things off, Third Culture Bakery will provide desserts, and, as an add-on, a limited number of guests can sign up for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DMGzn0VSmWP/?hl=en\">pani puri party\u003c/a> hosted by chef Preeti Mistry (Juhu Beach Club).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a fundraising element to the event: All proceeds will go toward a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DMQeR6npphG/?img_index=1\">Resilience Fund\u003c/a>,” created in partnership with Oakland’s Unity Council, that will provide cash assistance to undocumented immigrants in the East Bay. The goal is to raise $50,000 to pay for these “micro-grants.” Gupta acknowledges that cutting someone a check for a few hundred dollars isn’t enough to be life-changing — “but if we can help keep someone in their apartment for an extra month, or have someone have enough food so they don’t have to go to work selling flowers on the side of the street because they’re afraid of being picked up by ICE, then that’s a win for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979387\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979387\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg\" alt=\"A crowd picnicking on a sunny day, including a smiling couple with arms around each other's shoulders\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The goal is to provide a ‘celebratory safe space.’ \u003ccite>(Scott Hoag, courtesy of No Immigrants, No Spice)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The broader hope, Gupta says, is for the barbecue to be a “celebratory safe space” that presents a different image of immigration than the ones currently being blasted across the news media — “people being chased down, windows being broken, like these ICE raids that are happening here and in Los Angeles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This event is so important because it gives some dignity back to people, and that’s why we’re doing this,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/bbq-without-borders-2025\">\u003ci>BBQ Without Borders\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 3–7 p.m., at the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St., Oakland). Each chef will offer both meat and vegetarian options. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/bbq-without-borders-2025/tickets\">\u003ci>Tickets are available online\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Vibha Gupta organized the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13928792/no-immigrants-no-spice-barbecue-yakitori-kebab-lechon-oakland\">BBQ Without Borders\u003c/a> event in Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://noimmigrantsnospice.org/bbq2019\">in 2019\u003c/a>, she conceived it as a response to the Trump administration’s anti-\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/immigration\">immigrant\u003c/a> rhetoric. In the era of “Build the Wall” and a Muslim travel ban, the barbecue feast celebrated Mexican barbacoa, Iranian kebabs and Indonesian grilled fish skewers — and, even more importantly, the diverse immigrant communities that brought those fire-kissed foods to America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No Immigrants, No Spice.” That was the name Gupta chose for her fledgling nonprofit that hosted the event, drawing inspiration from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOt5SmHf2aE\">Trevor Noah bit\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, six months into a second Trump presidency that has already put \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/07/03/nx-s1-5456246/immigrants-no-criminal-convictions-growth-ice-detention-population\">more than 56,000 immigrants into ICE detention centers\u003c/a>, Gupta believes the pro-immigrant barbecue fundraiser is more relevant than ever. The \u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/bbq-without-borders-2025\">2025 edition of BBQ Without Borders\u003c/a> takes place this Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Oakland Museum, featuring live music, kid-friendly activities and a star-studded lineup of local chefs from restaurants like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954899/latina-owned-pr-agency-popoca-oakland-east-bay-if-only-creative\">Popoca\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978846/new-ethiopian-eritrean-restaurants-bay-area-san-francisco-oakland\">Café Colucci\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Gupta, the work of her organization has never felt as radical to her as it has this year. “Something as simple as getting together and celebrating the contributions of immigrants feels dangerous,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gupta, an East Bay resident and emergency room doctor, explains that she chose barbecue because of the love that so many immigrant communities share for grilled foods. “When you say barbecue in the American lexicon, it conjures up images of hot dogs, hamburgers and, you know, brisket in the South,” Gupta says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979386\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979386\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of grilled dishes laid out on a picnic table.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Food-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A spread of dishes from the 2023 edition of BBQ Without Borders. \u003ccite>(Scott Hoag, courtesy of No Immigrants, No Spice)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The idea of “barbecue without borders” was to flip that script and show that barbecue can consist of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bbq\">many other fire-based dishes\u003c/a>, like Persian pomegranate-molasses grilled chicken wings and intricately spiced Indian barbecue served with gorgeous handmade chutneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We like to think of barbecue as a vehicle to introduce people to different cultures,” Gupta explains. “A barbecue conjures up images of community and people sharing. And we think that that’s the perfect place to talk about immigration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s participating chefs were chosen for both the deliciousness of their food and the fact that their community has been maligned and misrepresented by the current administration in some way. For instance, Café Colucci general manager Daniel Yeshiwas, who will be serving awaze tibs skewers, represents a story of intergenerational hustle — his auntie, Fetlework Tefferi, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978846/new-ethiopian-eritrean-restaurants-bay-area-san-francisco-oakland\">started the restaurant in the ’90s\u003c/a> and eventually opened the Bay Area’s first Ethiopian spice company. Now, three decades later, she and Yeshiwas have built up an impressive Ethiopian food empire that, as Gupta points out, stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s sneering reference to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/19/world/africa/document-Trump-African-Countries.html\">“shithole” African countries\u003c/a>. Chef Anthony Salguero will serve fresh herb–topped Salvadoran enchiladas. His Oakland restaurant, Popoca, is a love letter to the diverse, nuanced cuisine of El Salvador — a country associated, recently, with the massive CECOT prison where hundreds of alleged gang members have been “disappeared to” without a trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Meanwhile, Sincere Justice of Oakland’s Tacos Sincero will showcase his unique brand of “Chino-Latino” fusion cuisine — tostadas topped with braised chicken and Sichuan salsa verde, and “Thai pastor” blistered green beans. (Maria Marquez of Tacos Mamá Cuca, who was originally slated to be the third chef, had to pull out due to a family emergency, but she’ll still be featured in an art exhibition that BBQ Without Borders staff are creating to tell each chef’s personal story.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To top things off, Third Culture Bakery will provide desserts, and, as an add-on, a limited number of guests can sign up for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DMGzn0VSmWP/?hl=en\">pani puri party\u003c/a> hosted by chef Preeti Mistry (Juhu Beach Club).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s also a fundraising element to the event: All proceeds will go toward a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DMQeR6npphG/?img_index=1\">Resilience Fund\u003c/a>,” created in partnership with Oakland’s Unity Council, that will provide cash assistance to undocumented immigrants in the East Bay. The goal is to raise $50,000 to pay for these “micro-grants.” Gupta acknowledges that cutting someone a check for a few hundred dollars isn’t enough to be life-changing — “but if we can help keep someone in their apartment for an extra month, or have someone have enough food so they don’t have to go to work selling flowers on the side of the street because they’re afraid of being picked up by ICE, then that’s a win for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13979387\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13979387\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg\" alt=\"A crowd picnicking on a sunny day, including a smiling couple with arms around each other's shoulders\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Event-Attendees-BBQ-Without-Borders-2023-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The goal is to provide a ‘celebratory safe space.’ \u003ccite>(Scott Hoag, courtesy of No Immigrants, No Spice)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The broader hope, Gupta says, is for the barbecue to be a “celebratory safe space” that presents a different image of immigration than the ones currently being blasted across the news media — “people being chased down, windows being broken, like these ICE raids that are happening here and in Los Angeles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This event is so important because it gives some dignity back to people, and that’s why we’re doing this,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/bbq-without-borders-2025\">\u003ci>BBQ Without Borders\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 3–7 p.m., at the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St., Oakland). Each chef will offer both meat and vegetarian options. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/bbq-without-borders-2025/tickets\">\u003ci>Tickets are available online\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "new-ethiopian-eritrean-restaurants-bay-area-san-francisco-oakland",
"title": "The New Evolution of Ethiopian and Eritrean Restaurants in the Bay Area",
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"headTitle": "The New Evolution of Ethiopian and Eritrean Restaurants in the Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>In 2007, when my mom hadn’t yet been priced out of San Francisco, I’d trek over from my dorm in Berkeley to wander with her around the neon-drenched, still-Waymo-less city. That’s when I first tasted Ethiopian food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attracted to its rich flavors and affordability, my mom, a Mexican immigrant who worked odd jobs in the food industry, often insisted on taking me out for Ethiopian. The spongy, sour fluffs of injera and heaps of berbere-rich chicken and spicy lentil stew were new and exciting to my teenage palate, though of course by then the East African cuisine was already well entrenched in Bay Area culture. And while my exposure to the cuisine tapered off after I moved out of the Bay, Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants have somehow managed to look, smell and taste exactly as I remembered them in those days — despite the rest of the Bay’s aggressive changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2025, you can walk into just about any popular fixture of \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/maps/ethiopian-restaurant-oakland-east-african\">our region’s loaded East African food circuit\u003c/a> — Café Colucci in North Oakland, Ensarro near Lake Merritt, Sheba Jazz Lounge (formerly Piano Lounge) on Fillmore Street — and it’ll still feel mostly like it did decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977747\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yohana Woldeabzgi serves injera at Meskie’s Kitchen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on June 16, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Take my recent visit to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/meskisberkeley/?hl=en\">Meskie’s Kitchen\u003c/a> in Berkeley, which has stayed relatively the same since it opened over three decades ago under the name Ethiopia Restaurant. The place is still filled with the fragrant aromas you’ll mostly find inside family kitchens equipped with mom-approved recipes. Even though the space was renovated in 2020, the unpretentious interior, with a few Ethiopian paintings and photographs dotting the walls, may as well be from the late aughts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I stuck with the basics. A round of beef tibs, a stir-fry dressed in zesty awaze sauce. Doro wot, a piquant stew of tender bone-in chicken and hard-boiled eggs. Yebeg alicha, an herb-infused lamb stew. And gomen, the peppery collard green sauté. I also ordered the classic veggie combo, a vegan-friendly mix of spiced red lentils, split peas, cabbage, puréed garbanzo beans and more, all jigsawed onto a large, colorful platter. And that’s only the tip of the pyramid when it comes to its diverse menu. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, the Bay Area’s Ethiopian restaurants have provided more than just uber-fresh flavors. The cuisine is also known for its comparatively low price point, generous family-sized portions and down-to-earth simplicity. Almost all of the region’s East African restaurants are small, homey mom-and-pop operations. For the past 40 years, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find an Ethiopian or Eritrean fine dining establishment or experimental fusion hot spot. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977746\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977746\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Injera at Meskie’s Kitchen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on June 16, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But those long-held expectations are slowly starting to shift. A new generation of East African business owners, entrepreneurs and creatives are taking the reins while upholding the work and legacy they’ve inherited. As their elders pass down knowledge, resources and capital, Americanized millennials — the first generation to be born and raised stateside after their parents immigrated from Ethiopia and Eritrea in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s — are expanding on what their predecessors built. The result? At least in the Bay Area, East African food seems poised to enter its biggest evolutionary moment, as newer, more open-ended approaches to the cuisine now appeal to younger, social media–savvy crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas, a managing partner of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cafecolucci/?hl=en\">Café Colucci\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/brundospices/?hl=en\">Brundo Spice Company\u003c/a> in North Oakland, runs a series of innovative pop-ups in Colucci’s patio: blending Ethiopian spices with flavors from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13938506/cafe-colucci-pop-up-oakland-ethiopian-ghanaian-selasie-dotse\">Ghana\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DLLVteMhd3t/?hl=en&img_index=1\">American South\u003c/a>. First-generation brothers Benyam and Yonathan Yohannes — whose family opened Asmara, Oakland’s first East African restaurant, in 1985 — recently unveiled a cocktail bar, 51 & Tel, that features modern vegan bites like a burrito-esque “\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2024/9/9/24240304/51-and-tel-oakland-temescal-cocktail-bar-opening\">injera-ritto\u003c/a>” and boozy drinks inspired by underground Bay Area rap and spiked punch bowls. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian duo based in San Jose has been working on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/automitad/\">the first automated injera maker, Automitad\u003c/a>. The startup boasts “unrivaled efficiency” with a product able to crank out between 1,000 and 1,7000 injeras an hour. Last year, they announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AQ7JXvkhm/\">the shipment of their first machine\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a new wave of Ethiopian entrepreneurs who are taking risks in different fields,” says Guma Fassil, the 37-year-old Ethiopian American who owns the aforementioned Meskie’s. A savvy playmaker and the ambitious only child of Ethiopian immigrants, Fassil would know. He unexpectedly took charge of the Berkeley restaurant in 2019 after his mother, Meski, passed away. She had opened the institutional eatery in 1993, operating it as a community hub until her final days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guma Fassil sits in the lounge at Meski, an Ethiopian–Afro-Latin fusion restaurant in San Francisco co-owned by Fassil, chef Nelson German, and NBA star Draymond Green, on July 10, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since taking over the restaurant and rebranding it as Meskie’s, Fassil has learned to inject his own worldview and expertise into the Bay’s vibrant East African scene. Fassil — who worked at his mom’s restaurant throughout his twenties while also making a name for himself in Bay Area nightlife — opened his own splashy, Ethiopian-inspired establishment in San Francisco earlier this year: Meski. In his telling, it’s an Ethiopian-nightclub-meets-dining-lounge concept with an Afro-Latino punch, occupying prime real estate in the glamorous Lower Nob Hill neighborhood. This new place to be seen at is co-owned by Golden State Warriors star \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/draymond-green\">Draymond Green\u003c/a>, and the kitchen’s Ethiopian-Dominican menu is overseen by \u003ci>Top Chef\u003c/i> alum Nelson German, the Oakland-based Dominican cuisinier behind Sobre Mesa and alaMar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love traditional mom and pop Ethiopian food. I was raised on it,” Fassil says. “But I honestly had no interest in replicating that. I wanted to be a vanguard in creating something that hasn’t been done before, and changing the narrative on East African cuisine. We are capable of packaging our culture in an elevated way. There is an appetite for this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13905230']Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent nation — a millenia-old society, and \u003ca href=\"https://schoolfor.africa/education/african-communities-that-resisted-colonization/\">the first and only African country that successfully resisted European occupation\u003c/a>. So it makes sense that its diasporic foods would also have a proudly unchanging quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ’80s and ’90s brought a slew of East African businesses to the Bay after an initial wave of Ethiopian immigrants, refugees and dreamers first reached America beginning in the late ’70s. Many — including Fassil’s and Yeshiwas’ parents — came on student visas, initially landing in states like Ohio and Massachusetts before graduating and migrating westward. Others fled from the drought, government-induced famines, and a 17-year civil war that took hundreds of thousands of East African lives after Haile Selassie was overthrown in the 1974 Ethiopian coup. In Northern California, this led to a flourishing ecosystem of Ethiopian and Eritrean community leaders, including future restaurateurs. Their hard-earned resolve, scrappy resourcefulness, and memories of their estranged homeland helped forge one of the nation’s most distinct swaths of East African food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13970244\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1038px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas, manager of Cafe Colucci, poses for a photo in a black jacket in front of a white background.\" width=\"1038\" height=\"1566\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13970244\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0.jpg 1038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-800x1207.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-1020x1539.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1038px) 100vw, 1038px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas, manager of Café Colucci and owner of Brundo Spice Company. \u003ccite>(Clay Williams)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Bay Area Ethiopians are unique,” says Yeshiwas. “Our take on Ethiopian food here merges with our surroundings. In the Bay, we have the best access to produce and fresh vegetables. Our food is full of greens, hummus, salads. That’s traditional, but it’s not exactly the same in Ethiopia. And if you go to D.C., it’s huge piles of meat. It’s all tasty, but there’s an added emphasis on veganism and vegetarianism [in the Bay].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelin-recognized Café Colucci was founded in 1991 by Fetlework Tefferi, Yeshiwas’ lifelong family friend and nominal aunt. The Oakland staple was preceded by Chibbo in 1985, an Afrocentric after-hours club and East African grill that Tefferi formerly helped to run on University Avenue in Berkeley. During the day, Tefferi dreamed of building her own space. She eventually opened Café Colucci, which was meant to be an Italian-inspired cafe when it debuted. After it became clear that Ethiopian grub was a bigger hit than expected, Tefferi went all in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays, Yeshiwas helps run the longstanding business that Tefferi built. He knows Fassil’s family through an Ethiopian church (because, as Fassil says, “every Ethiopian in the Bay knows each other, or knows someone who knows you.”) Similar to Fassil, Yeshiwas stepped into his role at Café Colucci with deep pride and respect, but also with an unfurled sense of possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978891\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2506\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978891\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-768x962.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-1226x1536.jpg 1226w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-1634x2048.jpg 1634w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Suggested recipes from the Brundo Spice Company include Shrimp Tibs with a citrus dressed salad and a side of Shiro. \u003ccite>(Melati Citrawireja / Courtesy Brundo Spice Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Ethiopian food is really hard to make,” says Yeshiwas, who regularly travels to Ethiopia to oversee a spice packaging warehouse in Modjo that was built for his spice company, Brundo. “Taking 2,000 pounds of onions, then cooking that down into a sauce to be made into another sauce to be put on lentils and then selling that for $13 bucks — it worked for our parents trying to survive however they could. But for a group of friends today, it’s like, just making injera, we have two shifts of workers making a thousand daily. It’s a very old-school process, rooted in tradition, but [my generation is] thinking about scale, and we’re living in an ultra-capitalistic society. So how can we preserve the culture and, frankly, be able to run these operations a bit more efficiently?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past five years, Yeshiwas has used Brundo — an Ethiopian colloquialism that roughly translates into “good food” — to reconnect with his Ethiopian identity and to reimagine Ethiopian heirloom spices and herbs as a premier product with top-end partnerships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13977950']That takes the form of Ethiopian spice chai and black cardamom lattes at Blue Bottle Coffee. It’s berbere-spiced greens at Burdell in Oakland, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.foodandwine.com/2024-restaurant-of-the-year-burdell-8702727\">nationally recognized soul food\u003c/a> restaurant. It’s berbere hummus at Obour. It’s Ethiopian hot chocolate at Coracao. It’s all of the clever pop-ups hosted on Café Colucci’s side patio, which bring in talented young chefs from all different backgrounds and set them loose on Brundo’s full spectrum of East African spices. It’s even Ethiopian-spiced ice cream — something Yeshiwas has his aim set on next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to have a high quality, presentable Ethiopian product,” he says. “Food systems in the U.S. are difficult [to navigate] and can make it harder, but I want it to be in a lot of other different places. I want to collab in new kinds of ways.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978886\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978886\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-2048x1638.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Women oversee the drying process on the farm in Ethiopia that supplies Brundo Spice Company. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brundo Spice Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fassil has a similar game plan. At the sleek new Meski in San Francisco, eaters will find dining options that they likely won’t find at other Ethiopian-owned businesses: Ethiopian-style sambusas made from island yuca, stuffed with berbere-kissed beef or lentils; tibs de maduro, a Carribeanized spin on the dish made with plantains, inca peppers and salsa afrikana; teff pancakes with coconut cookie crumble and grilled pineapple; and habichuela misir wet, which combines Dominican kidney beans and sofrito with Ethiopian-spiced lentils. Of course there’s also plenty of tej, the classic Ethiopian honey wine, which gets remixed as a bottomless mimosa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, the older first-gen Ethiopian Americans are in our thirties; that’s really the entrepreneurial stage of life,” Fassil says. “In your twenties, you’re working and figuring it all out, saving your money. But in your thirties you can take those bigger risks and pursue those endeavors. I’m now in a position to do it. I’ve been dreaming of this my entire life.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Yeshiwas, Fassil credits those who came before him and doesn’t shortchange the labor of those who paved the proverbial way forward. He’s adamant about carrying on his mom’s memory through food. He also namedrops Ethiopian-Swedish chef Marcus Samuelson as an inspiration who encouraged him, via Instagram, to take the leap with his bold approach to Ethiopian cuisine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978626\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978626\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A painting of Meskie’s Kitchen founder Meskerem Tsegaye hangs inside the restaurant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on June 16, 2025. Founded by the late Tsegaye in 1993, the family-run restaurant is now operated by her son Guma Fassil, who continues to serve authentic Ethiopian cuisine. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s all about timing. And right now, the time is perfect,” Fassil declares. “You can argue that Ethiopian cuisine in the East Bay has become mainstream now, that it’s over-saturated. If you’re near Oakland, you don’t even know where to choose. So I had no interest in opening another traditional spot. I wanted to mix my culture as an American with my nightlife background. We don’t really have that vibe [with Ethiopian food].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a way, Fassil is doing both — keeping those old-school East African traditions intact at the original Meskie’s in the East Bay while also carving out his own definition of Ethiopian dining across the bridge at Meski, in a way that still honors his mom’s spirit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He continues with his entrepreneurial manifesto: “Ethiopian cuisine is at a place where most people around here have tried it. It was in a Simpsons episode, I mean, that’s how you know most people know about it. If I tried to do what I’m doing 10 or more years ago, it may not have had the same reception. But the Bay is ready for a different iteration of Ethiopian food. So many people have already tried the traditional version.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/meski.sf/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Meski\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (1000 Larkin St., SF) is open Wed. to Sun. for dinner (hours vary from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. or 1 a.m.) and on Sun. for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/meskisberkeley/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Meskie’s\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (2955 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley) is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cafecolucci/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Café Colucci\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (5849 San Pablo Ave., Oakland) is open every day with varying lunch and dinner hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/brundospices/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Brundo Spice Company\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located inside Café Colucci.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2007, when my mom hadn’t yet been priced out of San Francisco, I’d trek over from my dorm in Berkeley to wander with her around the neon-drenched, still-Waymo-less city. That’s when I first tasted Ethiopian food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attracted to its rich flavors and affordability, my mom, a Mexican immigrant who worked odd jobs in the food industry, often insisted on taking me out for Ethiopian. The spongy, sour fluffs of injera and heaps of berbere-rich chicken and spicy lentil stew were new and exciting to my teenage palate, though of course by then the East African cuisine was already well entrenched in Bay Area culture. And while my exposure to the cuisine tapered off after I moved out of the Bay, Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants have somehow managed to look, smell and taste exactly as I remembered them in those days — despite the rest of the Bay’s aggressive changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2025, you can walk into just about any popular fixture of \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/maps/ethiopian-restaurant-oakland-east-african\">our region’s loaded East African food circuit\u003c/a> — Café Colucci in North Oakland, Ensarro near Lake Merritt, Sheba Jazz Lounge (formerly Piano Lounge) on Fillmore Street — and it’ll still feel mostly like it did decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977747\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-18-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yohana Woldeabzgi serves injera at Meskie’s Kitchen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on June 16, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Take my recent visit to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/meskisberkeley/?hl=en\">Meskie’s Kitchen\u003c/a> in Berkeley, which has stayed relatively the same since it opened over three decades ago under the name Ethiopia Restaurant. The place is still filled with the fragrant aromas you’ll mostly find inside family kitchens equipped with mom-approved recipes. Even though the space was renovated in 2020, the unpretentious interior, with a few Ethiopian paintings and photographs dotting the walls, may as well be from the late aughts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I stuck with the basics. A round of beef tibs, a stir-fry dressed in zesty awaze sauce. Doro wot, a piquant stew of tender bone-in chicken and hard-boiled eggs. Yebeg alicha, an herb-infused lamb stew. And gomen, the peppery collard green sauté. I also ordered the classic veggie combo, a vegan-friendly mix of spiced red lentils, split peas, cabbage, puréed garbanzo beans and more, all jigsawed onto a large, colorful platter. And that’s only the tip of the pyramid when it comes to its diverse menu. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Historically, the Bay Area’s Ethiopian restaurants have provided more than just uber-fresh flavors. The cuisine is also known for its comparatively low price point, generous family-sized portions and down-to-earth simplicity. Almost all of the region’s East African restaurants are small, homey mom-and-pop operations. For the past 40 years, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find an Ethiopian or Eritrean fine dining establishment or experimental fusion hot spot. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13977746\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13977746\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/06/250616-MESKISKITCHEN-15-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Injera at Meskie’s Kitchen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on June 16, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But those long-held expectations are slowly starting to shift. A new generation of East African business owners, entrepreneurs and creatives are taking the reins while upholding the work and legacy they’ve inherited. As their elders pass down knowledge, resources and capital, Americanized millennials — the first generation to be born and raised stateside after their parents immigrated from Ethiopia and Eritrea in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s — are expanding on what their predecessors built. The result? At least in the Bay Area, East African food seems poised to enter its biggest evolutionary moment, as newer, more open-ended approaches to the cuisine now appeal to younger, social media–savvy crowds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas, a managing partner of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cafecolucci/?hl=en\">Café Colucci\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/brundospices/?hl=en\">Brundo Spice Company\u003c/a> in North Oakland, runs a series of innovative pop-ups in Colucci’s patio: blending Ethiopian spices with flavors from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13938506/cafe-colucci-pop-up-oakland-ethiopian-ghanaian-selasie-dotse\">Ghana\u003c/a> and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DLLVteMhd3t/?hl=en&img_index=1\">American South\u003c/a>. First-generation brothers Benyam and Yonathan Yohannes — whose family opened Asmara, Oakland’s first East African restaurant, in 1985 — recently unveiled a cocktail bar, 51 & Tel, that features modern vegan bites like a burrito-esque “\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2024/9/9/24240304/51-and-tel-oakland-temescal-cocktail-bar-opening\">injera-ritto\u003c/a>” and boozy drinks inspired by underground Bay Area rap and spiked punch bowls. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian duo based in San Jose has been working on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/automitad/\">the first automated injera maker, Automitad\u003c/a>. The startup boasts “unrivaled efficiency” with a product able to crank out between 1,000 and 1,7000 injeras an hour. Last year, they announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AQ7JXvkhm/\">the shipment of their first machine\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a new wave of Ethiopian entrepreneurs who are taking risks in different fields,” says Guma Fassil, the 37-year-old Ethiopian American who owns the aforementioned Meskie’s. A savvy playmaker and the ambitious only child of Ethiopian immigrants, Fassil would know. He unexpectedly took charge of the Berkeley restaurant in 2019 after his mother, Meski, passed away. She had opened the institutional eatery in 1993, operating it as a community hub until her final days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250710-MeskisKitchen-05-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guma Fassil sits in the lounge at Meski, an Ethiopian–Afro-Latin fusion restaurant in San Francisco co-owned by Fassil, chef Nelson German, and NBA star Draymond Green, on July 10, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since taking over the restaurant and rebranding it as Meskie’s, Fassil has learned to inject his own worldview and expertise into the Bay’s vibrant East African scene. Fassil — who worked at his mom’s restaurant throughout his twenties while also making a name for himself in Bay Area nightlife — opened his own splashy, Ethiopian-inspired establishment in San Francisco earlier this year: Meski. In his telling, it’s an Ethiopian-nightclub-meets-dining-lounge concept with an Afro-Latino punch, occupying prime real estate in the glamorous Lower Nob Hill neighborhood. This new place to be seen at is co-owned by Golden State Warriors star \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/draymond-green\">Draymond Green\u003c/a>, and the kitchen’s Ethiopian-Dominican menu is overseen by \u003ci>Top Chef\u003c/i> alum Nelson German, the Oakland-based Dominican cuisinier behind Sobre Mesa and alaMar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love traditional mom and pop Ethiopian food. I was raised on it,” Fassil says. “But I honestly had no interest in replicating that. I wanted to be a vanguard in creating something that hasn’t been done before, and changing the narrative on East African cuisine. We are capable of packaging our culture in an elevated way. There is an appetite for this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent nation — a millenia-old society, and \u003ca href=\"https://schoolfor.africa/education/african-communities-that-resisted-colonization/\">the first and only African country that successfully resisted European occupation\u003c/a>. So it makes sense that its diasporic foods would also have a proudly unchanging quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ’80s and ’90s brought a slew of East African businesses to the Bay after an initial wave of Ethiopian immigrants, refugees and dreamers first reached America beginning in the late ’70s. Many — including Fassil’s and Yeshiwas’ parents — came on student visas, initially landing in states like Ohio and Massachusetts before graduating and migrating westward. Others fled from the drought, government-induced famines, and a 17-year civil war that took hundreds of thousands of East African lives after Haile Selassie was overthrown in the 1974 Ethiopian coup. In Northern California, this led to a flourishing ecosystem of Ethiopian and Eritrean community leaders, including future restaurateurs. Their hard-earned resolve, scrappy resourcefulness, and memories of their estranged homeland helped forge one of the nation’s most distinct swaths of East African food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13970244\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1038px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas, manager of Cafe Colucci, poses for a photo in a black jacket in front of a white background.\" width=\"1038\" height=\"1566\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13970244\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0.jpg 1038w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-800x1207.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-1020x1539.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-768x1159.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/0-1018x1536.jpg 1018w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1038px) 100vw, 1038px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniel Aderaw Yeshiwas, manager of Café Colucci and owner of Brundo Spice Company. \u003ccite>(Clay Williams)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Bay Area Ethiopians are unique,” says Yeshiwas. “Our take on Ethiopian food here merges with our surroundings. In the Bay, we have the best access to produce and fresh vegetables. Our food is full of greens, hummus, salads. That’s traditional, but it’s not exactly the same in Ethiopia. And if you go to D.C., it’s huge piles of meat. It’s all tasty, but there’s an added emphasis on veganism and vegetarianism [in the Bay].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelin-recognized Café Colucci was founded in 1991 by Fetlework Tefferi, Yeshiwas’ lifelong family friend and nominal aunt. The Oakland staple was preceded by Chibbo in 1985, an Afrocentric after-hours club and East African grill that Tefferi formerly helped to run on University Avenue in Berkeley. During the day, Tefferi dreamed of building her own space. She eventually opened Café Colucci, which was meant to be an Italian-inspired cafe when it debuted. After it became clear that Ethiopian grub was a bigger hit than expected, Tefferi went all in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays, Yeshiwas helps run the longstanding business that Tefferi built. He knows Fassil’s family through an Ethiopian church (because, as Fassil says, “every Ethiopian in the Bay knows each other, or knows someone who knows you.”) Similar to Fassil, Yeshiwas stepped into his role at Café Colucci with deep pride and respect, but also with an unfurled sense of possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978891\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2506\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978891\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-768x962.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-1226x1536.jpg 1226w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/MelatiCitrawireja2-1634x2048.jpg 1634w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Suggested recipes from the Brundo Spice Company include Shrimp Tibs with a citrus dressed salad and a side of Shiro. \u003ccite>(Melati Citrawireja / Courtesy Brundo Spice Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Ethiopian food is really hard to make,” says Yeshiwas, who regularly travels to Ethiopia to oversee a spice packaging warehouse in Modjo that was built for his spice company, Brundo. “Taking 2,000 pounds of onions, then cooking that down into a sauce to be made into another sauce to be put on lentils and then selling that for $13 bucks — it worked for our parents trying to survive however they could. But for a group of friends today, it’s like, just making injera, we have two shifts of workers making a thousand daily. It’s a very old-school process, rooted in tradition, but [my generation is] thinking about scale, and we’re living in an ultra-capitalistic society. So how can we preserve the culture and, frankly, be able to run these operations a bit more efficiently?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the past five years, Yeshiwas has used Brundo — an Ethiopian colloquialism that roughly translates into “good food” — to reconnect with his Ethiopian identity and to reimagine Ethiopian heirloom spices and herbs as a premier product with top-end partnerships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That takes the form of Ethiopian spice chai and black cardamom lattes at Blue Bottle Coffee. It’s berbere-spiced greens at Burdell in Oakland, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.foodandwine.com/2024-restaurant-of-the-year-burdell-8702727\">nationally recognized soul food\u003c/a> restaurant. It’s berbere hummus at Obour. It’s Ethiopian hot chocolate at Coracao. It’s all of the clever pop-ups hosted on Café Colucci’s side patio, which bring in talented young chefs from all different backgrounds and set them loose on Brundo’s full spectrum of East African spices. It’s even Ethiopian-spiced ice cream — something Yeshiwas has his aim set on next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to have a high quality, presentable Ethiopian product,” he says. “Food systems in the U.S. are difficult [to navigate] and can make it harder, but I want it to be in a lot of other different places. I want to collab in new kinds of ways.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978886\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978886\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/Green-Red-and-White-Minimalist-Family-Time-Photo-Collage-Landscape-2048x1638.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Women oversee the drying process on the farm in Ethiopia that supplies Brundo Spice Company. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brundo Spice Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fassil has a similar game plan. At the sleek new Meski in San Francisco, eaters will find dining options that they likely won’t find at other Ethiopian-owned businesses: Ethiopian-style sambusas made from island yuca, stuffed with berbere-kissed beef or lentils; tibs de maduro, a Carribeanized spin on the dish made with plantains, inca peppers and salsa afrikana; teff pancakes with coconut cookie crumble and grilled pineapple; and habichuela misir wet, which combines Dominican kidney beans and sofrito with Ethiopian-spiced lentils. Of course there’s also plenty of tej, the classic Ethiopian honey wine, which gets remixed as a bottomless mimosa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, the older first-gen Ethiopian Americans are in our thirties; that’s really the entrepreneurial stage of life,” Fassil says. “In your twenties, you’re working and figuring it all out, saving your money. But in your thirties you can take those bigger risks and pursue those endeavors. I’m now in a position to do it. I’ve been dreaming of this my entire life.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Yeshiwas, Fassil credits those who came before him and doesn’t shortchange the labor of those who paved the proverbial way forward. He’s adamant about carrying on his mom’s memory through food. He also namedrops Ethiopian-Swedish chef Marcus Samuelson as an inspiration who encouraged him, via Instagram, to take the leap with his bold approach to Ethiopian cuisine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978626\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978626\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/250616-MeskisKitchen-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A painting of Meskie’s Kitchen founder Meskerem Tsegaye hangs inside the restaurant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on June 16, 2025. Founded by the late Tsegaye in 1993, the family-run restaurant is now operated by her son Guma Fassil, who continues to serve authentic Ethiopian cuisine. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s all about timing. And right now, the time is perfect,” Fassil declares. “You can argue that Ethiopian cuisine in the East Bay has become mainstream now, that it’s over-saturated. If you’re near Oakland, you don’t even know where to choose. So I had no interest in opening another traditional spot. I wanted to mix my culture as an American with my nightlife background. We don’t really have that vibe [with Ethiopian food].”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a way, Fassil is doing both — keeping those old-school East African traditions intact at the original Meskie’s in the East Bay while also carving out his own definition of Ethiopian dining across the bridge at Meski, in a way that still honors his mom’s spirit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He continues with his entrepreneurial manifesto: “Ethiopian cuisine is at a place where most people around here have tried it. It was in a Simpsons episode, I mean, that’s how you know most people know about it. If I tried to do what I’m doing 10 or more years ago, it may not have had the same reception. But the Bay is ready for a different iteration of Ethiopian food. So many people have already tried the traditional version.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/meski.sf/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Meski\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (1000 Larkin St., SF) is open Wed. to Sun. for dinner (hours vary from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. or 1 a.m.) and on Sun. for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/meskisberkeley/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Meskie’s\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (2955 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley) is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cafecolucci/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Café Colucci\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (5849 San Pablo Ave., Oakland) is open every day with varying lunch and dinner hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/brundospices/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Brundo Spice Company\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located inside Café Colucci.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "carl-bolling-dimond-kitchen-oakland-soul-food-chef-dies-obituary-reopening",
"title": "Oakland’s Favorite Late-Night Soul Food Chef Dies in a Tragic Accident",
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"headTitle": "Oakland’s Favorite Late-Night Soul Food Chef Dies in a Tragic Accident | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978604\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978604\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged Black man in a black chef's coat and chef's hat smiles for a portrait.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2521\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-768x1076.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-1462x2048.jpg 1462w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carl Bolling was just starting to make a name for himself at his Oakland soul food restaurant, Dimond Kitchen, when he died tragically on May 30, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelaija Bolling)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Carl Bolling, the chef-owner of Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dimond_kitchen_us_catering/\">Dimond Kitchen\u003c/a>, a popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/soul-food\">soul food\u003c/a> restaurant, died on May 30 after a tragic motorcycle accident. He was 47 years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, Bolling had wanted nothing more than to share his cooking with the world, and it seemed like he was finally living out his dream: The chef’s late-night sidewalk pop-ups in downtown Oakland were the stuff of legend, and for the past year, he’d set up shop inside MacArthur Boulevard’s Two Star Market convenience store six days a week. In recent months, the bustling takeout spot, known as Dimond Kitchen, had earned a reputation as one of the Bay Area’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13972834/convenience-store-soul-food-oakland-dimond-kitchen-late-night\">best soul food restaurants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Bolling’s family says it will be up to them to carry on the chef’s legacy. His daughter, Kelaija Bolling, says she and Bolling’s girlfriend, Mone Godfrey, plan to reopen Dimond Kitchen in the same location later this month. The idea is to continue serving all of Bolling’s original recipes — his decadently juicy smothered pork chops, succulent fried chicken wings, and tender and potent collard greens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One thing I always remember my dad saying was, ‘One day I might not be there,’” Kelaija says, recalling the times she used to help out at the shop. “‘So make sure you try all the food. Make sure you write down the recipes.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978614\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978614\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen.jpg\" alt='Exterior of a convenience store. The banner above reads, \"Dimond Kitchen: Food for the Soul. Grand Opening.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1375\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For the past year, Bolling’s food business was embedded inside the Two Star Market convenience store in Oakland’s Dimond District. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bolling, who was born and raised in Oakland, is survived by 11 children, ranging in age from seven months to 28 years old. Kelaija, 25, is a college student at Cal State East Bay. She and two of her siblings were waiting to meet Bolling at the restaurant at around 6 p.m. on May 30 when someone ran into the store saying their dad had been in a motorcycle accident just down the street, near the 2101 Club bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family initially feared it was a hit-and-run, but Kelaija says Oakland police told them both drivers were at fault. An ambulance rushed Bolling to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He died just a few hours later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Kelaija, Bolling was a family-oriented man, regularly hosting game nights and organizing family trips to Disney World and Great America. More than anything, she remembers his lifelong passion for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978611\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo.jpg\" alt=\"A family in matching outfits (white shirts and faded jeans) poses for a group portrait.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-1638x2048.jpg 1638w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carl Bolling (second from the left in the front row) and his children pose for a family portrait. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelaija Bolling)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“During the holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter — people always came to eat my dad’s cooking,” Kelaija says. “He didn’t play about his cooking. Everybody loved his food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, Bolling decided to give running his own food business a shot. Kelaija says it all started when he tried a plate of hot links from a street festival vendor. “My dad was a real foodie person, like Gordon Ramsay,” Kelaija says. If he ate something he didn’t think was up to snuff, he’d call it like it was — and after tasting those mediocre hot links, Bolling started thinking he could do better himself. In 2018, he started doing late-night pop-ups in downtown Oakland as a side hustle, selling mostly barbecue at first before expanding the menu to include other soul food dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978610\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978610\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food.jpg\" alt=\"Takeout containers loaded with soul food — smothered pork shops, green beans, fried chicken — on the hood of a car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A spread of Dimond Kitchen’s decadent soul food dishes. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kelaija, who would often help out with these informal sidewalk pop-ups, recalls they’d often sell food until as late as 3 or 4 a.m., after the bars and clubs let out. Bolling touted himself as the Bay Area’s only late-night soul food chef, and parlayed his pop-up success into a thriving catering business and, in the spring of 2024, the launch of his first brick-and-mortar spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it turned out, I profiled the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13972834/convenience-store-soul-food-oakland-dimond-kitchen-late-night\">late-night scene at Dimond Kitchen\u003c/a> only two months before Bolling’s death but never had a chance to have a proper conversation with the chef. I remember the first time I visited the restaurant, Bolling had apologized that there was a long wait — and threw in an extra side of (incredibly delicious) candied yams to make up for it. Before that, I’d watched him chat with an older gentleman who kept asking for a plate, promising he’d have the money to pay for it in the morning. “I’m good for it,” the man kept saying. “You’re killing me,” Bolling responded drily. But he hooked the guy up in the end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978609\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978609\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen.jpg\" alt=\"A chef ladling food into a tray inside a restaurant kitchen.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen-1536x1055.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bolling’s lifelong passion was food. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelaija Bolling)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Kelaija, that kind of generosity was her father’s hallmark. One of her favorite memories took place just a few weeks before his death. The two of them had just finished up service for the night when Bolling told her they were going to pack up all their leftover food so they could pass it out to unhoused folks on International Boulevard. “He would do that regularly,” she says. “That’s why a lot of people loved my dad and why they had so much respect for him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13972834']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>And that’s the spirit of hospitality that Kelaija says she and Bolling’s girlfriend now hope they’ll be able to help carry on. Bolling’s family has started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-continue-our-fathers-food-legacy?attribution_id=sl:7fc1ce25-7e6e-46fa-b75d-f4a41d8148f9&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=sms\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> to raise money to keep Dimond Kitchen going — and eventually, she hopes, to launch a food truck or larger sit-down restaurant bearing her father’s name. While the takeout counter inside Two Star Market is currently closed, Kelaija says she’s hoping to reopen it sometime in the next couple of weeks. She’s already started picking up some catering gigs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like [my father] would want us to continue it because that’s what his passion was — to expand the business even further,” Kelaija says. “Because he was still in the process of getting his name out there.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978604\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978604\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged Black man in a black chef's coat and chef's hat smiles for a portrait.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2521\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-768x1076.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-portrait-1462x2048.jpg 1462w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carl Bolling was just starting to make a name for himself at his Oakland soul food restaurant, Dimond Kitchen, when he died tragically on May 30, 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelaija Bolling)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Carl Bolling, the chef-owner of Oakland’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dimond_kitchen_us_catering/\">Dimond Kitchen\u003c/a>, a popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/soul-food\">soul food\u003c/a> restaurant, died on May 30 after a tragic motorcycle accident. He was 47 years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For years, Bolling had wanted nothing more than to share his cooking with the world, and it seemed like he was finally living out his dream: The chef’s late-night sidewalk pop-ups in downtown Oakland were the stuff of legend, and for the past year, he’d set up shop inside MacArthur Boulevard’s Two Star Market convenience store six days a week. In recent months, the bustling takeout spot, known as Dimond Kitchen, had earned a reputation as one of the Bay Area’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13972834/convenience-store-soul-food-oakland-dimond-kitchen-late-night\">best soul food restaurants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Bolling’s family says it will be up to them to carry on the chef’s legacy. His daughter, Kelaija Bolling, says she and Bolling’s girlfriend, Mone Godfrey, plan to reopen Dimond Kitchen in the same location later this month. The idea is to continue serving all of Bolling’s original recipes — his decadently juicy smothered pork chops, succulent fried chicken wings, and tender and potent collard greens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One thing I always remember my dad saying was, ‘One day I might not be there,’” Kelaija says, recalling the times she used to help out at the shop. “‘So make sure you try all the food. Make sure you write down the recipes.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978614\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978614\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen.jpg\" alt='Exterior of a convenience store. The banner above reads, \"Dimond Kitchen: Food for the Soul. Grand Opening.\"' width=\"2000\" height=\"1375\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For the past year, Bolling’s food business was embedded inside the Two Star Market convenience store in Oakland’s Dimond District. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bolling, who was born and raised in Oakland, is survived by 11 children, ranging in age from seven months to 28 years old. Kelaija, 25, is a college student at Cal State East Bay. She and two of her siblings were waiting to meet Bolling at the restaurant at around 6 p.m. on May 30 when someone ran into the store saying their dad had been in a motorcycle accident just down the street, near the 2101 Club bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family initially feared it was a hit-and-run, but Kelaija says Oakland police told them both drivers were at fault. An ambulance rushed Bolling to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He died just a few hours later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Kelaija, Bolling was a family-oriented man, regularly hosting game nights and organizing family trips to Disney World and Great America. More than anything, she remembers his lifelong passion for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978611\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo.jpg\" alt=\"A family in matching outfits (white shirts and faded jeans) poses for a group portrait.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/bolling-family-photo-1638x2048.jpg 1638w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carl Bolling (second from the left in the front row) and his children pose for a family portrait. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelaija Bolling)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“During the holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter — people always came to eat my dad’s cooking,” Kelaija says. “He didn’t play about his cooking. Everybody loved his food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, Bolling decided to give running his own food business a shot. Kelaija says it all started when he tried a plate of hot links from a street festival vendor. “My dad was a real foodie person, like Gordon Ramsay,” Kelaija says. If he ate something he didn’t think was up to snuff, he’d call it like it was — and after tasting those mediocre hot links, Bolling started thinking he could do better himself. In 2018, he started doing late-night pop-ups in downtown Oakland as a side hustle, selling mostly barbecue at first before expanding the menu to include other soul food dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978610\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978610\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food.jpg\" alt=\"Takeout containers loaded with soul food — smothered pork shops, green beans, fried chicken — on the hood of a car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/dimond-kitchen-food-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A spread of Dimond Kitchen’s decadent soul food dishes. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kelaija, who would often help out with these informal sidewalk pop-ups, recalls they’d often sell food until as late as 3 or 4 a.m., after the bars and clubs let out. Bolling touted himself as the Bay Area’s only late-night soul food chef, and parlayed his pop-up success into a thriving catering business and, in the spring of 2024, the launch of his first brick-and-mortar spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it turned out, I profiled the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13972834/convenience-store-soul-food-oakland-dimond-kitchen-late-night\">late-night scene at Dimond Kitchen\u003c/a> only two months before Bolling’s death but never had a chance to have a proper conversation with the chef. I remember the first time I visited the restaurant, Bolling had apologized that there was a long wait — and threw in an extra side of (incredibly delicious) candied yams to make up for it. Before that, I’d watched him chat with an older gentleman who kept asking for a plate, promising he’d have the money to pay for it in the morning. “I’m good for it,” the man kept saying. “You’re killing me,” Bolling responded drily. But he hooked the guy up in the end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13978609\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13978609\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen.jpg\" alt=\"A chef ladling food into a tray inside a restaurant kitchen.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/carl-bolling-kitchen-1536x1055.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bolling’s lifelong passion was food. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kelaija Bolling)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Kelaija, that kind of generosity was her father’s hallmark. One of her favorite memories took place just a few weeks before his death. The two of them had just finished up service for the night when Bolling told her they were going to pack up all their leftover food so they could pass it out to unhoused folks on International Boulevard. “He would do that regularly,” she says. “That’s why a lot of people loved my dad and why they had so much respect for him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>And that’s the spirit of hospitality that Kelaija says she and Bolling’s girlfriend now hope they’ll be able to help carry on. Bolling’s family has started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-continue-our-fathers-food-legacy?attribution_id=sl:7fc1ce25-7e6e-46fa-b75d-f4a41d8148f9&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=sms\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> to raise money to keep Dimond Kitchen going — and eventually, she hopes, to launch a food truck or larger sit-down restaurant bearing her father’s name. While the takeout counter inside Two Star Market is currently closed, Kelaija says she’s hoping to reopen it sometime in the next couple of weeks. She’s already started picking up some catering gigs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
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},
"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.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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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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"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",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
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"order": 1
},
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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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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"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.",
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"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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"freakonomics-radio": {
"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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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"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
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
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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/",
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
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},
"on-the-media": {
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"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
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