window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"arts_13933292": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13933292",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13933292",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13933283,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-160x100.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1200
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-1020x638.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-1536x960.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-800x500.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/The-Lumpia-Company_photos-from-Kultivate-Labs-768x480.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1692217237,
"modified": 1692217393,
"caption": "One of the Lumpia Company's remixed lumpia. Founder Alex Retodo was a club promoter before he became a chef. He's one of the Bay Area's many Filipino American food entrepreneurs who have roots in the region's hip-hop scene.",
"description": null,
"title": "The Lumpia Company_photos from Kultivate Labs",
"credit": "Courtesy of Kultivate Labs",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A plate of lumpia topped with slices of hard-boiled egg.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13932744": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13932744",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13932744",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13932574,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-160x100.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1200
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-1020x638.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-1536x960.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-800x500.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_threedishes-crop-768x480.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1691430790,
"modified": 1691431062,
"caption": "Three dishes from Mestizo showcase the food truck's many cultural influences: Filipino lumpia; a Mexican burrito with fried chicken, gravy and mac salad; and chilaquiles topped with Hawaiian kalua pork.",
"description": null,
"title": "mestizo_threedishes-crop",
"credit": "Alan Chazaro",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "a burrito, chilaquiles, and lumpia are showcased on a yellow table outdoors",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13929323": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13929323",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929323",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13929263,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-choco-taco-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1684365732,
"modified": 1684366251,
"caption": "Macs by Icky is known for its Bay Area take on the famous Klondike's Choco Taco. The frozen treats are available in several flavors — including, most strikingly, a version that features crushed pistachios and ube ice cream (right). ",
"description": null,
"title": "ube choco taco",
"credit": "Courtesy of Macs by Icky",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Three ice cream tacos in assorted flavors.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13928937": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13928937",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928937",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13928931,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-160x103.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 103
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM.png",
"width": 1360,
"height": 872
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-1020x654.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 654
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-800x513.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 513
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-10-at-10.08.03-AM-768x492.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 492
}
},
"publishDate": 1683738552,
"modified": 1683738737,
"caption": "TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’",
"description": null,
"title": "TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’",
"credit": "Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A brown muppet with brown hair and purple nose smiles and waves. He is wearing a yellow and brown hoodie.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13928813": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13928813",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928813",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13928804,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-160x100.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1200
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-1020x638.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-1536x960.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-800x500.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead-768x480.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1683577351,
"modified": 1683577498,
"caption": "Jonathan Toledo, owner of Hyphy Iceez, serves cold slushies in his San Francisco neighborhood.",
"description": null,
"title": "hyphy_iceez_portrait_lead",
"credit": "Alan Chazaro",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "a foodmaker from San Francisco wears a Giants t-shirt and holds up a cup of his speciality beverage, Hyphy Iceez",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13926633": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13926633",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926633",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13926618,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Halo-Halo-Baked-Alaska-c-Nico-Schinco_cropped-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1679429614,
"modified": 1679429807,
"caption": "The halo-halo baked Alaska has ube-flavored ice cream inside. The dessert is emblematic the cross-cultural approach in Abi Balingit's new cookbook, 'Mayumu.'",
"description": null,
"title": "Halo-Halo Baked Alaska (c) Nico Schinco_cropped",
"credit": "Nico Schinco",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A baked Alaska dessert with a small Filipino flag inserted on top, displayed on a cake stand.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13926506": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13926506",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926506",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13926503,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-cropped-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-cropped-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-cropped.jpg",
"width": 813,
"height": 457
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-cropped-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-cropped-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1679331425,
"modified": 1679332436,
"caption": "From left to right: Frank Magtoto, David Bustamante, Bert Ancheta, Carlos Bato Badia, Romeo Bustamante, Michael Gopaul and David DZandos.",
"description": null,
"title": "From left to right Frank Magtoto, David Bustamante, Bert Ancheta, Carlos Bato Badia, Rome Bustamante, Michael Gopaul, David DZandos-cropped",
"credit": "Guerssen Records",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13925996": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13925996",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13925996",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13925984,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-160x110.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 110
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1320
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-1020x701.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 701
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-1536x1056.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1056
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-800x550.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 550
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_featured-crop-768x528.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 528
}
},
"publishDate": 1678314450,
"modified": 1678323154,
"caption": "Self-taught chocolatier Carol Gancia opened Kokak Chocolates in 2020 in SF's Castro District.",
"description": null,
"title": "kokak_featured-crop",
"credit": "Courtesy of Kokak Chocolates",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "the Filipina chocolatier, Carol Gancia, stands inside her chocolate shop in San Francisco, holding a large tray of artfully decorated chocolates",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13921021": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13921021",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13921021",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13921019,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1707
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-2048x1365.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1365
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-2-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1666976223,
"modified": 1666976261,
"caption": "Six portraits by Cece Carpio will be part of the ‘Ancestor Altars’ art installation on view at Kapwa Gardens.",
"description": null,
"title": "ancestor altars edited 2",
"credit": "Kristie Song",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13919718": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13919718",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13919718",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13919707,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-160x100.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1600
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-2048x1280.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-1020x638.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-1536x960.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-1920x1200.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1200
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-800x500.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis-bakery_ensaymadas-crop-768x480.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1664313092,
"modified": 1664313214,
"caption": "Khristian Rabul displays a tray of pandesal at Ellis Creamery, located at the back of a National gas station in Tracy.",
"description": null,
"title": "ellis bakery_ensaymadas-crop",
"credit": "Alan Chazaro",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "a Filipino foodmaker holds a baking tray of savory rolls known as \"pandesal\"",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13918352": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13918352",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13918352",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13918267,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-160x100.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1200
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-1020x638.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-1536x960.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-800x500.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/039_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06190.-crop-768x480.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1661895207,
"modified": 1661895370,
"caption": "A kimchi-making workshop at the 2019 edition of the Chuseok Festival in San Francisco. This year, the event will once again be held in person at the Presidio.",
"description": null,
"title": "039_1st Annual Chuseok Festival - SELECTS-06190.-crop",
"credit": "Mark Shigenaga",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A crowded room of people in orange aprons and chef's hats, all preparing kimchi on the table in front of them.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13917517": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13917517",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917517",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13917511,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/GettyImages-1412575642_COVER-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1660262787,
"modified": 1660262838,
"caption": "Jo Koy attends the premiere of Universal Pictures' 'Easter Sunday' at TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug. 02, 2022 in Hollywood, California.",
"description": null,
"title": "GettyImages-1412575642_COVER",
"credit": "Frazer Harrison/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Man in black suit stands in front of movie title backdrop",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_arts_13928931": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13928931",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13928931",
"name": "Suzanne Nuyen",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_13917511": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13917511",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13917511",
"name": "Terry Tang, Associated Press",
"isLoading": false
},
"ltsai": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11743",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11743",
"found": true
},
"name": "Luke Tsai",
"firstName": "Luke",
"lastName": "Tsai",
"slug": "ltsai",
"email": "ltsai@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"arts"
],
"title": "Food Editor",
"bio": "Luke Tsai is KQED's food editor and resident stinky tofu connoisseur. Prior to KQED, he was an editor at Eater SF, \u003cem>San Francisco \u003c/em>magazine, and the \u003cem>East Bay Express\u003c/em>, and his work has also appeared in TASTE, the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>, and the \u003cem>Best Food Writing\u003c/em> anthology. When he isn't writing or editing, you'll find him eating most everything he can get his hands on.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e59b45bf191526e7339d6ba46e33a57b2030d25c27660ecc64ea3cb863e34f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "theluketsai",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor",
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "food",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Luke Tsai | KQED",
"description": "Food Editor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e59b45bf191526e7339d6ba46e33a57b2030d25c27660ecc64ea3cb863e34f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e59b45bf191526e7339d6ba46e33a57b2030d25c27660ecc64ea3cb863e34f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ltsai"
},
"achazaro": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11748",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11748",
"found": true
},
"name": "Alan Chazaro",
"firstName": "Alan",
"lastName": "Chazaro",
"slug": "achazaro",
"email": "agchazaro@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Food Writer and Reporter",
"bio": "Alan Chazaro is the author of \u003cem>This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album\u003c/em> (Black Lawrence Press, 2019), \u003cem>Piñata Theory\u003c/em> (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), and \u003cem>Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge\u003c/em> (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. He writes about sports, food, art, music, education, and culture while repping the Bay on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/alan_chazaro\">Twitter\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alan_chazaro/?hl=en\">Instagram\u003c/a> at @alan_chazaro.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea8b6dd970fc5c29e7a188e7d5861df7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "alan_chazaro",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Alan Chazaro | KQED",
"description": "Food Writer and Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea8b6dd970fc5c29e7a188e7d5861df7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ea8b6dd970fc5c29e7a188e7d5861df7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/achazaro"
},
"athapliyal": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11766",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11766",
"found": true
},
"name": "Adesh Thapliyal",
"firstName": "Adesh",
"lastName": "Thapliyal",
"slug": "athapliyal",
"email": "athapliyal@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Adesh Thapliyal is KQED Arts' Editorial Intern. Previously, he wrote for the experimental newsletter \u003cem>Tone Glow\u003c/em> and the pop music blog \u003cem>The Singles Jukebox\u003c/em>.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/25c945182616a5283c4f746e7017bca3?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Adesh Thapliyal | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/25c945182616a5283c4f746e7017bca3?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/25c945182616a5283c4f746e7017bca3?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/athapliyal"
},
"ksong": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11813",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11813",
"found": true
},
"name": "Kristie Song",
"firstName": "Kristie",
"lastName": "Song",
"slug": "ksong",
"email": "ksong@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Editorial Intern ",
"bio": "Kristie Song is an Arts & Culture Intern at KQED. She is currently a graduate student at UC Berkeley, where she studies audio and multimedia journalism. Previously, she covered the local community for Oakland North, produced episodes for The Science of Happiness, and served as news director for KUCI, UC Irvine’s radio station. Outside of reporting, she likes drawing comics, listening to angsty rock, and practicing the guitar.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1149e78c3c44f92d4945a8ab0711af6?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Kristie Song | KQED",
"description": "Editorial Intern ",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1149e78c3c44f92d4945a8ab0711af6?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1149e78c3c44f92d4945a8ab0711af6?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ksong"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"arts_tag_filipino": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2855",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2855",
"score": 8.939762
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Filipino",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Filipino Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2867,
"slug": "filipino",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Filipino",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "arts",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 3
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/arts?tag=filipino",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 3
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"arts_13933283": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13933283",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13933283",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1692218306000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1692218306,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Your Favorite Filipino American Chef Was Probably a DJ or B-Boy Back in the Day",
"headTitle": "Your Favorite Filipino American Chef Was Probably a DJ or B-Boy Back in the Day | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>You can’t tell the story of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> without a tip of the cap to all of the Filipino Americans who helped shape the scene — from the legion of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13812554/how-daly-citys-filipino-mobile-dj-scene-changed-hip-hop-forever\">mobile DJ crews\u003c/a> and B-boys/B-girls to the influential \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905208/a-new-generation-of-filipino-hip-hop-builds-on-a-deep-bay-area-legacy\">emcees\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924042/nump-hyphy-i-gott-grapes-interview\">producers\u003c/a> and graffiti artists. It makes sense, then, that the 2023 edition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/\">Undiscovered SF\u003c/a>, San Francisco’s preeminent Filipino American culture fest, is framed as a months-long celebration of hip-hop. This year is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932076/bay-area-hip-hop-50th-anniversary-celebrations\">hip-hop’s 50th anniversary\u003c/a>, after all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, when the block party kicks off in the SoMa Pilipinas cultural district on Aug. 19, one of the biggest draws will be the same thing that attracts a crowd to any big Filipino gathering: the food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And as Desi Danganan — executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kultivatelabs.org/\">Kultivate Labs\u003c/a>, the nonprofit that organizes the event — explains it, the Bay Area’s vibrant Fil-Am food scene today is itself deeply rooted in the community’s ties to hip-hop. Back in the ’80s, among Filipino Americans in the Bay, “everyone and their mom was a DJ,” Danganan recalls. Then there was a stretch of time when it seemed like everyone became a club promoter. Danganan remembers when he was in his twenties, the promotion crews running the nightclubs in SoMa were 90% Filipino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days? Those same folks are operating some of the region’s most popular food trucks and pop-up restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of a sudden, the new DJ was the chef,” Danganan says. “Chefs started popping up, rave-style, in places that weren’t necessarily kitchens.” He describes something akin to a DJ/dancer/club promoter to chef pipeline: Alex Retodo was a club promoter before he started rolling lumpia at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelumpiacompany.com/\">the Lumpia Company\u003c/a>, which he co-owns with E-40. Evan Kidera was a rapper before he co-founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/senorsisig\">Señor Sisig\u003c/a> — arguably the single \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/4/20946482/senor-sisig-filipino-open-mission-sf\">most famous Bay Area food truck\u003c/a>. The couple behind Filipino-Japanese pop-up \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oxandtiger/\">Ox and Tiger\u003c/a> were dancers before they were chefs. So were the co-founders of the Chase Center food stall \u003ca href=\"http://www.instagram.com/thesarapshop\">Sarap Shop\u003c/a>. And Undiscovered SF booked Rod Reyes, of the San Jose–based food truck \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/baryakitchen\">Barya Kitchen\u003c/a>, as a DJ for one of the festival’s earliest incarnations, before he’d even started his food business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13933294\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933294\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food.jpg\" alt=\"Pork sisig served with a slice of lemon and a mound of white rice.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-800x1046.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-1020x1334.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-160x209.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-768x1004.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-1174x1536.jpg 1174w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-1566x2048.jpg 1566w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plate of pork sisig from a previous edition of Undiscovered SF. The annual festival has always celebrated the Bay Area’s Filipino street food scene. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kultivate Labs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The kind of trajectory that Danganan describes isn’t uniquely Filipino, of course. Some of it is rooted in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">entrepreneurial spirit and hustle culture\u003c/a> that undergirds the whole Bay Area hip-hop scene. And if the Bay Area’s Filipino American community produced some of the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10777508/top-5-tracks-born-from-the-bay-areas-filipino-mobile-dj-scene\">legendary DJs in hip-hop history\u003c/a>, it’s only natural that that kind of creativity would also translate into other artistic endeavors. “They’re really gifted at taking ingredients and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13898436/uncle-tito-filipino-comfort-food-soma-opening\">remixing them\u003c/a> to create something new,” Danganan explains — say, a bacon cheeseburger lumpia or a sisig burrito. The only difference? “Now they’re not beats. They’re flavors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13907726,arts_13905208,arts_13923127']\u003c/span>All of the aforementioned DJ- or dancer-turned-chefs — and many more — will be on hand to sling food for at least one iteration of this year’s Undiscovered SF block party. Organizers decided hip-hop’s big birthday was too monumental to limit to a single afternoon, so it’ll host three separate parties over the course of the next three months. Each one will have a specific theme: Aug. 19 will be “Classics and Throwbacks.” Sept. 16 will focus on “The Future.” And Oct. 21 will be “The Present.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Food highlights at \u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/\">Aug. 19’s kickoff event\u003c/a> will include Señor Sisig and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926749/tasty-tings-jamaican-beef-patties-sf-oakland\">Tasty Tings\u003c/a>, whose Jamaican-Filipina-Chinese-Creole owner incorporates Filipino ingredients like longaniza pork into her Jamaican patties. The September and October lineups will include Barya Kitchen and a special collaboration between Ox and Tiger, Sarap Shop and lechon specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jeepneyguy/\">Jeepney Guy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13933297\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933297\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg\" alt=\"A paper tray of turon (banana lumpia) topped with ube ice cream and sprinkled with ube crumbles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turontastic’s take on turon, or banana lumpia, topped with ube ice cream. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kultivate Labs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Danganan, one of the local Filipino food scene’s newest trends is the proliferation of sweets shops and bakery pop-ups, many of which cropped up during the pandemic. This, too, will be reflected at Undiscovered SF: There will be plenty of ube treats to be had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the offerings will come from small local purveyors, with one notable exception. In a classic case of knowing your audience, representatives from SPAM HQ will be on hand to pass out free samples of the brand’s new flavor — maple-flavored Spam — to the assembled crowd of \u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2022/03/spam-wwii-history-hormel-canned-meat/629416/\">noted canned meat lovers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/\">\u003ci>Undiscovered SF\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will host block parties in the SoMa Pilipinas cultural district, at and around The Parks @5M (44 Mary St., San Francisco) on Aug. 19, Sep. 16 and Oct. 21, from noon to 6 p.m.. The all-ages event is free and open to the public, but you can reserve a free ticket (and commemorative pin) \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/store/undiscovered-block-party-pin-2023\">\u003ci>online\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 901,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 14
},
"modified": 1705005144,
"excerpt": "Undiscovered SF celebrates the hip-hop origins of the Bay Area Filipino food scene.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Your Favorite Filipino American Chef Was Probably a DJ or B-Boy Back in the Day",
"socialTitle": "Undiscovered SF Celebrates Bay Area Filipino Food's Hip-Hop Origins %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "Your Favorite Filipino American Chef Was Probably a DJ or B-Boy Back in the Day",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Undiscovered SF celebrates the hip-hop origins of the Bay Area Filipino food scene.",
"title": "Undiscovered SF Celebrates Bay Area Filipino Food's Hip-Hop Origins | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Your Favorite Filipino American Chef Was Probably a DJ or B-Boy Back in the Day",
"datePublished": "2023-08-16T13:38:26-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:32:24-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "undiscovered-sf-2023-filipino-culture-festival-food-hip-hop-anniversary-soma",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Food",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13933283/undiscovered-sf-2023-filipino-culture-festival-food-hip-hop-anniversary-soma",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>You can’t tell the story of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareahiphop\">Bay Area hip-hop\u003c/a> without a tip of the cap to all of the Filipino Americans who helped shape the scene — from the legion of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13812554/how-daly-citys-filipino-mobile-dj-scene-changed-hip-hop-forever\">mobile DJ crews\u003c/a> and B-boys/B-girls to the influential \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905208/a-new-generation-of-filipino-hip-hop-builds-on-a-deep-bay-area-legacy\">emcees\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13924042/nump-hyphy-i-gott-grapes-interview\">producers\u003c/a> and graffiti artists. It makes sense, then, that the 2023 edition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/\">Undiscovered SF\u003c/a>, San Francisco’s preeminent Filipino American culture fest, is framed as a months-long celebration of hip-hop. This year is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13932076/bay-area-hip-hop-50th-anniversary-celebrations\">hip-hop’s 50th anniversary\u003c/a>, after all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, when the block party kicks off in the SoMa Pilipinas cultural district on Aug. 19, one of the biggest draws will be the same thing that attracts a crowd to any big Filipino gathering: the food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And as Desi Danganan — executive director of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kultivatelabs.org/\">Kultivate Labs\u003c/a>, the nonprofit that organizes the event — explains it, the Bay Area’s vibrant Fil-Am food scene today is itself deeply rooted in the community’s ties to hip-hop. Back in the ’80s, among Filipino Americans in the Bay, “everyone and their mom was a DJ,” Danganan recalls. Then there was a stretch of time when it seemed like everyone became a club promoter. Danganan remembers when he was in his twenties, the promotion crews running the nightclubs in SoMa were 90% Filipino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days? Those same folks are operating some of the region’s most popular food trucks and pop-up restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of a sudden, the new DJ was the chef,” Danganan says. “Chefs started popping up, rave-style, in places that weren’t necessarily kitchens.” He describes something akin to a DJ/dancer/club promoter to chef pipeline: Alex Retodo was a club promoter before he started rolling lumpia at \u003ca href=\"https://www.thelumpiacompany.com/\">the Lumpia Company\u003c/a>, which he co-owns with E-40. Evan Kidera was a rapper before he co-founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/senorsisig\">Señor Sisig\u003c/a> — arguably the single \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/4/20946482/senor-sisig-filipino-open-mission-sf\">most famous Bay Area food truck\u003c/a>. The couple behind Filipino-Japanese pop-up \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oxandtiger/\">Ox and Tiger\u003c/a> were dancers before they were chefs. So were the co-founders of the Chase Center food stall \u003ca href=\"http://www.instagram.com/thesarapshop\">Sarap Shop\u003c/a>. And Undiscovered SF booked Rod Reyes, of the San Jose–based food truck \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/baryakitchen\">Barya Kitchen\u003c/a>, as a DJ for one of the festival’s earliest incarnations, before he’d even started his food business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13933294\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933294\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food.jpg\" alt=\"Pork sisig served with a slice of lemon and a mound of white rice.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-800x1046.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-1020x1334.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-160x209.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-768x1004.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-1174x1536.jpg 1174w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/KultivateLabs_Undscvrd_food-1566x2048.jpg 1566w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A plate of pork sisig from a previous edition of Undiscovered SF. The annual festival has always celebrated the Bay Area’s Filipino street food scene. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kultivate Labs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The kind of trajectory that Danganan describes isn’t uniquely Filipino, of course. Some of it is rooted in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">entrepreneurial spirit and hustle culture\u003c/a> that undergirds the whole Bay Area hip-hop scene. And if the Bay Area’s Filipino American community produced some of the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10777508/top-5-tracks-born-from-the-bay-areas-filipino-mobile-dj-scene\">legendary DJs in hip-hop history\u003c/a>, it’s only natural that that kind of creativity would also translate into other artistic endeavors. “They’re really gifted at taking ingredients and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13898436/uncle-tito-filipino-comfort-food-soma-opening\">remixing them\u003c/a> to create something new,” Danganan explains — say, a bacon cheeseburger lumpia or a sisig burrito. The only difference? “Now they’re not beats. They’re flavors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13907726,arts_13905208,arts_13923127",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>All of the aforementioned DJ- or dancer-turned-chefs — and many more — will be on hand to sling food for at least one iteration of this year’s Undiscovered SF block party. Organizers decided hip-hop’s big birthday was too monumental to limit to a single afternoon, so it’ll host three separate parties over the course of the next three months. Each one will have a specific theme: Aug. 19 will be “Classics and Throwbacks.” Sept. 16 will focus on “The Future.” And Oct. 21 will be “The Present.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Food highlights at \u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/\">Aug. 19’s kickoff event\u003c/a> will include Señor Sisig and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926749/tasty-tings-jamaican-beef-patties-sf-oakland\">Tasty Tings\u003c/a>, whose Jamaican-Filipina-Chinese-Creole owner incorporates Filipino ingredients like longaniza pork into her Jamaican patties. The September and October lineups will include Barya Kitchen and a special collaboration between Ox and Tiger, Sarap Shop and lechon specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jeepneyguy/\">Jeepney Guy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13933297\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933297\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg\" alt=\"A paper tray of turon (banana lumpia) topped with ube ice cream and sprinkled with ube crumbles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/Turontastic_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turontastic’s take on turon, or banana lumpia, topped with ube ice cream. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kultivate Labs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>According to Danganan, one of the local Filipino food scene’s newest trends is the proliferation of sweets shops and bakery pop-ups, many of which cropped up during the pandemic. This, too, will be reflected at Undiscovered SF: There will be plenty of ube treats to be had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the offerings will come from small local purveyors, with one notable exception. In a classic case of knowing your audience, representatives from SPAM HQ will be on hand to pass out free samples of the brand’s new flavor — maple-flavored Spam — to the assembled crowd of \u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2022/03/spam-wwii-history-hormel-canned-meat/629416/\">noted canned meat lovers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/\">\u003ci>Undiscovered SF\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will host block parties in the SoMa Pilipinas cultural district, at and around The Parks @5M (44 Mary St., San Francisco) on Aug. 19, Sep. 16 and Oct. 21, from noon to 6 p.m.. The all-ages event is free and open to the public, but you can reserve a free ticket (and commemorative pin) \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/store/undiscovered-block-party-pin-2023\">\u003ci>online\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13933283/undiscovered-sf-2023-filipino-culture-festival-food-hip-hop-anniversary-soma",
"authors": [
"11743"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_8505",
"arts_14082",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_14183",
"arts_1297",
"arts_16375",
"arts_17223",
"arts_1146",
"arts_4903",
"arts_8836",
"arts_20354",
"arts_20116",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13933292",
"label": "source_arts_13933283"
},
"arts_13932574": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13932574",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13932574",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1691431891000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "mestizo-san-jose-filipino-food-truck-la-pulga-mexican-hawaiian",
"title": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors",
"publishDate": 1691431891,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For anyone with childhood memories of growing up in the South Bay, San Jose’s Berryessa Flea Market — or “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905374/la-pulga-san-jose-flea-market-redevelopment-eulogy\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” as it’s endearingly known — has long been a haven of joy, particularly for immigrant families. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga truly had it all. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For as long as I can remember, the flea market has always been a humble space for entrepreneurial beginnings. At one point, my mom even ran her own stand selling used clothes there. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More recently, though, the historic flea market, like much of the region, has undergone seismic redevelopments. There’s now a BART station within walking distance, adding metropolitan accessibility to the formerly industrial area — but also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kalw.org/economy-business-labor/2023-02-27/a-family-at-the-berryessa-flea-market-fights-to-stay\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">displacing many longtime, predominantly Latinx vendors\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Across the street, there’s a glamorous new condominium complex where a dusty parking lot used to be. It all underscores the ongoing contradictions of a region that is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.archpaper.com/2021/07/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-replaced-by-sprawling-mixed-use-development/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">yearning to grow\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while simultaneously introducing a new set of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-changes-prove-costly-for-vendors/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">costly challenges for longtime community members\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its struggles and the ensuing public backlash, the Berryessa Flea Market — which is still among the largest open-air markets in the United States — remains vibrant in a different kind of way. There’s a funky beer garden with live music and a weekly Friday night market. The reimagined space has allowed emerging food makers to gain visibility by introducing an assortment of new cuisines and experiences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932716\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932716\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a crowd gathers in front of a food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo is building a loyal following in the South Bay with appearances at La Pulga in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That new wave includes \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mestizo\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a homegrown trio of Filipino Americans who roll around the 408 in their food truck (not to be confused with San Francisco’s Yucatan-inspired food truck that has the same name). Childhood friends Keith Canda, Chris Zamora and Anthony Cruzet are dishing out fire meals of Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian eats, including fried chicken mac salad burritos, tempura salmon tacos and “KaluaQuiles” — mole-bathed chilaquiles with fresh mango sauce and kalua pork. They also organized \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CtIC0ivL_DR/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s first-ever lumpia eating contest\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and frequently collaborate with popular San Jose streetwear brands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cukui/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cukui\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as a variety of local organizations — everything from low-rider bike clubs to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930207/the-simpsons-flash-tattoo-party-parallax-art-studio-milpitas\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tattoo shops\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I swung by with my older brother and dad on a busy night earlier this summer to meet Mestizo’s crew and soak up some nostalgic vibes. It was the first time my family had been back to La Pulga together in decades.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ALAN CHAZARO: When and how did you all launch your Mestizo food truck together?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS ZAMORA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We just started the truck this year. We wanted to come in and take it slow, but we’ve realized it’s all happening so quickly, especially this summer. It’s a culmination of our friendship over 20 years. We’ve always tried to find a project to work on together. We’re in three different industries as professionals, and we’ve never been able to officially collaborate on anything. This is that pinnacle for us. It’s not just getting together and partying like we did in our 20s. This has a deeper purpose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY CRUZET:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We decided on a food truck because Keith already had a food truck from a business he was doing with his cousins in the past. He was thinking of selling it, and Chris looked at me and asked if we should just try to run our own food truck. It was literally that easy. Why not? It fell into place, and we’re figuring it out as we go.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932710\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932710\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of three friends stand in front of their new food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo owners Chris Zamora (left), Anthony Cruzet (center) and Keith Canda (right) have known each other since grade school. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Talk to me about the name and concept of Mestizo. Where does that come from, and what does it represent for you all as mixed Filipinos?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In coming up with our name, we discussed the different kinds of foods we could do. It’s fusion, mixed. The definition of “mestizo” is being mixed race. We want our own version of that. I’m literally mestizo — half Filipino, half Mexican. So it’s a representation of myself. That’s connected with the foods we want to do, being Filipino-rooted with other influences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We also wanted flexibility with our menu. Some places only do Filipino food, but we wanted versatility to evolve our dishes over time. We’re all in different stages in our lives right now. Me and Ant just got back from Thailand, so we’re coming back with new flavors, new concepts. We want that evolutionary kind of experience to provide our community. Yes, we’re known for our fried-chicken-and-gravy burrito and our KaluaQuiles, but we can imagine new things, too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH CANDA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For me, Mestizo is a combination of a few things. All of us coming together is a mix of what we believe in, outside of food. We’re all mixed: We have different ideas, different goals, different careers. Then we put the food truck into play. Chris’s expertise in the kitchen. Ant in marketing and sales. And my little experience with running a food truck in the past. We stand by Mestizo because we believe in not just cultural fusion – Filipino, Hawaiian, Mexican – but in coming together as people with different skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Describe your food. What’s an example of a popular dish on your menu? What makes Mestizo unique?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The “Stay Rooted” burrito has fried chicken, which comes from one of us tasting chicken karaage in Japan. The mac salad in the burrito is from another one of us who took a trip to Hawaii. And then the gravy rice is from my memory of KFC gravy as a kid. There’s no rice at KFC, but I’ve always wanted to put that gravy on rice. So that’s all of us in one dish, literally. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932707\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932707\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a fried chicken burrito with Hawaiian mac salad is on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “Stay Rooted” burrito, which features fried chicken, Hawaiian mac salad and gravy, inspired an accompanying T-shirt made in collaboration with Cukui Clothing. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From a menu-building standpoint, what I think is unique about us is that it’s really just all of us and our wives literally putting ideas together from scratch. One time, Ant sent us a video of an ube grilled cheese sandwich using ube jam. The text messages just started going off after that, and I showed my wife, who had some of her own thoughts to add, and we just combined all of that into our own idea. So the concepts just build from there within our own little community. It comes from our travels, our experiences, our families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a collaboration with Cukui with the Stay Rooted burrito adds another layer of community, too. We share a goal to bring the community together and collaborate, to give whatever we can offer. I work at a print shop that makes shirts for Cukui, and our businesses have grown up hand in hand because we’ve been printing for them for years. I just had the idea to offer a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cukui.com/collections/mens/products/mestizo-x-cukui-lowrider-tee-cream\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">collaborative T-shirt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as part of our menu. That’s the vibe we wanted. We bring those creative juices, our designs, the hype. Cukui has a super big following as it is. So having them to work with is huge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we [co-hosted] a lowrider bike anniversary event at History Park in San Jose with our T-shirts and food, so it’s a cross-pollination of businesses and representation. For the event, we partnered with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/shinysideupshow/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiny Side Up\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from San Jose to design original shirts. That kind of community interaction is a staple for Mestizo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932714\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932714\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"a food truck displays their food menu, along with custom t-shirts and basketball shorts\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo regularly collaborates with boutique streetwear makers around the Bay Area for custom apparel at their events. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s also with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thecruisershop/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cruiser Shop\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a custom bicycle shop [in Campbell]. It’s like a car show for bicycles. With food and custom clothing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You seem very rooted in San Jose and the South Bay. What’s your connection to the culture there?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’re all born and raised in either Milpitas or San Jose. Ant and I went to kindergarten together, and we met Keith as teenagers. We all had Mustangs growing up and cruised together. That’s where it all kind of sparked from. I still have my ’73 Mach 1.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a ’67. I got a ’70 fastback. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mine has a 298 engine with a cam, nothing too crazy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a solid connection and foundation to San Jose and the brands and people here. I live in Milpitas now, but my cousins and I grew up in the Alum Rock area of East San Jose. That’s a whole thing to unravel in itself. There’s so much variety of cooking and food. Everyone has a favorite taco spot or torta spot, but there are so many to choose from that I think everyone finds their own way to stand out. It has influenced me and the way I cook and how we build menus by just taking the same simple ingredients to make our own magic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith is Mr. San Jose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What does “Mr. San Jose” have to say about the city’s food and culture?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose has a huge reputation for great Mexican food. But once you cross into Milpitas, there are a few great Filipino spots for such a small city. We wanted to bring that together since we are accustomed to growing up eating at Jaliscos and off of Alum Rock. Without growing up in San Jose and tasting the different spices and recipes of authentic immigrant foods, we wouldn’t be doing this. We’re coming together collectively and putting that all on one plate. We’re strongly rooted in that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The South Bay is such a big melting pot. Our palates were forced to get accustomed to all these different flavors. Indian food with Vietnamese food across the street and Chinese food next door. That’s the whole idea of Mestizo. We don’t want to be in a box. We want to open our menu to anything we grew up eating around the South Bay. Maybe we’ll do Filipino and Indian. We can do that. We know those flavors. Let’s see what we can create and who we might collaborate with for that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What do you think of Filipino food in the Bay Area? Besides your own kitchens, where do you go for the best Filipino dishes and how does it compare to your experiences in the Philippines?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Around here, there’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mykalesa.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kalesa\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That’s a sit-down. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.maxsrestaurantna.com/daly-city\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even though it’s a global chain. But I think Filipino food is actually underrepresented overall. We’re seeing it a lot more now on food shows and the cooking channels of the world, but it’s still underrepresented. For a long time, it’s been represented to us as “turo turo.” That means “point point.” If you go to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/goldilocksph/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Goldilocks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, you point at what you want to get. That’s what we were used to seeing growing up. But there’s a lot of space to explore where Filipino food is in the Bay Area right now and where it can be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932713\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932713\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a plate of lumpia with orange sauce on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pounds of “Mestizo Lumpia” were served in San Jose’s first ever lumpia eating contest earlier this year. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We just got back from the Philippines recently. But even there, it’s not always represented well because the food is so connected to the U.S. nowadays. Burgers, fried chicken, hot dogs. You’ll find more of that than traditional Filipino food sometimes. For middle- and upper-class people, they don’t go out to eat Filipino food. Over there, there are thousands of islands, so there’s a thousand ways to make adobo, lumpia, all of it, and people do that at home. There’s this one dish I love with fish balls on a wooden stick. It’s barbecued street food from the Philippines. We want to do that kind of stuff.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13928804,arts_13919707,arts_13905374']There’s also kamayan [a traditional Filipino method of eating with your bare hands]. Back in the day, during war times, the military was figuring out a way for generals and privates to share a table together. Typically, the tables were set up in ranks and separated. But they wanted a collaborative meal. So they laid out banana leaves on a big table and put rice and different proteins out for everyone to share. It’s called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hungryhuy.com/kamayan-feast/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a “boodle fight,” a shared meal together\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. No utensils, just hands. It’s an interesting way of eating, since it’s very primal, but also offers space for a different kind of connection. That’s something I’d like to experiment with but not with the food truck. Our vision with that is to set up an event at a park and essentially put the banana leaves out, the decor, and do private events for small groups of friends. It could be weird if you do that with a complete stranger. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>That sounds amazing. You also recently hosted San Jose’s first lumpia eating contest. Is there any chance we’ll see that again?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I’m the one who wants to do it every week [laughs]. We want to bring it back. My idea is to do a “champions league” lumpia eating contest. Champions from different events, from different parts of San Jose. But that’s still a dream in the conceptual stage. You do the math and you’re like, man, eating that much lumpia? We can do that. But then you see it, and it’s actually kind of hard to do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’ve talked about doing it again. But with more than just pork lumpia, since that’s limiting for some people’s diet. We want to try to do something with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">E-40’s Lumpia Company\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That would be dope to do something bigger featuring their lumpia and hosted by us. That’s just me putting that out into the universe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Mestizo food truck pops up at various events around the South Bay. Their next appearance at La Pulga (1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose) will be for the flea market’s \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://gardenattheflea.com/event/bnm-taco-night-of-innovation/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taco Night of Innovation\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Fri., Aug. 18. For updates, follow Mestizo \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">on Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Mestizo is making a name for itself in the South Bay's underground street food scene.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1727131836,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 41,
"wordCount": 2566
},
"headData": {
"title": "Mestizo Food Truck in San Jose Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors | KQED",
"description": "Mestizo is making a name for itself in the South Bay's underground street food scene.",
"ogTitle": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Mestizo Food Truck in San Jose Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors",
"datePublished": "2023-08-07T11:11:31-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-23T15:50:36-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"sticky": false,
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13932574/mestizo-san-jose-filipino-food-truck-la-pulga-mexican-hawaiian",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For anyone with childhood memories of growing up in the South Bay, San Jose’s Berryessa Flea Market — or “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905374/la-pulga-san-jose-flea-market-redevelopment-eulogy\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” as it’s endearingly known — has long been a haven of joy, particularly for immigrant families. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga truly had it all. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For as long as I can remember, the flea market has always been a humble space for entrepreneurial beginnings. At one point, my mom even ran her own stand selling used clothes there. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More recently, though, the historic flea market, like much of the region, has undergone seismic redevelopments. There’s now a BART station within walking distance, adding metropolitan accessibility to the formerly industrial area — but also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kalw.org/economy-business-labor/2023-02-27/a-family-at-the-berryessa-flea-market-fights-to-stay\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">displacing many longtime, predominantly Latinx vendors\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Across the street, there’s a glamorous new condominium complex where a dusty parking lot used to be. It all underscores the ongoing contradictions of a region that is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.archpaper.com/2021/07/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-replaced-by-sprawling-mixed-use-development/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">yearning to grow\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while simultaneously introducing a new set of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-changes-prove-costly-for-vendors/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">costly challenges for longtime community members\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its struggles and the ensuing public backlash, the Berryessa Flea Market — which is still among the largest open-air markets in the United States — remains vibrant in a different kind of way. There’s a funky beer garden with live music and a weekly Friday night market. The reimagined space has allowed emerging food makers to gain visibility by introducing an assortment of new cuisines and experiences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932716\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932716\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a crowd gathers in front of a food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo is building a loyal following in the South Bay with appearances at La Pulga in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That new wave includes \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mestizo\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a homegrown trio of Filipino Americans who roll around the 408 in their food truck (not to be confused with San Francisco’s Yucatan-inspired food truck that has the same name). Childhood friends Keith Canda, Chris Zamora and Anthony Cruzet are dishing out fire meals of Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian eats, including fried chicken mac salad burritos, tempura salmon tacos and “KaluaQuiles” — mole-bathed chilaquiles with fresh mango sauce and kalua pork. They also organized \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CtIC0ivL_DR/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s first-ever lumpia eating contest\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and frequently collaborate with popular San Jose streetwear brands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cukui/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cukui\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as a variety of local organizations — everything from low-rider bike clubs to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930207/the-simpsons-flash-tattoo-party-parallax-art-studio-milpitas\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tattoo shops\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I swung by with my older brother and dad on a busy night earlier this summer to meet Mestizo’s crew and soak up some nostalgic vibes. It was the first time my family had been back to La Pulga together in decades.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ALAN CHAZARO: When and how did you all launch your Mestizo food truck together?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS ZAMORA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We just started the truck this year. We wanted to come in and take it slow, but we’ve realized it’s all happening so quickly, especially this summer. It’s a culmination of our friendship over 20 years. We’ve always tried to find a project to work on together. We’re in three different industries as professionals, and we’ve never been able to officially collaborate on anything. This is that pinnacle for us. It’s not just getting together and partying like we did in our 20s. This has a deeper purpose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY CRUZET:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We decided on a food truck because Keith already had a food truck from a business he was doing with his cousins in the past. He was thinking of selling it, and Chris looked at me and asked if we should just try to run our own food truck. It was literally that easy. Why not? It fell into place, and we’re figuring it out as we go.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932710\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932710\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of three friends stand in front of their new food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo owners Chris Zamora (left), Anthony Cruzet (center) and Keith Canda (right) have known each other since grade school. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Talk to me about the name and concept of Mestizo. Where does that come from, and what does it represent for you all as mixed Filipinos?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In coming up with our name, we discussed the different kinds of foods we could do. It’s fusion, mixed. The definition of “mestizo” is being mixed race. We want our own version of that. I’m literally mestizo — half Filipino, half Mexican. So it’s a representation of myself. That’s connected with the foods we want to do, being Filipino-rooted with other influences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We also wanted flexibility with our menu. Some places only do Filipino food, but we wanted versatility to evolve our dishes over time. We’re all in different stages in our lives right now. Me and Ant just got back from Thailand, so we’re coming back with new flavors, new concepts. We want that evolutionary kind of experience to provide our community. Yes, we’re known for our fried-chicken-and-gravy burrito and our KaluaQuiles, but we can imagine new things, too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH CANDA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For me, Mestizo is a combination of a few things. All of us coming together is a mix of what we believe in, outside of food. We’re all mixed: We have different ideas, different goals, different careers. Then we put the food truck into play. Chris’s expertise in the kitchen. Ant in marketing and sales. And my little experience with running a food truck in the past. We stand by Mestizo because we believe in not just cultural fusion – Filipino, Hawaiian, Mexican – but in coming together as people with different skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Describe your food. What’s an example of a popular dish on your menu? What makes Mestizo unique?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The “Stay Rooted” burrito has fried chicken, which comes from one of us tasting chicken karaage in Japan. The mac salad in the burrito is from another one of us who took a trip to Hawaii. And then the gravy rice is from my memory of KFC gravy as a kid. There’s no rice at KFC, but I’ve always wanted to put that gravy on rice. So that’s all of us in one dish, literally. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932707\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932707\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a fried chicken burrito with Hawaiian mac salad is on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “Stay Rooted” burrito, which features fried chicken, Hawaiian mac salad and gravy, inspired an accompanying T-shirt made in collaboration with Cukui Clothing. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From a menu-building standpoint, what I think is unique about us is that it’s really just all of us and our wives literally putting ideas together from scratch. One time, Ant sent us a video of an ube grilled cheese sandwich using ube jam. The text messages just started going off after that, and I showed my wife, who had some of her own thoughts to add, and we just combined all of that into our own idea. So the concepts just build from there within our own little community. It comes from our travels, our experiences, our families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a collaboration with Cukui with the Stay Rooted burrito adds another layer of community, too. We share a goal to bring the community together and collaborate, to give whatever we can offer. I work at a print shop that makes shirts for Cukui, and our businesses have grown up hand in hand because we’ve been printing for them for years. I just had the idea to offer a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cukui.com/collections/mens/products/mestizo-x-cukui-lowrider-tee-cream\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">collaborative T-shirt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as part of our menu. That’s the vibe we wanted. We bring those creative juices, our designs, the hype. Cukui has a super big following as it is. So having them to work with is huge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we [co-hosted] a lowrider bike anniversary event at History Park in San Jose with our T-shirts and food, so it’s a cross-pollination of businesses and representation. For the event, we partnered with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/shinysideupshow/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiny Side Up\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from San Jose to design original shirts. That kind of community interaction is a staple for Mestizo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932714\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932714\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"a food truck displays their food menu, along with custom t-shirts and basketball shorts\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo regularly collaborates with boutique streetwear makers around the Bay Area for custom apparel at their events. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s also with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thecruisershop/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cruiser Shop\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a custom bicycle shop [in Campbell]. It’s like a car show for bicycles. With food and custom clothing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You seem very rooted in San Jose and the South Bay. What’s your connection to the culture there?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’re all born and raised in either Milpitas or San Jose. Ant and I went to kindergarten together, and we met Keith as teenagers. We all had Mustangs growing up and cruised together. That’s where it all kind of sparked from. I still have my ’73 Mach 1.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a ’67. I got a ’70 fastback. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mine has a 298 engine with a cam, nothing too crazy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a solid connection and foundation to San Jose and the brands and people here. I live in Milpitas now, but my cousins and I grew up in the Alum Rock area of East San Jose. That’s a whole thing to unravel in itself. There’s so much variety of cooking and food. Everyone has a favorite taco spot or torta spot, but there are so many to choose from that I think everyone finds their own way to stand out. It has influenced me and the way I cook and how we build menus by just taking the same simple ingredients to make our own magic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith is Mr. San Jose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What does “Mr. San Jose” have to say about the city’s food and culture?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose has a huge reputation for great Mexican food. But once you cross into Milpitas, there are a few great Filipino spots for such a small city. We wanted to bring that together since we are accustomed to growing up eating at Jaliscos and off of Alum Rock. Without growing up in San Jose and tasting the different spices and recipes of authentic immigrant foods, we wouldn’t be doing this. We’re coming together collectively and putting that all on one plate. We’re strongly rooted in that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The South Bay is such a big melting pot. Our palates were forced to get accustomed to all these different flavors. Indian food with Vietnamese food across the street and Chinese food next door. That’s the whole idea of Mestizo. We don’t want to be in a box. We want to open our menu to anything we grew up eating around the South Bay. Maybe we’ll do Filipino and Indian. We can do that. We know those flavors. Let’s see what we can create and who we might collaborate with for that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What do you think of Filipino food in the Bay Area? Besides your own kitchens, where do you go for the best Filipino dishes and how does it compare to your experiences in the Philippines?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Around here, there’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mykalesa.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kalesa\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That’s a sit-down. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.maxsrestaurantna.com/daly-city\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even though it’s a global chain. But I think Filipino food is actually underrepresented overall. We’re seeing it a lot more now on food shows and the cooking channels of the world, but it’s still underrepresented. For a long time, it’s been represented to us as “turo turo.” That means “point point.” If you go to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/goldilocksph/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Goldilocks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, you point at what you want to get. That’s what we were used to seeing growing up. But there’s a lot of space to explore where Filipino food is in the Bay Area right now and where it can be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932713\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932713\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a plate of lumpia with orange sauce on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pounds of “Mestizo Lumpia” were served in San Jose’s first ever lumpia eating contest earlier this year. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We just got back from the Philippines recently. But even there, it’s not always represented well because the food is so connected to the U.S. nowadays. Burgers, fried chicken, hot dogs. You’ll find more of that than traditional Filipino food sometimes. For middle- and upper-class people, they don’t go out to eat Filipino food. Over there, there are thousands of islands, so there’s a thousand ways to make adobo, lumpia, all of it, and people do that at home. There’s this one dish I love with fish balls on a wooden stick. It’s barbecued street food from the Philippines. We want to do that kind of stuff.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13928804,arts_13919707,arts_13905374",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>There’s also kamayan [a traditional Filipino method of eating with your bare hands]. Back in the day, during war times, the military was figuring out a way for generals and privates to share a table together. Typically, the tables were set up in ranks and separated. But they wanted a collaborative meal. So they laid out banana leaves on a big table and put rice and different proteins out for everyone to share. It’s called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hungryhuy.com/kamayan-feast/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a “boodle fight,” a shared meal together\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. No utensils, just hands. It’s an interesting way of eating, since it’s very primal, but also offers space for a different kind of connection. That’s something I’d like to experiment with but not with the food truck. Our vision with that is to set up an event at a park and essentially put the banana leaves out, the decor, and do private events for small groups of friends. It could be weird if you do that with a complete stranger. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>That sounds amazing. You also recently hosted San Jose’s first lumpia eating contest. Is there any chance we’ll see that again?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I’m the one who wants to do it every week [laughs]. We want to bring it back. My idea is to do a “champions league” lumpia eating contest. Champions from different events, from different parts of San Jose. But that’s still a dream in the conceptual stage. You do the math and you’re like, man, eating that much lumpia? We can do that. But then you see it, and it’s actually kind of hard to do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’ve talked about doing it again. But with more than just pork lumpia, since that’s limiting for some people’s diet. We want to try to do something with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">E-40’s Lumpia Company\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That would be dope to do something bigger featuring their lumpia and hosted by us. That’s just me putting that out into the universe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Mestizo food truck pops up at various events around the South Bay. Their next appearance at La Pulga (1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose) will be for the flea market’s \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://gardenattheflea.com/event/bnm-taco-night-of-innovation/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taco Night of Innovation\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Fri., Aug. 18. For updates, follow Mestizo \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">on Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13932574/mestizo-san-jose-filipino-food-truck-la-pulga-mexican-hawaiian",
"authors": [
"11748"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"series": [
"arts_22307"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_15945",
"arts_21731",
"arts_3419",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_14183",
"arts_19125",
"arts_1297",
"arts_17573",
"arts_15942",
"arts_15892",
"arts_14985",
"arts_1084",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13932744",
"label": "source_arts_13932574"
},
"arts_13929263": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13929263",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13929263",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1684425609000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1684425609,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Ube Ice Cream Tacos Are the Bay Area’s Homegrown Answer to the Choco Taco",
"headTitle": "Ube Ice Cream Tacos Are the Bay Area’s Homegrown Answer to the Choco Taco | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The ube renaissance is real. And in the Bay Area, we’re at the epicenter of its deliciously purple core.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the popular Filipino ingredient blitzing the food scene — appearing everywhere from the cover of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926618/mayumu-abi-balingit-filipino-desserts-cookbook-bay-area-san-jose\">Abi Balingit’s viral cookbook, \u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, to the aisles of Trader Joe’s — the tropical yam has blown up to become, arguably, the biggest regional crossover hit since \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/21/20937687/el-garage-quesabirria-birria-taco-richmond-instagram\">the Mexican quesabirria craze\u003c/a>. Utilizing its distinct lilac color and starchy versatility, today’s Filipino American food makers have revolutionized the way ube is being presented to, and consumed by, anyone with a mouth — in the form of pretzels, breads, cookies, jams, cocktails and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps its most genius iteration to date? \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macs.by.icky/\">Macs by Icky\u003c/a>‘s ube ice cream taco — a homemade waffle cone folded and dipped in ube white chocolate, then stuffed with ube ice cream and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. Naturally, it resembles \u003ca href=\"https://www.bonappetit.com/story/choco-taco-discontinued-klondike\">Klondike’s famously discontinued Choco Taco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new Bay Area spinoff originated with Victoria Sablan, a Filipina American from Union City who remembers ordering Choco Tacos as a kid when Taco Bell and roving ice cream trucks prominently sold the frozen treat. Its discontinuation felt like losing a part of childhood. So Sablan decided to bring it back by adding her own vibrant touch: ube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ube wasn’t as readily available as it is now,” Sablan says about her lifelong love of the delicacy. “You couldn’t just buy ube ice cream at any grocery store. It was a specialty. If I came home from school and there was ube, I didn’t want to share, and I didn’t ask where my parents got it from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929303\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929303\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli.jpg\" alt=\"A tray of cannoli stuffed with ube cream and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ube features prominently across the Macs by Icky menu. Pictured here: ube pistachio cannoli. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Macs by Icky)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sablan, who began baking as a young girl in a multi-generational immigrant home, has experimented with ube -based goods since high school. These days, her practice and creativity are paying off. In recent years, you can find her family-run side business, Macs by Icky, posted up around the Union City, Newark and Fremont area. An East Bay flavor come across in everything she does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People have always called me Icky,” says Sablan, who has a full-time job in healthcare. “And ‘Macs’ is because I started out making macarons, and because of my husband — he likes Mac Dre.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her professional food efforts began accidentally in 2019 when Sablan made bags of “muddy mix” — a variation of “puppy chow,” the Midwestern sweet snack — for her pharmacy staff during nurse appreciation week. Shortly after, friends wanted more, so she \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn6E62-uewo/\">playfully added ube and Oreo chunks\u003c/a> for an infusion she’d never tasted elsewhere. After that, friends and family clamored for more. She’s been using her imagination to create Filipinoized desserts ever since, from ube ricotta cannolis to “ubenana” (ube and banana) pudding.[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Victoria Sablan\"]‘Everyone in the Bay Area is a little Filipino. When other people see our foods, they trust our taste.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she enters her early 30s, Sablan — along with her husband, Frank, a Filipino-Chamorro who attended the same high school as her — are mashing the ube gas pedal with their uniquely Pinoy, extremely millennial creations. And they’re making a (purple) mark on Union City’s underground food scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s popping off,” she says. “Especially in the Bay, where there’s hella Filipinos. We’re very open [as a community], so our friends become Filipino even if they’re not. Everyone in the Bay Area is a little Filipino. When other people see our foods, they trust our taste.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to co-managing Macs By Icky on their spare weekends, Sablan and her husband also host monthly events for other foodmakers. Their flagship function, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr_moMQvWDq/\">UC the Vibes\u003c/a>,” brings a rotating cast of established and emerging small businesses to Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.birdhausbeergarden.com/\">Birdhaus Beer Garden\u003c/a> for a day party, which includes musical performances from local artists like popular Union City rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/darrellmedellin/?hl=en\">Darrell Medellin\u003c/a>, along with live DJs, merch and, of course, food that smacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community gathering began in 2021 when the Sablans were cited by the city for selling food without a permit. Since the couple was largely focused on their professional careers, they didn’t have much time or space to learn about the logistical and legal aspects of running a food business. After their experience with Alameda County’s health department, which Sablan says wasn’t easy, they decided to undergo their own entrepreneurial education in order to teach other community members how to level up their hustles professionally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone complained to Union City about us [selling food]. We honestly didn’t know,” says Sablan. “People sell tamales down the street, or small plates, so we didn’t think anything of it. There’s not any education on it. If you call the health department, they’re not that helpful and no one coaches you through it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929306\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1760px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Small jars of purple banana-ube cream pudding, topped with crushed pistachios.\" width=\"1760\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-scaled.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-800x1164.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-1020x1484.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-160x233.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-768x1117.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-1056x1536.jpg 1056w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-1408x2048.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Ubenana,’ the pop-up’s bright purple reinterpretation of a classic banana cream pudding. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Macs by Icky)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These days, Macs By Icky is adored in the local “food vending family,” regularly collaborating with and learning from successful pop-up hits like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alpastorpapi415/?hl=en\">Al Pastor Papi\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pineapplewhips/\">Pineapple Whips\u003c/a> while simultaneously mentoring nascent, homegrown operations like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/anthonyskitchen__/\">Anthony’s Kitchen\u003c/a> — a Hawaiian shrimp food slinger that got its at the Sablans’ events and has since expanded to other venues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many immigrant-raised entrepreneurs, the Sablans have learned how to leverage their come-up in order to help feed other aspiring makers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We get vendors and coach them, walking them through how to get insurance and how to get a permit with the health department, so that after an event [like UC the Vibes] they can flourish and do it around the Bay Area if they want to,” Sablan says. “We want to offer our knowledge. There’s room for everyone to eat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13926618,arts_13928804,arts_13919707']\u003c/span>A relatively small community with an outsized Filipino population, Union City hasn’t necessarily been known as a hub for exciting Bay Area cuisine in the past. Squished between Oakland and San Jose, and overshadowed by the larger neighboring communities of Hayward and Fremont, Union City is a place where many Bay Areans only go to visit extended family. That hasn’t stopped Macs By Icky — it has only gassed them up to go harder in the food game for their city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 6.64%, \u003ca href=\"https://www.asianjournal.com/usa/dateline-usa/pew-research-over-4-2m-filipino-americans-in-the-us/\">the Bay Area boasts the highest percentage of Filipino Americans per capita\u003c/a> of any metro region on the United States mainland, eclipsed only by Hawaii. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-filipinos-in-the-u-s/#top-10-u-s-metropolitan-areas-by-filipino-population-2019\">given that 50% of Filipino Americans were born in the U.S.\u003c/a>, compared to an average of 43% for other Asian diasporas, Fil Ams have mastered the art of cultural fusion and generational translation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union City is a textbook example. \u003ca href=\"https://zipatlas.com/us/ca/city-comparison/percentage-filipino-population.htm\">An impressive 20% of the city’s households are Filipino households\u003c/a>, making it pound for pound one of the most Filipino-saturated places in the nation — the ideal birthplace for a certified Bay Area dessert like the ube ice cream taco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather than picking up shop and catering to trendier parts of the Bay, the Sablans are inviting other parts of the Bay to experience what their home city has got to offer, sometimes straight off their porch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Union City] gets overlooked a lot, but it’s what we know,” says Sablan. “We like it here because we’re near both of our parents, our friends and his grandparents. Even though we’re fully established with our business now, we’re still doing it from home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The next edition of \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CsE3RrsyrZF/\">\u003ci>UC the Vibes\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will be held on Sun., May 21, at Birdhaus Beer Garden (3821 Smith St., Union City) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pop-up event will take a break in June, but return to Birdhaus on Sun., July 23.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1413,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 25
},
"modified": 1716247623,
"excerpt": "Filipino pop-up Macs by Icky is making its mark on Union City's underground food scene.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "Ube Ice Cream Tacos Are the Bay Area's Homegrown Answer to the Choco Taco",
"socialTitle": "Ube Choco Tacos Are a Homegrown Bay Area Treat %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "Ube Ice Cream Tacos Are the Bay Area's Homegrown Answer to the Choco Taco",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Filipino pop-up Macs by Icky is making its mark on Union City's underground food scene.",
"title": "Ube Choco Tacos Are a Homegrown Bay Area Treat | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Ube Ice Cream Tacos Are the Bay Area’s Homegrown Answer to the Choco Taco",
"datePublished": "2023-05-18T09:00:09-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-05-20T16:27:03-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "ube-choco-taco-macs-by-icky-filipino-union-city",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Food",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13929263/ube-choco-taco-macs-by-icky-filipino-union-city",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The ube renaissance is real. And in the Bay Area, we’re at the epicenter of its deliciously purple core.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the popular Filipino ingredient blitzing the food scene — appearing everywhere from the cover of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13926618/mayumu-abi-balingit-filipino-desserts-cookbook-bay-area-san-jose\">Abi Balingit’s viral cookbook, \u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, to the aisles of Trader Joe’s — the tropical yam has blown up to become, arguably, the biggest regional crossover hit since \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2019/11/21/20937687/el-garage-quesabirria-birria-taco-richmond-instagram\">the Mexican quesabirria craze\u003c/a>. Utilizing its distinct lilac color and starchy versatility, today’s Filipino American food makers have revolutionized the way ube is being presented to, and consumed by, anyone with a mouth — in the form of pretzels, breads, cookies, jams, cocktails and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps its most genius iteration to date? \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macs.by.icky/\">Macs by Icky\u003c/a>‘s ube ice cream taco — a homemade waffle cone folded and dipped in ube white chocolate, then stuffed with ube ice cream and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. Naturally, it resembles \u003ca href=\"https://www.bonappetit.com/story/choco-taco-discontinued-klondike\">Klondike’s famously discontinued Choco Taco\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new Bay Area spinoff originated with Victoria Sablan, a Filipina American from Union City who remembers ordering Choco Tacos as a kid when Taco Bell and roving ice cream trucks prominently sold the frozen treat. Its discontinuation felt like losing a part of childhood. So Sablan decided to bring it back by adding her own vibrant touch: ube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ube wasn’t as readily available as it is now,” Sablan says about her lifelong love of the delicacy. “You couldn’t just buy ube ice cream at any grocery store. It was a specialty. If I came home from school and there was ube, I didn’t want to share, and I didn’t ask where my parents got it from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929303\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929303\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli.jpg\" alt=\"A tray of cannoli stuffed with ube cream and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ube-cannoli-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ube features prominently across the Macs by Icky menu. Pictured here: ube pistachio cannoli. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Macs by Icky)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sablan, who began baking as a young girl in a multi-generational immigrant home, has experimented with ube -based goods since high school. These days, her practice and creativity are paying off. In recent years, you can find her family-run side business, Macs by Icky, posted up around the Union City, Newark and Fremont area. An East Bay flavor come across in everything she does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People have always called me Icky,” says Sablan, who has a full-time job in healthcare. “And ‘Macs’ is because I started out making macarons, and because of my husband — he likes Mac Dre.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her professional food efforts began accidentally in 2019 when Sablan made bags of “muddy mix” — a variation of “puppy chow,” the Midwestern sweet snack — for her pharmacy staff during nurse appreciation week. Shortly after, friends wanted more, so she \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn6E62-uewo/\">playfully added ube and Oreo chunks\u003c/a> for an infusion she’d never tasted elsewhere. After that, friends and family clamored for more. She’s been using her imagination to create Filipinoized desserts ever since, from ube ricotta cannolis to “ubenana” (ube and banana) pudding.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘Everyone in the Bay Area is a little Filipino. When other people see our foods, they trust our taste.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "large",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Victoria Sablan",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she enters her early 30s, Sablan — along with her husband, Frank, a Filipino-Chamorro who attended the same high school as her — are mashing the ube gas pedal with their uniquely Pinoy, extremely millennial creations. And they’re making a (purple) mark on Union City’s underground food scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s popping off,” she says. “Especially in the Bay, where there’s hella Filipinos. We’re very open [as a community], so our friends become Filipino even if they’re not. Everyone in the Bay Area is a little Filipino. When other people see our foods, they trust our taste.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to co-managing Macs By Icky on their spare weekends, Sablan and her husband also host monthly events for other foodmakers. Their flagship function, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr_moMQvWDq/\">UC the Vibes\u003c/a>,” brings a rotating cast of established and emerging small businesses to Union City’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.birdhausbeergarden.com/\">Birdhaus Beer Garden\u003c/a> for a day party, which includes musical performances from local artists like popular Union City rapper \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/darrellmedellin/?hl=en\">Darrell Medellin\u003c/a>, along with live DJs, merch and, of course, food that smacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community gathering began in 2021 when the Sablans were cited by the city for selling food without a permit. Since the couple was largely focused on their professional careers, they didn’t have much time or space to learn about the logistical and legal aspects of running a food business. After their experience with Alameda County’s health department, which Sablan says wasn’t easy, they decided to undergo their own entrepreneurial education in order to teach other community members how to level up their hustles professionally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone complained to Union City about us [selling food]. We honestly didn’t know,” says Sablan. “People sell tamales down the street, or small plates, so we didn’t think anything of it. There’s not any education on it. If you call the health department, they’re not that helpful and no one coaches you through it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929306\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1760px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Small jars of purple banana-ube cream pudding, topped with crushed pistachios.\" width=\"1760\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-scaled.jpg 1760w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-800x1164.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-1020x1484.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-160x233.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-768x1117.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-1056x1536.jpg 1056w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/ubenana-1408x2048.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1760px) 100vw, 1760px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Ubenana,’ the pop-up’s bright purple reinterpretation of a classic banana cream pudding. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Macs by Icky)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These days, Macs By Icky is adored in the local “food vending family,” regularly collaborating with and learning from successful pop-up hits like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alpastorpapi415/?hl=en\">Al Pastor Papi\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pineapplewhips/\">Pineapple Whips\u003c/a> while simultaneously mentoring nascent, homegrown operations like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/anthonyskitchen__/\">Anthony’s Kitchen\u003c/a> — a Hawaiian shrimp food slinger that got its at the Sablans’ events and has since expanded to other venues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many immigrant-raised entrepreneurs, the Sablans have learned how to leverage their come-up in order to help feed other aspiring makers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We get vendors and coach them, walking them through how to get insurance and how to get a permit with the health department, so that after an event [like UC the Vibes] they can flourish and do it around the Bay Area if they want to,” Sablan says. “We want to offer our knowledge. There’s room for everyone to eat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13926618,arts_13928804,arts_13919707",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>A relatively small community with an outsized Filipino population, Union City hasn’t necessarily been known as a hub for exciting Bay Area cuisine in the past. Squished between Oakland and San Jose, and overshadowed by the larger neighboring communities of Hayward and Fremont, Union City is a place where many Bay Areans only go to visit extended family. That hasn’t stopped Macs By Icky — it has only gassed them up to go harder in the food game for their city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 6.64%, \u003ca href=\"https://www.asianjournal.com/usa/dateline-usa/pew-research-over-4-2m-filipino-americans-in-the-us/\">the Bay Area boasts the highest percentage of Filipino Americans per capita\u003c/a> of any metro region on the United States mainland, eclipsed only by Hawaii. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-filipinos-in-the-u-s/#top-10-u-s-metropolitan-areas-by-filipino-population-2019\">given that 50% of Filipino Americans were born in the U.S.\u003c/a>, compared to an average of 43% for other Asian diasporas, Fil Ams have mastered the art of cultural fusion and generational translation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union City is a textbook example. \u003ca href=\"https://zipatlas.com/us/ca/city-comparison/percentage-filipino-population.htm\">An impressive 20% of the city’s households are Filipino households\u003c/a>, making it pound for pound one of the most Filipino-saturated places in the nation — the ideal birthplace for a certified Bay Area dessert like the ube ice cream taco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather than picking up shop and catering to trendier parts of the Bay, the Sablans are inviting other parts of the Bay to experience what their home city has got to offer, sometimes straight off their porch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Union City] gets overlooked a lot, but it’s what we know,” says Sablan. “We like it here because we’re near both of our parents, our friends and his grandparents. Even though we’re fully established with our business now, we’re still doing it from home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The next edition of \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CsE3RrsyrZF/\">\u003ci>UC the Vibes\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will be held on Sun., May 21, at Birdhaus Beer Garden (3821 Smith St., Union City) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pop-up event will take a break in June, but return to Birdhaus on Sun., July 23.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13929263/ube-choco-taco-macs-by-icky-filipino-union-city",
"authors": [
"11748"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_22144",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_14183",
"arts_22078",
"arts_17464",
"arts_585",
"arts_16240",
"arts_18037"
],
"featImg": "arts_13929323",
"label": "source_arts_13929263"
},
"arts_13928931": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13928931",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928931",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683739019000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1683739019,
"format": "aside",
"title": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet",
"headTitle": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928932\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928932\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg\" alt=\"A brown muppet with brown hair and purple nose smiles and waves. He is wearing a yellow and brown hoodie.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1020x1630.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-160x256.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-768x1227.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-961x1536.jpg 961w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1282x2048.jpg 1282w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em> has debuted TJ, its first Filipino muppet. TJ joins Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American character, who was introduced in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057684571/puppeteer-discusses-the-newest-character-on-sesame-street\">special Thanksgiving episode\u003c/a> in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjL8fNM1vE&ab_channel=SesameStreet\">segment of the children’s TV show\u003c/a>, TJ spends time with fellow muppets Ji-Young and Grover, and actor Kal Penn, who discusses the word of the day: confidence. “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, or in the abilities of others,” Penn explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjL8fNM1vE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TJ then talks about his growing confidence while learning Tagalog, one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines. “I’m confident because I can always ask my \u003cem>lola\u003c/em> for help when I don’t know a word,” he says, using the Tagalog term for grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas collaborated with puppeteer Louis Mitchell to create the muppet. On Instagram, Pontillas shared concept artwork for the character, who he said was inspired by Max and Mateo, the children of lifelong friends. TJ is played by voice actor and puppeteer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9MhK5OPLP/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D\">Yinan Shentu\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr98OnUu8hA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop’s director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development, also posted on Instagram about TJ’s debut, saying that his arrival came “just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9oqPUpvUw/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that she personally felt the topic of confidence could help “unravel the model minority stereotype.” The model minority is a persistent myth about Asian Americans’ collective, monolithic success. The stereotype ignores disparities within specific Asian ethnic groups and minimizes the role racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Sesame+Street%27+introduces+TJ%2C+the+show%27s+first+Filipino+American+muppet&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 328,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 8
},
"modified": 1705005517,
"excerpt": "TJ the muppet joined actor Kal Penn and Korean American muppet Ji-Young this week to discuss the word of the day: confidence.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "TJ the muppet joined actor Kal Penn and Korean American muppet Ji-Young this week to discuss the word of the day: confidence.",
"title": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Sesame Street’ Introduces TJ, the Show’s First Filipino American Muppet",
"datePublished": "2023-05-10T10:16:59-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:38:37-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "sesame-street-introduces-tj-the-shows-first-filipino-american-muppet",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1175204348&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 12:47:50 -0400",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 13:00:08 -0400",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2023/05/10/1175204348/sesame-street-filipino-muppet-tj?ft=nprml&f=1175204348",
"nprImageAgency": "Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett",
"nprStoryId": "1175204348",
"nprByline": "Suzanne Nuyen",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 10 May 2023 13:00:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/13928931/sesame-street-introduces-tj-the-shows-first-filipino-american-muppet",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928932\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928932\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg\" alt=\"A brown muppet with brown hair and purple nose smiles and waves. He is wearing a yellow and brown hoodie.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-800x1278.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1020x1630.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-160x256.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-768x1227.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-961x1536.jpg 961w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601-1282x2048.jpg 1282w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/sesame_tj-edit_custom-ea1d42d6b7b614975075659b24f5d6f09de5b601.jpg 1408w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TJ is the first Filipino muppet on ‘Sesame Street.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sesame Workshop. Photographer: John Barrett)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sesame Street\u003c/em> has debuted TJ, its first Filipino muppet. TJ joins Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American character, who was introduced in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/11/20/1057684571/puppeteer-discusses-the-newest-character-on-sesame-street\">special Thanksgiving episode\u003c/a> in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjL8fNM1vE&ab_channel=SesameStreet\">segment of the children’s TV show\u003c/a>, TJ spends time with fellow muppets Ji-Young and Grover, and actor Kal Penn, who discusses the word of the day: confidence. “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, or in the abilities of others,” Penn explains.\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/pbjL8fNM1vE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pbjL8fNM1vE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>TJ then talks about his growing confidence while learning Tagalog, one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines. “I’m confident because I can always ask my \u003cem>lola\u003c/em> for help when I don’t know a word,” he says, using the Tagalog term for grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas collaborated with puppeteer Louis Mitchell to create the muppet. On Instagram, Pontillas shared concept artwork for the character, who he said was inspired by Max and Mateo, the children of lifelong friends. TJ is played by voice actor and puppeteer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9MhK5OPLP/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D\">Yinan Shentu\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr98OnUu8hA"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop’s director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development, also posted on Instagram about TJ’s debut, saying that his arrival came “just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr9oqPUpvUw/"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that she personally felt the topic of confidence could help “unravel the model minority stereotype.” The model minority is a persistent myth about Asian Americans’ collective, monolithic success. The stereotype ignores disparities within specific Asian ethnic groups and minimizes the role racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">visit NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Sesame+Street%27+introduces+TJ%2C+the+show%27s+first+Filipino+American+muppet&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13928931/sesame-street-introduces-tj-the-shows-first-filipino-american-muppet",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13928931"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_75",
"arts_990"
],
"tags": [
"arts_11007",
"arts_2855",
"arts_1176",
"arts_1191"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_13928937",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_13928804": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13928804",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13928804",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1683738040000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "hyphy-iceez-icee-slushy-filipino-hip-hop-mission-district-sf",
"title": "\"Tell Me When To Mango\": Hyphy Iceez Pours Nostalgia in a Cup",
"publishDate": 1683738040,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "“Tell Me When To Mango”: Hyphy Iceez Pours Nostalgia in a Cup | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I first heard the hyphy anthem “Tell Me When to Go” in 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, I was a freshman in community college and an active member of L.U.C.H.A., a student-led group for first-generation youth who organized protests and cultural events around campus and in surrounding Bay Area communities. After one late-night session, we all packed into the kitchen of a friend’s house in Redwood City for what quickly turned into a house party. \u003ca href=\"https://genius.com/E-40-tell-me-when-to-go-lyrics\">The moon was out with dark clouds\u003c/a>. One group member was wearing a luchador mask, shaking his skull and going wild to the bass, and somewhere there were bottles of \u003ca href=\"https://genius.com/E-40-tell-me-when-to-go-lyrics\">Jose Cuervo and 1800\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, E-40’s ambassadorial voice: “I’m from the Bay where we hyphy and go dumb. From the soil where them rappers be getting their lingo from.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GZbaXdK8Js\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wasn’t the same person after that. My generation was shaped by Keak da Sneak and 40 Water’s declarations of vices and partying on \u003ci>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/i>. It defined an upbeat tempo for our region and instilled a pride we haven’t let go of since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Very few Baydestrians represent that intersection in time more than Jonathan Toledo. Born in 1989, he is — in his own words — “the last of a dying breed.” A San Francisco-raised Filipino Mexican, the dude is a full-time father and Goodwill employee by day, and a creative foodmaker who supplies the vibes by night. Though I didn’t know Toledo growing up, he feels like a familiar soul — someone who could’ve been involved in my fledgling circle of friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like so many of us during that time, Toledo grew up under the trunk-rattling guidance of the hyphy gods, learning how to maneuver his way through a ruthlessly gentrifying Bay Area landscape while still cultivating his roots. Now, he’s flipping his life experiences into a side business: \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyiceez/?hl=en\">Hyphy Iceez\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With homemade flavors like “Tell Me When to Mango,” “Mainey Manzana” and “The Lemon Ayyyyye,” the bootstrap operation has been popping up at various rec centers, family events and markets around the 415, 510 and 408 with Toledo’s signature “Iceez.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As warm weather (theoretically) approaches our foggy horizon, Toledo will be outside serving up cold, slushy treats for kids and adults alike. Catch him pouring up his own variation of 18 dummy juice and handing out life lessons about the only place he’s ever called home: The Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003ci>********\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alan Chazaro: Where did you get the idea for Hyphy Iceez, and when did it launch?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jonathan Toledo: \u003c/b>Really, I started my first business in 2018 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thehiphopbouncehouse/\">The Hip Hop Bounce House\u003c/a>. It’s a jumper with a bluetooth speaker and disco lights, a turn-up jumper (laughs). My first year was just about learning everything, and my second year I had plans to grow. But the pandemic hit, and that put a stop to it all. Throughout that time I started thinking about what else I could do business-wise. One day, I was kicking it at Dolores Park with my girl. It was warm outside and vendors were walking around selling coconuts and hella other things, and I was thinking it could be dope to have Icees out here — you know, frozen drinks. From there I applied my experience [gained] from the first business. Within four months of that moment, I had my very first [Icee] machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928812\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13928812 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-800x1200.jpg\" alt='a slushy machine used for making \"Hyphy Iceez\" ' width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hyphy Iceez started in the summer of 2020 with nothing more than a slushy machine. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>It sounds like you really had to pivot from your original plans. Where did it go from there, and how did you turn that into something bigger?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around that time I was really on the drawing board with coming up with my new business name. I had some ideas, but when I thought of Hyphy Iceez, that was it. For me, it’s nostalgic. It’s about putting my twist on a classic, making it my own by adding a childhood staple to Bay Area culture. That’s how I got the business running and started. Then it was really just putting myself out there, doing pop-ups. I wouldn’t always be able to set up at an event, but I would sell outside on the sidewalks. Sometimes, they would invite me in because they would see people coming in with my drinks. I was consistent and persistent. From there my connection really built with different community organizations in San Francisco. It’s the biggest blessing to have that resource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s always a lot of love. It’s not always about the sales, but just about the experience and making the most out of it. It’s always well received. It’s the Bay. We know hyphy. It’s a household name. It’s just about building unity regardless of what city or area you’re from. We just know how to turn it into a good time and create a positive experience. With everything in close proximity and accessible around the Bay — you got AC Transit, MUNI, BART — it’s important to get out and realize we’re all the same and the culture is everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Are there any community orgs who were particularly influential?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kidsclub.org/\">Boys and Girls Club of SF\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.ltfrespuestalatina.com/\">Latino Task Force\u003c/a>. Those are the two that were consistently big supporters. I’m always trying to give back when I can. I’ve had other nonprofits reach out to me and ask me to donate my services. Bro, I’m a super small business. That would be breaking the bank for me, I can’t even do that (laughs). But when I can, I try to hook them up in other ways. I’m a Director of Operations at Goodwill, so I can connect them and create opportunities, help them set up tables, provide job resources, things like that. If it doesn’t work out with the Iceez, the bigger picture is still to support the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You grew up in the Mission. How has that shaped you and your business ideas?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up here, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">it’s full of hustlers\u003c/a>. By hustlers I mean people who are going to go out and get it by any means, regardless. Find a way. Make it happen. Before I did any of this, when I was a teenager, I was stealing car radios, car speakers, and that was one of my first hustles. Selling bootleg CDs. Downloading everything off Limewire. If a CD came out, I’d write down the track list at Target and then go home and download it and sell it. That’s a hustler culture, a mentality. Seeing that in the Bay, and from my family, I had to find a way to apply that to something bigger. That was a large influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other aspect is about remixing things and making it your own. The Bay been doing that. A lot of people have pulled inspiration out of Bay culture, right? Through that, you learn how to align yourself and keep it authentic. It’s how we grew up — being able to keep it going and lit for future generations. One of my ultimate goals, bro, is to open up a storefront with a whole hyphy theme. But realistically that might not happen in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928811\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13928811 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A foodmaker serves cold slushies to a group of young children at an outdoor cultural event in San Francisco\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toledo serves a group of children in the Mission District during a free cultural event in October. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You went from stealing car radios as a youth to becoming a regional director for Goodwill? That’s major. What’s your blueprint for success?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, I oversee the main warehouse and transportation fleets all over the Bay Area’s [nine] counties. That’s 169 employees who report to me. But I started with Goodwill in a program for at-risk youth 12 years ago and got an entry level position in the warehouse. At that time, the program was called RAMP, and it was a job readiness program. It was dope. They helped to prepare me how to apply for jobs, how to interview, stuff like that. They provided professional attire, mock interviews, the basic fundamentals of communication. They taught me the importance of accountability and punctuality.[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jonathan Toledo\"]‘In the Bay, it’s all about making it your own … by creating your own remix.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you weren’t brought up with those skill sets, you don’t really think about it. That’s kind of what helped me start up my first business, to be honest. Going through the program and learning about the store, becoming a manager. I realized if I can help run another person’s business, I can run my own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What was your biggest challenge during that transition?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not really having that financial literacy. I’ve learned — over years — I’ve learned through lessons. Originally, I would self-fund everything out-of-pocket with cash and not really think about building up my credit or looking into business credit cards. Things like that. The other night I was checking my emails and I saw a deadline for a small business grant, and the deadline was the next day. So I said fuck that and stayed up all night to apply. I might not get it, but I [filled out the application].\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding and knowing about those resources is important. Every event, I learn more about being efficient, about presentation. I’m always open to learning and adapting, making changes and improving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928810\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928810\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"A close up photo of a green slushy treat in a cup\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toledo takes his inspiration from a lifetime of Bay Area memories, including his mom’s graduation from UC Berkeley, which has a bear as a mascot. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I can’t end this interview without asking the main question: Who are your favorite hyphy rappers, and do you still listen to them? Why is it important to keep that alive?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13907726,arts_13922141,arts_13913201']\u003c/span>Of course. Keak da Sneak, E-40, Too Short, Mistah F.A.B., Mac Dre. San Quinn, for sure, in that era especially. The 2000s, he was coming consistent, non-stop. Yaddamean. There’s so many rappers and Bay artists, the list goes on and on. My kids listen to it through me, but I got a wide range of music that I mess with. I can go from oldies to R&B to rap to hyphy. It’s old-school player shit. We’ll be listening to Spanish music, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hyphy is still going on, but it’s not as prominent. Did you see Mistah F.A.B. and them are throwing \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86UW5FKUSDc\">The Hyphy Era Tour\u003c/a>? There’s also a cat on IG, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bigfolkspop/\">BigFolksPop\u003c/a>, we just chop it up, and I appreciate all his skits. They’re basically from the hyphy era, like waiting at the bus stop and seeing a Lightning McQueen backpack or [stoned] Spongebob shirt. The gangsta Spongebob. In the Bay, it’s all about making it your own. It goes back to that idea of making things unique by creating your own remix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Have you looked at our logo for Hyphy Iceez? It’s made by my friend, a local graphic designer, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chrystianguillermo/\">Chrystian Guillermo\u003c/a>, but it’s inspired by Cal Berkeley. My mom is an alumni from UC Berkeley. That’s a big part of the Bay, just like hyphy. It’s about making those connections and keeping that representation. So people see it and they know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyiceez/\">\u003ci>Hyphy Iceez\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is available for private events and can be found serving various community orgs around the Bay Area. Currently, they are part of Frisco Fridays in partnership with \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_city_chopped_/\">\u003ci>City Chopped\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/made.in.the.city/\">\u003ci>Made in the City\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Check their pages for listings on where and when they will be serving food and hyphy-themed drinks one Friday per month.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Refreshing frozen drinks, remixed for the hyphy generation.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1727131865,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 34,
"wordCount": 2096
},
"headData": {
"title": "Hyphy Iceez Pours Frozen Slushy Drinks Inspired by the Bay Area Hyphy Movement | KQED",
"description": "Refreshing frozen drinks, remixed for the hyphy generation.",
"ogTitle": "‘Tell Me When to Mango’: Hyphy Iceez Pours Nostalgia in a Cup",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "‘Tell Me When to Mango’: Hyphy Iceez Pours Nostalgia in a Cup",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Hyphy Iceez Pours Frozen Slushy Drinks Inspired by the Bay Area Hyphy Movement %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "\"Tell Me When To Mango\": Hyphy Iceez Pours Nostalgia in a Cup",
"datePublished": "2023-05-10T10:00:40-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-23T15:51:05-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13928804/hyphy-iceez-icee-slushy-filipino-hip-hop-mission-district-sf",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I first heard the hyphy anthem “Tell Me When to Go” in 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, I was a freshman in community college and an active member of L.U.C.H.A., a student-led group for first-generation youth who organized protests and cultural events around campus and in surrounding Bay Area communities. After one late-night session, we all packed into the kitchen of a friend’s house in Redwood City for what quickly turned into a house party. \u003ca href=\"https://genius.com/E-40-tell-me-when-to-go-lyrics\">The moon was out with dark clouds\u003c/a>. One group member was wearing a luchador mask, shaking his skull and going wild to the bass, and somewhere there were bottles of \u003ca href=\"https://genius.com/E-40-tell-me-when-to-go-lyrics\">Jose Cuervo and 1800\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, E-40’s ambassadorial voice: “I’m from the Bay where we hyphy and go dumb. From the soil where them rappers be getting their lingo from.”\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/2GZbaXdK8Js'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/2GZbaXdK8Js'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wasn’t the same person after that. My generation was shaped by Keak da Sneak and 40 Water’s declarations of vices and partying on \u003ci>My Ghetto Report Card\u003c/i>. It defined an upbeat tempo for our region and instilled a pride we haven’t let go of since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Very few Baydestrians represent that intersection in time more than Jonathan Toledo. Born in 1989, he is — in his own words — “the last of a dying breed.” A San Francisco-raised Filipino Mexican, the dude is a full-time father and Goodwill employee by day, and a creative foodmaker who supplies the vibes by night. Though I didn’t know Toledo growing up, he feels like a familiar soul — someone who could’ve been involved in my fledgling circle of friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like so many of us during that time, Toledo grew up under the trunk-rattling guidance of the hyphy gods, learning how to maneuver his way through a ruthlessly gentrifying Bay Area landscape while still cultivating his roots. Now, he’s flipping his life experiences into a side business: \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyiceez/?hl=en\">Hyphy Iceez\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With homemade flavors like “Tell Me When to Mango,” “Mainey Manzana” and “The Lemon Ayyyyye,” the bootstrap operation has been popping up at various rec centers, family events and markets around the 415, 510 and 408 with Toledo’s signature “Iceez.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As warm weather (theoretically) approaches our foggy horizon, Toledo will be outside serving up cold, slushy treats for kids and adults alike. Catch him pouring up his own variation of 18 dummy juice and handing out life lessons about the only place he’s ever called home: The Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003ci>********\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alan Chazaro: Where did you get the idea for Hyphy Iceez, and when did it launch?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jonathan Toledo: \u003c/b>Really, I started my first business in 2018 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thehiphopbouncehouse/\">The Hip Hop Bounce House\u003c/a>. It’s a jumper with a bluetooth speaker and disco lights, a turn-up jumper (laughs). My first year was just about learning everything, and my second year I had plans to grow. But the pandemic hit, and that put a stop to it all. Throughout that time I started thinking about what else I could do business-wise. One day, I was kicking it at Dolores Park with my girl. It was warm outside and vendors were walking around selling coconuts and hella other things, and I was thinking it could be dope to have Icees out here — you know, frozen drinks. From there I applied my experience [gained] from the first business. Within four months of that moment, I had my very first [Icee] machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928812\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13928812 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-800x1200.jpg\" alt='a slushy machine used for making \"Hyphy Iceez\" ' width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_machine-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hyphy Iceez started in the summer of 2020 with nothing more than a slushy machine. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>It sounds like you really had to pivot from your original plans. Where did it go from there, and how did you turn that into something bigger?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around that time I was really on the drawing board with coming up with my new business name. I had some ideas, but when I thought of Hyphy Iceez, that was it. For me, it’s nostalgic. It’s about putting my twist on a classic, making it my own by adding a childhood staple to Bay Area culture. That’s how I got the business running and started. Then it was really just putting myself out there, doing pop-ups. I wouldn’t always be able to set up at an event, but I would sell outside on the sidewalks. Sometimes, they would invite me in because they would see people coming in with my drinks. I was consistent and persistent. From there my connection really built with different community organizations in San Francisco. It’s the biggest blessing to have that resource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s always a lot of love. It’s not always about the sales, but just about the experience and making the most out of it. It’s always well received. It’s the Bay. We know hyphy. It’s a household name. It’s just about building unity regardless of what city or area you’re from. We just know how to turn it into a good time and create a positive experience. With everything in close proximity and accessible around the Bay — you got AC Transit, MUNI, BART — it’s important to get out and realize we’re all the same and the culture is everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Are there any community orgs who were particularly influential?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kidsclub.org/\">Boys and Girls Club of SF\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.ltfrespuestalatina.com/\">Latino Task Force\u003c/a>. Those are the two that were consistently big supporters. I’m always trying to give back when I can. I’ve had other nonprofits reach out to me and ask me to donate my services. Bro, I’m a super small business. That would be breaking the bank for me, I can’t even do that (laughs). But when I can, I try to hook them up in other ways. I’m a Director of Operations at Goodwill, so I can connect them and create opportunities, help them set up tables, provide job resources, things like that. If it doesn’t work out with the Iceez, the bigger picture is still to support the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You grew up in the Mission. How has that shaped you and your business ideas?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up here, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">it’s full of hustlers\u003c/a>. By hustlers I mean people who are going to go out and get it by any means, regardless. Find a way. Make it happen. Before I did any of this, when I was a teenager, I was stealing car radios, car speakers, and that was one of my first hustles. Selling bootleg CDs. Downloading everything off Limewire. If a CD came out, I’d write down the track list at Target and then go home and download it and sell it. That’s a hustler culture, a mentality. Seeing that in the Bay, and from my family, I had to find a way to apply that to something bigger. That was a large influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other aspect is about remixing things and making it your own. The Bay been doing that. A lot of people have pulled inspiration out of Bay culture, right? Through that, you learn how to align yourself and keep it authentic. It’s how we grew up — being able to keep it going and lit for future generations. One of my ultimate goals, bro, is to open up a storefront with a whole hyphy theme. But realistically that might not happen in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928811\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13928811 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A foodmaker serves cold slushies to a group of young children at an outdoor cultural event in San Francisco\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_kids.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toledo serves a group of children in the Mission District during a free cultural event in October. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You went from stealing car radios as a youth to becoming a regional director for Goodwill? That’s major. What’s your blueprint for success?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, I oversee the main warehouse and transportation fleets all over the Bay Area’s [nine] counties. That’s 169 employees who report to me. But I started with Goodwill in a program for at-risk youth 12 years ago and got an entry level position in the warehouse. At that time, the program was called RAMP, and it was a job readiness program. It was dope. They helped to prepare me how to apply for jobs, how to interview, stuff like that. They provided professional attire, mock interviews, the basic fundamentals of communication. They taught me the importance of accountability and punctuality.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘In the Bay, it’s all about making it your own … by creating your own remix.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "large",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Jonathan Toledo",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you weren’t brought up with those skill sets, you don’t really think about it. That’s kind of what helped me start up my first business, to be honest. Going through the program and learning about the store, becoming a manager. I realized if I can help run another person’s business, I can run my own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What was your biggest challenge during that transition?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not really having that financial literacy. I’ve learned — over years — I’ve learned through lessons. Originally, I would self-fund everything out-of-pocket with cash and not really think about building up my credit or looking into business credit cards. Things like that. The other night I was checking my emails and I saw a deadline for a small business grant, and the deadline was the next day. So I said fuck that and stayed up all night to apply. I might not get it, but I [filled out the application].\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding and knowing about those resources is important. Every event, I learn more about being efficient, about presentation. I’m always open to learning and adapting, making changes and improving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13928810\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13928810\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"A close up photo of a green slushy treat in a cup\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/hyphy_iceez_close-up-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toledo takes his inspiration from a lifetime of Bay Area memories, including his mom’s graduation from UC Berkeley, which has a bear as a mascot. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I can’t end this interview without asking the main question: Who are your favorite hyphy rappers, and do you still listen to them? Why is it important to keep that alive?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13907726,arts_13922141,arts_13913201",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>Of course. Keak da Sneak, E-40, Too Short, Mistah F.A.B., Mac Dre. San Quinn, for sure, in that era especially. The 2000s, he was coming consistent, non-stop. Yaddamean. There’s so many rappers and Bay artists, the list goes on and on. My kids listen to it through me, but I got a wide range of music that I mess with. I can go from oldies to R&B to rap to hyphy. It’s old-school player shit. We’ll be listening to Spanish music, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hyphy is still going on, but it’s not as prominent. Did you see Mistah F.A.B. and them are throwing \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86UW5FKUSDc\">The Hyphy Era Tour\u003c/a>? There’s also a cat on IG, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bigfolkspop/\">BigFolksPop\u003c/a>, we just chop it up, and I appreciate all his skits. They’re basically from the hyphy era, like waiting at the bus stop and seeing a Lightning McQueen backpack or [stoned] Spongebob shirt. The gangsta Spongebob. In the Bay, it’s all about making it your own. It goes back to that idea of making things unique by creating your own remix.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Have you looked at our logo for Hyphy Iceez? It’s made by my friend, a local graphic designer, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/chrystianguillermo/\">Chrystian Guillermo\u003c/a>, but it’s inspired by Cal Berkeley. My mom is an alumni from UC Berkeley. That’s a big part of the Bay, just like hyphy. It’s about making those connections and keeping that representation. So people see it and they know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hyphyiceez/\">\u003ci>Hyphy Iceez\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is available for private events and can be found serving various community orgs around the Bay Area. Currently, they are part of Frisco Fridays in partnership with \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/_city_chopped_/\">\u003ci>City Chopped\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/made.in.the.city/\">\u003ci>Made in the City\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Check their pages for listings on where and when they will be serving food and hyphy-themed drinks one Friday per month.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13928804/hyphy-iceez-icee-slushy-filipino-hip-hop-mission-district-sf",
"authors": [
"11748"
],
"series": [
"arts_22307"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_8505",
"arts_22144",
"arts_1601",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_1297",
"arts_17573",
"arts_6975",
"arts_2173",
"arts_1256",
"arts_1257",
"arts_14089",
"arts_1146"
],
"featImg": "arts_13928813",
"label": "source_arts_13928804"
},
"arts_13926618": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13926618",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926618",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1679431313000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1679431313,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Abi Balingit's Dessert Cookbook Is a Love Letter to the Bay Area's Filipino Bakeries",
"headTitle": "Abi Balingit’s Dessert Cookbook Is a Love Letter to the Bay Area’s Filipino Bakeries | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Growing up, I assumed fruit custard was a uniquely Indian food, no different than khichdi or palak paneer. Chilled fruit custard, sweetened with apples, bananas and grapes, made frequent appearances at my mother’s dinner parties, indistinguishable from other milky Indian desserts like kheer or shrikhand. I never saw anything similar to it in American restaurants or at my white friends’ houses: How could I guess it was anything other than Indian?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh my god, I thought the same thing about fruit salad and Filipinos,” confesses \u003ca href=\"https://theduskykitchen.com/\">blogger\u003c/a>, baker and recipe developer extraordinaire Abi Balingit. We are chatting about her new memoir-cum-cookbook \u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063244061\">\u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i>: \u003ci>Filipino American Desserts Remixed\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>,\u003c/i> which documents the sweets she ate and made growing up in the Bay Area’s thriving Filipino communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our fruit salad has canned fruit, too, but we add more Filipino stuff like coconut jellies and sugar palm fruit, so I always thought it was 100 percent Filipino,” Balingit says. “Another product of colonialism and imperialism for sure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our respective fruit salads and custards reflect a bizarre quirk of history, where the legacy of colonization and globalization has influenced our food to the point where the term “fusion” doesn’t really mean much. Asian cooking has \u003ci>been \u003c/i>fused with Western culture. So why not make, say, a baked Alaska with ube ice cream — the tantalizing dessert displayed on the cover of \u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i>? Or a jello salad buko pandan?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926636\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926636\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover.jpg\" alt='Cover of a cookbook with a photo of a slice of baked Alaska with ube ice cream on the inside. Text reads, \"Mayumu, Filipino American Desserts Remixed.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"2469\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-800x1029.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-1020x1312.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-160x206.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-768x988.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-1194x1536.jpg 1194w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-1593x2048.jpg 1593w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cookbook was published by HarperCollins in February 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of HarperCollins)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Obviously, growing up in America, the desserts are cupcakes, cakes and cookies — and these are things in the Philippines, too,” says Balingit. “I went to Seafood City or the small Filipino market and saw coco pie and ube pie, but at the same time I went to Safeway or Albertson’s and saw, like, Hostess and Little Debbie’s. There was nothing weird about it to me, there was no sense of foreignness or discomfort.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Balingit, \u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i> isn’t just a cookbook. It is a snapshot of growing up Filipino American in California. While the book exhaustively covers how to make every Filipino dessert one is likely to find behind the glass case at a Union City bakery — from bibingka to pandesal to kutsinta – Balingit adds little elements drawn from the porous, pan-Asian culture of the Bay. Her bibingka, for example, is topped with melted White Rabbit candies, which she fondly remembers coveting at 99 Ranch, while her pastillas, a chewy candy made from condensed milk, are flavored with matcha powder, that boba-shop staple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The book is split into five parts, each named after towns Balingit resided in and accompanied by short reflections about what each location meant to her. Balingit was born in San Jose, moved to Stockton when she was six years old, went to UC Berkeley for college and finally flew off to New York City for work. The sequencing of the recipes tracks Balingit’s development as a baker: Early parts of the book cover Filipino classics like puto and biko, done relatively simply, while later parts show off her matured virtuosity and broader cultural horizons — leche flan infused with chai, cookies flavored with karekare or adobo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926637\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926637\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of cookbook author Abi Balingit, who wears a colorful apron that matches her pink and green hair.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2238\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-800x933.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-1020x1189.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-160x187.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-768x895.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-1318x1536.jpg 1318w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-1757x2048.jpg 1757w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balingit spent her formative years in San Jose and Stockton.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s not always a forward arc. Sometimes, Balingit doubles back. She puts her basic pandesal recipe in the fourth chapter, set in Brooklyn. After leaving the Bay’s plentiful Filipino bakeries behind, she had little choice but to make the bread on her own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Bakeries are so essential for daily life,” says Balingit, wistfully. “Growing up, I don’t think my parents made pandesal ever; I would be surprised if anyone in San Jose or Stockton did. The bakeries do such a good job already.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mayumu \u003c/i>is littered with references to Bay Area Filipino bakeries — the famous chains \u003ca href=\"https://www.goldilocks-usa.com/\">Goldilocks\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://valeriostropicalbakeshop.com/\">Valerio’s\u003c/a> in particular get big shoutouts — that innovated with items like monggo-swirled brioche loaves and ube tres leches cakes. And the Fil-Am urge for baked goods and candy doesn’t just stop at strictly Filipino joints. Balingit also pays tribute to Costco madeleines and poppy seed muffins, gas station Twinkies and even Midwestern Buckeye candies, introduced to a young Balingit by a friend studying at Ohio State University. All done, of course, with a Filipino twist: The madeleines are lychee flavored, the Twinkies use Filipino mamon instead of sponge cake, the Buckeyes swap out fudge for yema (a Filipino egg custard).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926638\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of madeleines topped with dried rose petals and a purple-pink hibiscus glaze.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2347\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-800x978.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-1020x1247.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-768x939.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-1257x1536.jpg 1257w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-1675x2048.jpg 1675w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balingit’s madeleines are flavored with lychee and have a hibiscus tea glaze. \u003ccite>(Nico Schinco)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite the legacy of generations of Asian American pastry chefs working in places like Valerio’s, very few have had the opportunity to write at length about their work. Balingit and I ended our conversation trying to come up with previous books in this niche, but we couldn’t think of any. Hours of additional Googling on my part only turned up a scant few: Aileen Chung Belshe’s hard-to-find \u003ci>Hawaiian Sweets, Treats And Eats\u003c/i>, Pichet Ong’s \u003ci>Sweet Spot\u003c/i> and Kristina Cho’s recently released \u003ci>Mooncakes and Milk Bread\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13919707,arts_13924997,arts_13896138']“It wasn’t smooth sailing trying to get this book sold to a publisher,” Balingit admits. “99 percent of publishers said no because it was so niche — not just a Filipino American cookbook, but a dessert cookbook as well. It shouldn’t be like that. Nobody would bat an eye if this was an Italian American dessert book.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily, Balingit connected with a Korean American editor at Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins, who took a chance on her work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It sucks, but that’s the beauty of all these new diaspora cookbooks coming out,” says Balingit. “Hopefully we’re breaking the mold a bit and making it easier for people to justify why their foods matter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>To promote \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063244061\">Mayumu\u003c/a>\u003ci>, Balingit is hosting meet-and-greets at Omnivore Books (3885 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco) on \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpxqxe6u0fc/\">\u003ci>Sat., March 25\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and the San Francisco Public Library’s Excelsior branch (4400 Mission St., San Francisco) on \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/events/2023/03/26/author-abi-balingit-mayumu\">\u003ci>Sunday, March 26\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1072,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 18
},
"modified": 1705005717,
"excerpt": "In 'Mayumu,' the madeleines taste like lychee, and the baked Alaska comes filled with ube ice cream.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "This New Dessert Cookbook Is a Love Letter to the Bay Area's Filipino Bakeries",
"socialTitle": "Abi Balingit's Filipino Dessert Cookbook, Mayumu, Celebrates the Bay Area's Filipino Bakeries %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "This New Dessert Cookbook Is a Love Letter to the Bay Area's Filipino Bakeries",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "In 'Mayumu,' the madeleines taste like lychee, and the baked Alaska comes filled with ube ice cream.",
"title": "Abi Balingit's Filipino Dessert Cookbook, Mayumu, Celebrates the Bay Area's Filipino Bakeries | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Abi Balingit's Dessert Cookbook Is a Love Letter to the Bay Area's Filipino Bakeries",
"datePublished": "2023-03-21T13:41:53-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:41:57-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "mayumu-abi-balingit-filipino-desserts-cookbook-bay-area-san-jose",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "/food/",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Food",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13926618/mayumu-abi-balingit-filipino-desserts-cookbook-bay-area-san-jose",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Growing up, I assumed fruit custard was a uniquely Indian food, no different than khichdi or palak paneer. Chilled fruit custard, sweetened with apples, bananas and grapes, made frequent appearances at my mother’s dinner parties, indistinguishable from other milky Indian desserts like kheer or shrikhand. I never saw anything similar to it in American restaurants or at my white friends’ houses: How could I guess it was anything other than Indian?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh my god, I thought the same thing about fruit salad and Filipinos,” confesses \u003ca href=\"https://theduskykitchen.com/\">blogger\u003c/a>, baker and recipe developer extraordinaire Abi Balingit. We are chatting about her new memoir-cum-cookbook \u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063244061\">\u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i>: \u003ci>Filipino American Desserts Remixed\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>,\u003c/i> which documents the sweets she ate and made growing up in the Bay Area’s thriving Filipino communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our fruit salad has canned fruit, too, but we add more Filipino stuff like coconut jellies and sugar palm fruit, so I always thought it was 100 percent Filipino,” Balingit says. “Another product of colonialism and imperialism for sure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our respective fruit salads and custards reflect a bizarre quirk of history, where the legacy of colonization and globalization has influenced our food to the point where the term “fusion” doesn’t really mean much. Asian cooking has \u003ci>been \u003c/i>fused with Western culture. So why not make, say, a baked Alaska with ube ice cream — the tantalizing dessert displayed on the cover of \u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i>? Or a jello salad buko pandan?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926636\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926636\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover.jpg\" alt='Cover of a cookbook with a photo of a slice of baked Alaska with ube ice cream on the inside. Text reads, \"Mayumu, Filipino American Desserts Remixed.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"2469\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-800x1029.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-1020x1312.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-160x206.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-768x988.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-1194x1536.jpg 1194w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Mayumu-cover-1593x2048.jpg 1593w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cookbook was published by HarperCollins in February 2023. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of HarperCollins)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Obviously, growing up in America, the desserts are cupcakes, cakes and cookies — and these are things in the Philippines, too,” says Balingit. “I went to Seafood City or the small Filipino market and saw coco pie and ube pie, but at the same time I went to Safeway or Albertson’s and saw, like, Hostess and Little Debbie’s. There was nothing weird about it to me, there was no sense of foreignness or discomfort.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Balingit, \u003ci>Mayumu\u003c/i> isn’t just a cookbook. It is a snapshot of growing up Filipino American in California. While the book exhaustively covers how to make every Filipino dessert one is likely to find behind the glass case at a Union City bakery — from bibingka to pandesal to kutsinta – Balingit adds little elements drawn from the porous, pan-Asian culture of the Bay. Her bibingka, for example, is topped with melted White Rabbit candies, which she fondly remembers coveting at 99 Ranch, while her pastillas, a chewy candy made from condensed milk, are flavored with matcha powder, that boba-shop staple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The book is split into five parts, each named after towns Balingit resided in and accompanied by short reflections about what each location meant to her. Balingit was born in San Jose, moved to Stockton when she was six years old, went to UC Berkeley for college and finally flew off to New York City for work. The sequencing of the recipes tracks Balingit’s development as a baker: Early parts of the book cover Filipino classics like puto and biko, done relatively simply, while later parts show off her matured virtuosity and broader cultural horizons — leche flan infused with chai, cookies flavored with karekare or adobo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926637\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926637\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of cookbook author Abi Balingit, who wears a colorful apron that matches her pink and green hair.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2238\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-800x933.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-1020x1189.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-160x187.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-768x895.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-1318x1536.jpg 1318w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Abi-Balingit-author-photo-1757x2048.jpg 1757w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balingit spent her formative years in San Jose and Stockton.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s not always a forward arc. Sometimes, Balingit doubles back. She puts her basic pandesal recipe in the fourth chapter, set in Brooklyn. After leaving the Bay’s plentiful Filipino bakeries behind, she had little choice but to make the bread on her own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Bakeries are so essential for daily life,” says Balingit, wistfully. “Growing up, I don’t think my parents made pandesal ever; I would be surprised if anyone in San Jose or Stockton did. The bakeries do such a good job already.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Mayumu \u003c/i>is littered with references to Bay Area Filipino bakeries — the famous chains \u003ca href=\"https://www.goldilocks-usa.com/\">Goldilocks\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://valeriostropicalbakeshop.com/\">Valerio’s\u003c/a> in particular get big shoutouts — that innovated with items like monggo-swirled brioche loaves and ube tres leches cakes. And the Fil-Am urge for baked goods and candy doesn’t just stop at strictly Filipino joints. Balingit also pays tribute to Costco madeleines and poppy seed muffins, gas station Twinkies and even Midwestern Buckeye candies, introduced to a young Balingit by a friend studying at Ohio State University. All done, of course, with a Filipino twist: The madeleines are lychee flavored, the Twinkies use Filipino mamon instead of sponge cake, the Buckeyes swap out fudge for yema (a Filipino egg custard).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926638\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of madeleines topped with dried rose petals and a purple-pink hibiscus glaze.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2347\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-800x978.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-1020x1247.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-768x939.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-1257x1536.jpg 1257w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Lychee-Madeleines-with-Hibiscus-Tea-Glaze-Dried-Rose-Petals-c-Nico-Schinco_edit-1675x2048.jpg 1675w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balingit’s madeleines are flavored with lychee and have a hibiscus tea glaze. \u003ccite>(Nico Schinco)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Despite the legacy of generations of Asian American pastry chefs working in places like Valerio’s, very few have had the opportunity to write at length about their work. Balingit and I ended our conversation trying to come up with previous books in this niche, but we couldn’t think of any. Hours of additional Googling on my part only turned up a scant few: Aileen Chung Belshe’s hard-to-find \u003ci>Hawaiian Sweets, Treats And Eats\u003c/i>, Pichet Ong’s \u003ci>Sweet Spot\u003c/i> and Kristina Cho’s recently released \u003ci>Mooncakes and Milk Bread\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13919707,arts_13924997,arts_13896138",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It wasn’t smooth sailing trying to get this book sold to a publisher,” Balingit admits. “99 percent of publishers said no because it was so niche — not just a Filipino American cookbook, but a dessert cookbook as well. It shouldn’t be like that. Nobody would bat an eye if this was an Italian American dessert book.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily, Balingit connected with a Korean American editor at Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins, who took a chance on her work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It sucks, but that’s the beauty of all these new diaspora cookbooks coming out,” says Balingit. “Hopefully we’re breaking the mold a bit and making it easier for people to justify why their foods matter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>To promote \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063244061\">Mayumu\u003c/a>\u003ci>, Balingit is hosting meet-and-greets at Omnivore Books (3885 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco) on \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpxqxe6u0fc/\">\u003ci>Sat., March 25\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> and the San Francisco Public Library’s Excelsior branch (4400 Mission St., San Francisco) on \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/events/2023/03/26/author-abi-balingit-mayumu\">\u003ci>Sunday, March 26\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13926618/mayumu-abi-balingit-filipino-desserts-cookbook-bay-area-san-jose",
"authors": [
"11766"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_4672",
"arts_16106",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_14183",
"arts_1176",
"arts_1297",
"arts_1084",
"arts_585",
"arts_16240"
],
"featImg": "arts_13926633",
"label": "source_arts_13926618"
},
"arts_13926503": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13926503",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926503",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1679338588000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1679338588,
"format": "aside",
"title": "How Filipinos in the Mission Recorded the First Asian American Rock Album",
"headTitle": "How Filipinos in the Mission Recorded the First Asian American Rock Album | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926505\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-800x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-800x630.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-768x605.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1.jpg 813w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right: Frank Magtoto, David Bustamante, Bert Ancheta, Carlos Bato Badia, Romeo Bustamante, Michael Gopaul and David ‘D’ Zandos. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dakila begins their debut album with a call to arms for the young Filipinos, Latinos, and Black kids they rubbed shoulders with as teenagers living in the Mission. “We are all brothers and sisters / Let’s work together,” they sing in Tagalog over a Latin rock groove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were right in the middle of this wave of activism. I was hoping our band would encourage Filipinos to go out there and be counted,” says Dakila’s drummer Frank Magtoto, recalling his youth in the ’70s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a band now considered obscure, Dakila can claim some incredible achievements. After Fanny, they were the second Filipino band signed to a major label, and the first to put their Filipino identity front and center. They were the first American band to record a track in Tagalog. In their time, they were popular, playing shows for Bill Graham alongside the biggest names of their generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Santana and Malo, the Pointer Sisters and Sly, and us. We practiced alongside them, we covered their songs, and we sometimes performed with them,” guitar player David Bustamante reminisces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with vocalist Romeo Bustamante and conguero Carlos Badia, Frank and David were part of a crowded scene in the Mission, the Black and Brown counterpart to the San Francisco sound up in Haight-Ashbury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had all these other bands around us. We felt like we had to come up with a brand of our own, in music or in identity. We’re not Latinos, we’re actually Filipinos from the Mission,” recalls David, “and, on our first record, I think we wanted to expand on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=868204738/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dakila is now getting the attention they have always deserved. Their debut album was reissued in Europe last year, just in time for the 50th anniversary of its release. They are the subject of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/dakilamovie/\">documentary\u003c/a> coming out this year called \u003ca href=\"https://www.dakilamovie.com/\">\u003cem>Searchin’ For My Soul: The Dakila Story\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, directed by local filmmaker Paul Abueg-Igaz. And David, the youngest surviving member of the band, is preparing to take Dakila to concerts across the Bay for the first time since the pandemic started, hoping to capitalize on their newfound popularity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent interviews, what he and Frank told me was simply incredible. The story of Dakila connects with the major social struggles shaking the Bay at the time, including the birth of the Asian American protest movement and the United Farm Workers’ fight for labor rights. This political consciousness animated their work — and led to what was likely the first truly Asian American rock album in music history.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The first politically Asian American album\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The story of Asian immigrants and their descendants in American music is as long as the history of Asian immigration itself. Every moment in American music history had their representative: Jazz had Japanese American pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, for example, and early rock ’n’ roll had Filipino four-piece The Rocky Fellers. They certainly broke barriers for Asians in American pop culture, but these forerunners generally lacked an explicitly political, pan-continental self-image; after all, they existed before the term “Asian American” was even coined. That broader political identity only came into being in 1968, when graduate students \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/5837805/asian-american-history/\">Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee coined the term\u003c/a> to unify activists at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yellow Pearl’s folk album \u003cem>A Grain of Sand\u003c/em>, released independently in 1973, is usually cited as the first consciously Asian American album by music critics, thanks to its radical lyrics and pan-Asian philosophy. But perhaps this judgment reflects a pattern, all too common in Asian American studies, of overlooking the achievements of Filipinos. In fact, Dakila’s self-titled came out a year earlier than Yellow Pearl’s work, in 1972, and clearly expresses an Asian American consciousness, down to the decision to sing proudly in Tagalog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dakila wanted their music to represent Asian Americans, and they made several radical choices to support that movement. On their debut album’s promotional tour, they played for Asian American student groups in campuses across the West Coast. They also performed benefit concerts to fundraise for Cesar Chavez as part of the oft-forgotten Filipino contingent of the United Farm Workers movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926507\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926507\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-800x643.jpg\" alt=\"An overhead shot of Dakila performing in front of a large club crowd. \" width=\"800\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-800x643.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-768x618.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dakila perform at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1972. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first track on their album nods to their involvement in local activism; it includes the slogan “Makibaka,” Tagalog for “struggle,” in its lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Makibaka was a protest chant that was happening here in the U.S.,” says Frank, who had never spoken about Dakila in the press prior to our interview. “Filipinos were using that when they were protesting our colleges, our government.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dakila’s background probably contributed to their prescient activist turn. The band’s history is intimately connected with the issues that animated the ’70s generation of Filipino American activists: the American occupation of the Philippines, the Vietnam War and the search for a uniquely Fil-Am identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Dakila’s rise to fame\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every Filipino member of Dakila has family ties to the military bases that dot the Bay, the legacy of a government program that granted citizenship to those who served in the Army or Navy during the American occupation of the Philippines. For the Bustamante brothers, Romeo and David, as well as their cousin Frank, the rhythms of military life defined their childhood. Their dads’ army band music was the soundtrack of those years, but once they caught the Beatlemania bug as teenagers, they ditched it for the electric sound of rock’n’roll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David and Romeo got their start rocking out for the school crowds of Vallejo, while Frank did the same over in the Mission, where they respectively grew up. But they didn’t get together and try to make it big until many years later, after Romeo got back from his Vietnam War conscription in Germany with an itch to make a change in his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David, who was younger than Romeo by almost a decade, was still a senior in high school when his older brother informed him of his plans. “Romeo wanted to form a band because when Santana came out in ’69, he fell in love with that music,” says David. “He had moved to the Mission and his tastes had changed — before that we were playing R&B and funk for school crowds. So he told me that when I got out of high school, I should go play with him in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romeo assembled a talented, multiracial group of musicians for his band, including the Ancheta cousins, two Filipino guitarists who went on to found the first Asian American hard rock band \u003ca href=\"https://goldendragonband.bandcamp.com/album/golden-dragon\">Golden Dragon\u003c/a>, and Michael Gopaul, Romeo’s brother-in-law who was also a timbales player.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of our original members was Raul Rekow,” David says, referring to Santana’s longtime conga drummer. “He actually got his start with us before he joined Santana.” In the final lineup, though, Rekow was replaced by another conguero, Carlos Badia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They quickly attained prominence in the Mission’s Latin rock scene, then the focus of intense major label interest after the success of bands like Santana and Malo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Three record companies approached us and wanted to give us a record deal,” recalls David. “We were in a bidding war with our friends in Malo, but they ended up signed to Warner Brothers while we went with Epic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926508\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926508\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of Dakila rocking out on an outdoor festival stage. \" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dakila live in the ’70s. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the time, the band performed under the name Soul Sacrifice — but Romeo felt like they should change their name to something that stood out, something perhaps in Tagalog, their first language. Romeo’s dad was the one who proposed the winning name Dakila, Tagalog for “great.” It put the band’s Filipino heritage front and center, and had another appeal as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kind of sounded like \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘\u003c/span>tequila,’” says Frank, laughing. “And that wasn’t a bad thing for a band to be associated with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Dakila tries for the big leagues\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Dakila was up to this point a live band, and this was their first time in a record studio. “We practiced every day so we don’t waste any studio time,” says David. “We played like ten original songs for them, which the producers cut and spliced into six tracks on the album.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David is still disgruntled by the producers’ edits, which the band had no say in. “They were like, you’re done recording, you guys come back in the week. Meanwhile, they sped things up and played things backwards and did studio tricks. When we finally heard it, we thought it didn’t sound like us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meddling didn’t end with their production. For unknown reasons, Epic decided to release Dakila’s first single, the patchouli-tinged instrumental “El Dùbi,” with a comedic spoken word A-side called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag1Lg1eTrdI\">Language Lessons\u003c/a>,” created without the band’s involvement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t know why [Epic] had to do this language thing,” says Frank with irritation. The spoken word piece posed as an instruction manual for DJs struggling to pronounce Dakila’s Tagalog song titles, but this was just an elaborate set-up for racist jokes about Filipino people (“small but wiry”) and the Tagalog language.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926522\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926522\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"The members of Dakila pose around a wicker chair, surrounded by trees. \" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover of Dakila’s self-titled debut album, shot by Herb Greene in Golden Gate Park.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, there was one thing about the release the band did have control over: the album cover. Shot by \u003ca href=\"https://www.herbgreenefoto.com/\">Herb Greene\u003c/a> in Golden Gate Park, it features the band members arrayed around a large, round wicker chair, an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V10kWLh71U\">omnipresent feature of album covers in the ’70s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We borrowed that chair from \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabuhay_Gardens\">Mabuhay [Gardens]\u003c/a> – it was a Filipino restaurant before it became a punk venue, you know,” says Frank. “A lot of people didn’t know this when it was trendy in the ’70s, but it was a Filipino chair, with Filipino origins.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “peacock” chair, as it is sometimes called, was first built by Filipino prisoners forced into manufacturing goods for American export during the country’s occupation by the United States. The band’s reclamation of that chair was also a reclamation of that history. In their image and in their music, Filipinos were now speaking back to their former colonizers. [aside postid='arts_13924042,arts_13905208,news_11943512']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epic Records, though, didn’t know how to promote a proudly Filipino American band. After making a last ditch effort to boost sales by touring the band through Asian American hotspots in California and Hawaii, Epic quietly dropped the band and scrapped their in-progress second album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the band, there was a lot of dissatisfaction with the way things were going,” says Frank. “Not just about the label, but also the band. Members were getting restless, saying we’re not making it because of you, because of this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided to leave,” says David. “I thought, if this wasn’t going to work out, I’d rather go back to school and get a degree in something that will get me money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David wasn’t alone in thinking this way: The rest of Dakila called it quits a year after they left Epic.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The band breaks up, but they aren’t forgotten\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Carlos Badia and Michael Gopaul left the music industry and disappeared from their bandmates’ lives after Dakila broke up, while the Ancheta cousins moved on to their other band, Golden Dragon. Frank worked his way up from a floor job at a company warehouse to becoming a programmer for that company, all without a degree, while David went to school for nursing and got a job at John Muir Health, in Concord.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While they got on with their lives, the band had no idea that their music was still out there, circulating in bootlegged copies in Europe, Asia and South America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A while ago, some people started telling me that my old band had been up on YouTube for a couple years now,” says David. “I was like, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘\u003c/span>I don’t know.’ I wasn’t on the internet back then. I guess there are some underground people, a younger generation, who like our music. I started looking it up, and wow, people were selling us on eBay. Cassettes. CDs. Eight tracks!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926509\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 776px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926509\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973..jpg\" alt=\"David Bustamante plays a guitar solo with great concentration.\" width=\"776\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973..jpg 776w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973.-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973.-768x950.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 776px) 100vw, 776px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Bustamante at a 1973 Dakila Concert at Winterland in San Francisco, where the band performed with Malo and Buddy Miles. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>David, now retired from his job, dedicates his time to preserving the legacy of Dakila. He tried to iron out the ownership rights from Epic Records, copyrighted Dakila’s logo and, most importantly, got the band back together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“David started calling all the band members who were still around for a concert called Voices of Latin Rock,” says Frank. “The promoter of the event wanted to get all the groups that used to play in the ’70s, and he knew Dakila from way back when.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What was supposed to be a one-off reunion turned into multiple event appearances throughout the Bay. The reunion began with David, Romeo, Frank and a new crop of Filipino musicians playing Dakila’s back catalog, but eventually Romeo and Frank decided to retire. Now, David, a full-time musician again, is the only one keeping Dakila alive, performing both their released music and tracks off their scrapped album that never saw the light of day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, for their album’s 50th anniversary, the newly reunited band partnered with Spain’s \u003ca href=\"https://guerssen.com/\">Guerssen Records\u003c/a> to put out the only official reissue of \u003cem>Dakila\u003c/em>. And David finally got his revenge on the producers: “I asked them to digitally slow the tempo down on some tracks to reflect how we wanted it,” David says. “It’s not perfect, but it’s better in my ears.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the rest of the living members, they’re all appearing in the forthcoming documentary on the band, \u003cem>Searchin’ For My Soul\u003c/em>, which takes its title from the final track on their album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Michael wrote that one,” muses David. “It’s really about searching for your identity, you know? A lot of our music is about speaking up and showing who you are. We were one of a kind; you weren’t seeing people like us on the main stage, or on movies, or TV. Now it’s common. We have a lot of Filipino artists, like H.E.R. What we were trying to say back then is becoming reality today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>For Dakila concert announcements and updates on their upcoming documentary, follow \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dakilaband/\">David Bustamante \u003c/a>and the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dakilamovie/\">Searchin’ for My Soul\u003c/a>\u003cem> film on Instagram. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2604,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=868204738/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/"
],
"paragraphCount": 48
},
"modified": 1705005722,
"excerpt": "A new generation is discovering Dakila, who found fame in the early '70s while proudly singing in Tagalog.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A new generation is discovering Dakila, who found fame in the early '70s while proudly singing in Tagalog.",
"title": "How Filipinos in the Mission Recorded the First Asian American Rock Album | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How Filipinos in the Mission Recorded the First Asian American Rock Album",
"datePublished": "2023-03-20T11:56:28-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:42:02-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "dakila-guerssen-records-asian-american-filipino-rock-history-san-francisco",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13926503/dakila-guerssen-records-asian-american-filipino-rock-history-san-francisco",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926505\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926505\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-800x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-800x630.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1-768x605.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/From-left-to-right-Frank-Magtoto-David-Bustamante-Bert-Ancheta-Carlos-Bato-Badia-Rome-Bustamante-Michael-Gopaul-David-DZandos-1.jpg 813w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right: Frank Magtoto, David Bustamante, Bert Ancheta, Carlos Bato Badia, Romeo Bustamante, Michael Gopaul and David ‘D’ Zandos. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dakila begins their debut album with a call to arms for the young Filipinos, Latinos, and Black kids they rubbed shoulders with as teenagers living in the Mission. “We are all brothers and sisters / Let’s work together,” they sing in Tagalog over a Latin rock groove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were right in the middle of this wave of activism. I was hoping our band would encourage Filipinos to go out there and be counted,” says Dakila’s drummer Frank Magtoto, recalling his youth in the ’70s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a band now considered obscure, Dakila can claim some incredible achievements. After Fanny, they were the second Filipino band signed to a major label, and the first to put their Filipino identity front and center. They were the first American band to record a track in Tagalog. In their time, they were popular, playing shows for Bill Graham alongside the biggest names of their generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Santana and Malo, the Pointer Sisters and Sly, and us. We practiced alongside them, we covered their songs, and we sometimes performed with them,” guitar player David Bustamante reminisces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with vocalist Romeo Bustamante and conguero Carlos Badia, Frank and David were part of a crowded scene in the Mission, the Black and Brown counterpart to the San Francisco sound up in Haight-Ashbury.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had all these other bands around us. We felt like we had to come up with a brand of our own, in music or in identity. We’re not Latinos, we’re actually Filipinos from the Mission,” recalls David, “and, on our first record, I think we wanted to expand on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=868204738/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dakila is now getting the attention they have always deserved. Their debut album was reissued in Europe last year, just in time for the 50th anniversary of its release. They are the subject of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/dakilamovie/\">documentary\u003c/a> coming out this year called \u003ca href=\"https://www.dakilamovie.com/\">\u003cem>Searchin’ For My Soul: The Dakila Story\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, directed by local filmmaker Paul Abueg-Igaz. And David, the youngest surviving member of the band, is preparing to take Dakila to concerts across the Bay for the first time since the pandemic started, hoping to capitalize on their newfound popularity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent interviews, what he and Frank told me was simply incredible. The story of Dakila connects with the major social struggles shaking the Bay at the time, including the birth of the Asian American protest movement and the United Farm Workers’ fight for labor rights. This political consciousness animated their work — and led to what was likely the first truly Asian American rock album in music history.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The first politically Asian American album\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The story of Asian immigrants and their descendants in American music is as long as the history of Asian immigration itself. Every moment in American music history had their representative: Jazz had Japanese American pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, for example, and early rock ’n’ roll had Filipino four-piece The Rocky Fellers. They certainly broke barriers for Asians in American pop culture, but these forerunners generally lacked an explicitly political, pan-continental self-image; after all, they existed before the term “Asian American” was even coined. That broader political identity only came into being in 1968, when graduate students \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/5837805/asian-american-history/\">Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee coined the term\u003c/a> to unify activists at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yellow Pearl’s folk album \u003cem>A Grain of Sand\u003c/em>, released independently in 1973, is usually cited as the first consciously Asian American album by music critics, thanks to its radical lyrics and pan-Asian philosophy. But perhaps this judgment reflects a pattern, all too common in Asian American studies, of overlooking the achievements of Filipinos. In fact, Dakila’s self-titled came out a year earlier than Yellow Pearl’s work, in 1972, and clearly expresses an Asian American consciousness, down to the decision to sing proudly in Tagalog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dakila wanted their music to represent Asian Americans, and they made several radical choices to support that movement. On their debut album’s promotional tour, they played for Asian American student groups in campuses across the West Coast. They also performed benefit concerts to fundraise for Cesar Chavez as part of the oft-forgotten Filipino contingent of the United Farm Workers movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926507\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926507\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-800x643.jpg\" alt=\"An overhead shot of Dakila performing in front of a large club crowd. \" width=\"800\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-800x643.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972-768x618.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/WINTERLAND-SF-1972.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dakila perform at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1972. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first track on their album nods to their involvement in local activism; it includes the slogan “Makibaka,” Tagalog for “struggle,” in its lyrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Makibaka was a protest chant that was happening here in the U.S.,” says Frank, who had never spoken about Dakila in the press prior to our interview. “Filipinos were using that when they were protesting our colleges, our government.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dakila’s background probably contributed to their prescient activist turn. The band’s history is intimately connected with the issues that animated the ’70s generation of Filipino American activists: the American occupation of the Philippines, the Vietnam War and the search for a uniquely Fil-Am identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Dakila’s rise to fame\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every Filipino member of Dakila has family ties to the military bases that dot the Bay, the legacy of a government program that granted citizenship to those who served in the Army or Navy during the American occupation of the Philippines. For the Bustamante brothers, Romeo and David, as well as their cousin Frank, the rhythms of military life defined their childhood. Their dads’ army band music was the soundtrack of those years, but once they caught the Beatlemania bug as teenagers, they ditched it for the electric sound of rock’n’roll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David and Romeo got their start rocking out for the school crowds of Vallejo, while Frank did the same over in the Mission, where they respectively grew up. But they didn’t get together and try to make it big until many years later, after Romeo got back from his Vietnam War conscription in Germany with an itch to make a change in his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David, who was younger than Romeo by almost a decade, was still a senior in high school when his older brother informed him of his plans. “Romeo wanted to form a band because when Santana came out in ’69, he fell in love with that music,” says David. “He had moved to the Mission and his tastes had changed — before that we were playing R&B and funk for school crowds. So he told me that when I got out of high school, I should go play with him in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romeo assembled a talented, multiracial group of musicians for his band, including the Ancheta cousins, two Filipino guitarists who went on to found the first Asian American hard rock band \u003ca href=\"https://goldendragonband.bandcamp.com/album/golden-dragon\">Golden Dragon\u003c/a>, and Michael Gopaul, Romeo’s brother-in-law who was also a timbales player.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of our original members was Raul Rekow,” David says, referring to Santana’s longtime conga drummer. “He actually got his start with us before he joined Santana.” In the final lineup, though, Rekow was replaced by another conguero, Carlos Badia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They quickly attained prominence in the Mission’s Latin rock scene, then the focus of intense major label interest after the success of bands like Santana and Malo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Three record companies approached us and wanted to give us a record deal,” recalls David. “We were in a bidding war with our friends in Malo, but they ended up signed to Warner Brothers while we went with Epic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926508\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926508\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of Dakila rocking out on an outdoor festival stage. \" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/20615_462202417150574_1324443240_n.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dakila live in the ’70s. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the time, the band performed under the name Soul Sacrifice — but Romeo felt like they should change their name to something that stood out, something perhaps in Tagalog, their first language. Romeo’s dad was the one who proposed the winning name Dakila, Tagalog for “great.” It put the band’s Filipino heritage front and center, and had another appeal as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kind of sounded like \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘\u003c/span>tequila,’” says Frank, laughing. “And that wasn’t a bad thing for a band to be associated with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Dakila tries for the big leagues\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Dakila was up to this point a live band, and this was their first time in a record studio. “We practiced every day so we don’t waste any studio time,” says David. “We played like ten original songs for them, which the producers cut and spliced into six tracks on the album.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David is still disgruntled by the producers’ edits, which the band had no say in. “They were like, you’re done recording, you guys come back in the week. Meanwhile, they sped things up and played things backwards and did studio tricks. When we finally heard it, we thought it didn’t sound like us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meddling didn’t end with their production. For unknown reasons, Epic decided to release Dakila’s first single, the patchouli-tinged instrumental “El Dùbi,” with a comedic spoken word A-side called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag1Lg1eTrdI\">Language Lessons\u003c/a>,” created without the band’s involvement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t know why [Epic] had to do this language thing,” says Frank with irritation. The spoken word piece posed as an instruction manual for DJs struggling to pronounce Dakila’s Tagalog song titles, but this was just an elaborate set-up for racist jokes about Filipino people (“small but wiry”) and the Tagalog language.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926522\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13926522\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"The members of Dakila pose around a wicker chair, surrounded by trees. \" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/dakila-album-cover.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover of Dakila’s self-titled debut album, shot by Herb Greene in Golden Gate Park.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, there was one thing about the release the band did have control over: the album cover. Shot by \u003ca href=\"https://www.herbgreenefoto.com/\">Herb Greene\u003c/a> in Golden Gate Park, it features the band members arrayed around a large, round wicker chair, an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V10kWLh71U\">omnipresent feature of album covers in the ’70s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We borrowed that chair from \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabuhay_Gardens\">Mabuhay [Gardens]\u003c/a> – it was a Filipino restaurant before it became a punk venue, you know,” says Frank. “A lot of people didn’t know this when it was trendy in the ’70s, but it was a Filipino chair, with Filipino origins.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “peacock” chair, as it is sometimes called, was first built by Filipino prisoners forced into manufacturing goods for American export during the country’s occupation by the United States. The band’s reclamation of that chair was also a reclamation of that history. In their image and in their music, Filipinos were now speaking back to their former colonizers. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13924042,arts_13905208,news_11943512",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epic Records, though, didn’t know how to promote a proudly Filipino American band. After making a last ditch effort to boost sales by touring the band through Asian American hotspots in California and Hawaii, Epic quietly dropped the band and scrapped their in-progress second album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the band, there was a lot of dissatisfaction with the way things were going,” says Frank. “Not just about the label, but also the band. Members were getting restless, saying we’re not making it because of you, because of this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided to leave,” says David. “I thought, if this wasn’t going to work out, I’d rather go back to school and get a degree in something that will get me money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David wasn’t alone in thinking this way: The rest of Dakila called it quits a year after they left Epic.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The band breaks up, but they aren’t forgotten\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Carlos Badia and Michael Gopaul left the music industry and disappeared from their bandmates’ lives after Dakila broke up, while the Ancheta cousins moved on to their other band, Golden Dragon. Frank worked his way up from a floor job at a company warehouse to becoming a programmer for that company, all without a degree, while David went to school for nursing and got a job at John Muir Health, in Concord.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While they got on with their lives, the band had no idea that their music was still out there, circulating in bootlegged copies in Europe, Asia and South America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A while ago, some people started telling me that my old band had been up on YouTube for a couple years now,” says David. “I was like, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘\u003c/span>I don’t know.’ I wasn’t on the internet back then. I guess there are some underground people, a younger generation, who like our music. I started looking it up, and wow, people were selling us on eBay. Cassettes. CDs. Eight tracks!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926509\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 776px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926509\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973..jpg\" alt=\"David Bustamante plays a guitar solo with great concentration.\" width=\"776\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973..jpg 776w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973.-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/David-Bustamante-in-Dakila-SF-Winterland-with-Malo-and-Buddy-Miles-Band.-1973.-768x950.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 776px) 100vw, 776px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Bustamante at a 1973 Dakila Concert at Winterland in San Francisco, where the band performed with Malo and Buddy Miles. \u003ccite>(Guerssen Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>David, now retired from his job, dedicates his time to preserving the legacy of Dakila. He tried to iron out the ownership rights from Epic Records, copyrighted Dakila’s logo and, most importantly, got the band back together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“David started calling all the band members who were still around for a concert called Voices of Latin Rock,” says Frank. “The promoter of the event wanted to get all the groups that used to play in the ’70s, and he knew Dakila from way back when.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What was supposed to be a one-off reunion turned into multiple event appearances throughout the Bay. The reunion began with David, Romeo, Frank and a new crop of Filipino musicians playing Dakila’s back catalog, but eventually Romeo and Frank decided to retire. Now, David, a full-time musician again, is the only one keeping Dakila alive, performing both their released music and tracks off their scrapped album that never saw the light of day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, for their album’s 50th anniversary, the newly reunited band partnered with Spain’s \u003ca href=\"https://guerssen.com/\">Guerssen Records\u003c/a> to put out the only official reissue of \u003cem>Dakila\u003c/em>. And David finally got his revenge on the producers: “I asked them to digitally slow the tempo down on some tracks to reflect how we wanted it,” David says. “It’s not perfect, but it’s better in my ears.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the rest of the living members, they’re all appearing in the forthcoming documentary on the band, \u003cem>Searchin’ For My Soul\u003c/em>, which takes its title from the final track on their album.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Michael wrote that one,” muses David. “It’s really about searching for your identity, you know? A lot of our music is about speaking up and showing who you are. We were one of a kind; you weren’t seeing people like us on the main stage, or on movies, or TV. Now it’s common. We have a lot of Filipino artists, like H.E.R. What we were trying to say back then is becoming reality today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>For Dakila concert announcements and updates on their upcoming documentary, follow \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dakilaband/\">David Bustamante \u003c/a>and the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dakilamovie/\">Searchin’ for My Soul\u003c/a>\u003cem> film on Instagram. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13926503/dakila-guerssen-records-asian-american-filipino-rock-history-san-francisco",
"authors": [
"11766"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_7862",
"arts_69"
],
"tags": [
"arts_4672",
"arts_6660",
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_2519",
"arts_905"
],
"featImg": "arts_13926506",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13925984": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13925984",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13925984",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1678381216000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "kokak-chocolates-filipino-lgbtq-castro-san-francisco",
"title": "SF's Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round",
"publishDate": 1678381216,
"format": "audio",
"headTitle": "SF’s Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a bite-sized confession to make: I originally planned to write about San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kokakchocolates/\">Kokak Chocolates\u003c/a> last month for Valentine’s Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, the LGBTQ woman-owned chocolate business was preparing to debut a love-themed set of flavors, including “Heat of the Moment,” which is a combo of dark and white chocolates with Mexican Comapeño chiles sourced from the woman-owned \u003ca href=\"https://www.boonvillebarn.com/\">Boonville Barn Collective\u003c/a>. But I wasn’t able to make it happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To be fair, my first child was born just days ahead of my scheduled interview with Carol Gancia, the self-taught Filipina chocolatier who founded Kokak — so I spent the following weeks, including Valentine’s Day, with a small, heartwarming human in my arms instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kokak, it turns out, is just as good in March as it is in February — or any time of year, for that matter. In fact, having to wait that extra month infused me with even more desire to taste the premium Bay Area chocolates, which are filled with joy and spices in all their flavorful forms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With creative options that defy the conventional notions of chocolate — Kokak’s seasonal flavors include pizza and ramen, for example — Gancia doesn’t play it safe. Instead, she enjoys challenging herself to push past her comfort zone, a trait she gained when she first immigrated to California from her native Philippine islands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rooted in her vibrant Asian Pacific heritage and driven by a passion to connect with ancestral flavors through rare, organic ingredients like \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190916-the-worlds-most-exquisite-chocolate\">Ecuadorian Nacional cacao\u003c/a>, Kokak is more than just chocolates. It’s a way, Gancia says, to tell others, “I love you just the way you are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">********\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ALAN CHAZARO: When did your appreciation for chocolates first begin?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CAROL GANCIA: \u003c/b>I grew up on the Philippine islands. I was lucky, being from a middle-class family, to have an uncle who was a sought-after engineer. He got contracts that had him travel abroad, around Western Europe, where they have quality chocolates. He would bring them back home — dark chocolate, mint, even liqueurs. I had a chance to taste those, not realizing my love of chocolate came from him. I [later] realized chocolate is a memory, a happy memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925997\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13925997\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"dried mangoes dipped in chocolates\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tropical flavors like these chocolate-dipped dried mangoes are inspired by Carol Gancia’s upbringing on the Philippine islands. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How did that translate into you becoming a professional chocolatier?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I make chocolates in the form of truffles and bars. I do it every day with two other chocolatiers. The kind of shop we have is tropically inspired and based on my background. We’re a couple blocks from Castro Street on 18th and Sanchez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I was growing up, chocolate was in the background; I always had chocolate in my pockets. But I started out as a journalist broadcasting in the Philippines. I got involved in video production and continued that work in the U.S. [after moving here in 2004]. I even worked as a producer for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/checkplease\">Check, Please! Bay Area\u003c/a>” on KQED. I produced for Jacques Pépin, and that helped me improve my palette. You read the recipe, and plan it out with the executive producer. That’s how I learned informally about the culinary world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was still producing, and after 20 years — about five years ago — I was eager to do something different that I would be scared about. I was too complacent [as a video producer]. I wanted to feel what it was like to start something and be clueless. I decided to learn about chocolates and sell on the side until it became a full business [in 2020]. Sometimes I still don’t know what I’m doing. I’m still learning, and I still operate a video production business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925999\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13925999\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A tray of colorfully decorated chocolates at Kokak in San Francisco\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A preview of the seasonal Easter chocolates that will be available at Kokak this month. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What does the word “kokak” represent for you?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kokak literally means “ribbit” in English. I was conceptualizing the name of my shop and noticing the [other] chocolate brands and names. It was usually last names or serious words. I wanted to make a splash, [since] I had no background in chocolate. I chose Kokak and added an exclamation point because I wanted to represent myself and who I am. I studied in the Philippines, and my campus had lily pads, beautiful flowers, ponds and frogs. Kokak reminds me of my home — the wonderful tropical life. It’s a conversation starter as well. Customers ask me what it means, and I can tell the story of the Philippine islands. My shop is more than selling chocolates. It’s an experience, a borrowed memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Your Filipina heritage is an important aspect of your identity. Tell us about how that emerges in your variety of chocolate flavors.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think of kalamansi — it’s a lime in the Philippines and is abundant there. My mom would make me hot kalamansi juice when I was sick. But in the summer, it was served cold, like lemonade. We included that as a popular flavor at Kokak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Carol Gancia\"]“My shop is more than selling chocolates. It’s an experience, a borrowed memory.”[/pullquote]We opened our shop during the pandemic, and we had a lot of time to think. We had about 50 recipes I created from the start, and we rotate that throughout the year. My favorite is our guava truffle — all made from scratch. Coconut pie is another. There’s a place in the southern part of metro Manila where they make buko pies — coconut pies. They’re not sweet, they’re just full of coconut meat. That’s a memory and an inspiration for our truffles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Do you serve anything besides chocolate?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also have our cacao porridge. Growing up in the Philippines, every Christmas season we make champurrado — it’s a [beverage] mix of chocolate and rice. A long time ago, in the 1500s, there was trade happening between the Philippines and Mexico. Mexico brought chocolates to us. Back then, most [Filipinos] were rice farmers. It’s a testament to the friendship between Mexicans and Filipinos — champurrado. That’s available year round, and we offer dine-in at our shop as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s your connection to the Bay Area, and how is that reflected in your business?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As far as flavors, we have Earl Grey, which is a very San Francisco afternoon tea I enjoy with the ladies. I don’t always get to do that much these days (laughs). I looked for Earl Grey and infused it with berry and chocolate for the filling. The Earl Grey tea we use is organic, fair trade and local. We also have coffee truffles, and the coffee is local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925998\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13925998\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-800x1200.jpg\" alt='a t-shirt at Kokak reads: \"love is love is love is chocolate is love...\"' width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Love Is Chocolate Is Love” t-shirt at Kokak. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As much as we can, we keep our ingredients local. I can get tea from the grocery, but we find really premium teas from here. Same with our dairy. You don’t want your truffles to taste faint. Our truffles stay fresh, and the flavors are punchy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also identify as an LGBTQ shop and ship all over the country with our Pride-inspired chocolates. One of my favorite things is reading note cards that we write to ship for our customers. One customer wrote, “Dear [Anonymous], I love you just the way you are. From Mom.” It made me teary-eyed. And made me realize I was in the right place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Who are some of your favorite chocolatiers right now in Northern California?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like chocolates not just for flavor but also meaning. I like to support female chocolatiers, too. The reality is that if you sum up all the chocolate makers, it’s still very male dominated. There are two [local chocolatiers] who are my competition but also my friends: \u003ca href=\"https://www.socolachocolates.com/\">Socola\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.jadechocolates.com/\">Jade Chocolates\u003c/a>. We meet up every once in a while. We’ve done events and have camaraderie. I love this industry because of that. In the video production business it’s competitive. But in chocolate, we help each other. We’re excited to see each other at the pop-up events. It’s supportive in a weird way. That’s motivating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>For someone like me, who doesn’t usually go out of their way for chocolates, what makes Kokak worthwhile?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13923127,arts_13919707,arts_13914042']I’m a small business owner. I never dreamed about earning billions of dollars and growing an empire. I enjoy the human-to-human touch. I want to connect with people. We’re already making less profit than a factory setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I made a tough decision that cut into our profitability [with] our biggest ingredient, which is a rare cacao. It’s the first domestically grown cacao tree [in the world] from several thousand years back. I let that melt slowly in my mouth and imagine what our ancestors were tasting years and years ago. This rare [Nacional] cacao in Ecuador is grown for flavor, not yield. A lot of chocolate growers sell ingredients for much cheaper, but they are from chocolate strains that were grown for volume production. Flavor is less of a priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nacional wins over that. The genetics of the chocolate that we use is the same as our ancestors tasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12904247 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Kokak Chocolates (3901 18th St., San Francisco) is open Tues. 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wed. through Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Kokak Chocolates makes organic truffles and bars that taste like kalamansi, pizza and even ramen.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1727131899,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 35,
"wordCount": 1691
},
"headData": {
"title": "SF's Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round in the Castro | KQED",
"description": "Kokak Chocolates makes organic truffles and bars that taste like kalamansi, pizza and even ramen.",
"ogTitle": "SF's Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "SF's Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "SF's Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round in the Castro %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "SF's Queer, Filipina-Owned Chocolate Shop Celebrates Love Year-Round",
"datePublished": "2023-03-09T09:00:16-08:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-23T15:51:39-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/27939346-537f-4ec4-b43c-afce010b8f17/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13925984/kokak-chocolates-filipino-lgbtq-castro-san-francisco",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have a bite-sized confession to make: I originally planned to write about San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kokakchocolates/\">Kokak Chocolates\u003c/a> last month for Valentine’s Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, the LGBTQ woman-owned chocolate business was preparing to debut a love-themed set of flavors, including “Heat of the Moment,” which is a combo of dark and white chocolates with Mexican Comapeño chiles sourced from the woman-owned \u003ca href=\"https://www.boonvillebarn.com/\">Boonville Barn Collective\u003c/a>. But I wasn’t able to make it happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To be fair, my first child was born just days ahead of my scheduled interview with Carol Gancia, the self-taught Filipina chocolatier who founded Kokak — so I spent the following weeks, including Valentine’s Day, with a small, heartwarming human in my arms instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kokak, it turns out, is just as good in March as it is in February — or any time of year, for that matter. In fact, having to wait that extra month infused me with even more desire to taste the premium Bay Area chocolates, which are filled with joy and spices in all their flavorful forms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With creative options that defy the conventional notions of chocolate — Kokak’s seasonal flavors include pizza and ramen, for example — Gancia doesn’t play it safe. Instead, she enjoys challenging herself to push past her comfort zone, a trait she gained when she first immigrated to California from her native Philippine islands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rooted in her vibrant Asian Pacific heritage and driven by a passion to connect with ancestral flavors through rare, organic ingredients like \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190916-the-worlds-most-exquisite-chocolate\">Ecuadorian Nacional cacao\u003c/a>, Kokak is more than just chocolates. It’s a way, Gancia says, to tell others, “I love you just the way you are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">********\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ALAN CHAZARO: When did your appreciation for chocolates first begin?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CAROL GANCIA: \u003c/b>I grew up on the Philippine islands. I was lucky, being from a middle-class family, to have an uncle who was a sought-after engineer. He got contracts that had him travel abroad, around Western Europe, where they have quality chocolates. He would bring them back home — dark chocolate, mint, even liqueurs. I had a chance to taste those, not realizing my love of chocolate came from him. I [later] realized chocolate is a memory, a happy memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925997\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13925997\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"dried mangoes dipped in chocolates\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_mango-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tropical flavors like these chocolate-dipped dried mangoes are inspired by Carol Gancia’s upbringing on the Philippine islands. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How did that translate into you becoming a professional chocolatier?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I make chocolates in the form of truffles and bars. I do it every day with two other chocolatiers. The kind of shop we have is tropically inspired and based on my background. We’re a couple blocks from Castro Street on 18th and Sanchez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I was growing up, chocolate was in the background; I always had chocolate in my pockets. But I started out as a journalist broadcasting in the Philippines. I got involved in video production and continued that work in the U.S. [after moving here in 2004]. I even worked as a producer for “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/checkplease\">Check, Please! Bay Area\u003c/a>” on KQED. I produced for Jacques Pépin, and that helped me improve my palette. You read the recipe, and plan it out with the executive producer. That’s how I learned informally about the culinary world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was still producing, and after 20 years — about five years ago — I was eager to do something different that I would be scared about. I was too complacent [as a video producer]. I wanted to feel what it was like to start something and be clueless. I decided to learn about chocolates and sell on the side until it became a full business [in 2020]. Sometimes I still don’t know what I’m doing. I’m still learning, and I still operate a video production business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925999\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13925999\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A tray of colorfully decorated chocolates at Kokak in San Francisco\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_truffles.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A preview of the seasonal Easter chocolates that will be available at Kokak this month. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What does the word “kokak” represent for you?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kokak literally means “ribbit” in English. I was conceptualizing the name of my shop and noticing the [other] chocolate brands and names. It was usually last names or serious words. I wanted to make a splash, [since] I had no background in chocolate. I chose Kokak and added an exclamation point because I wanted to represent myself and who I am. I studied in the Philippines, and my campus had lily pads, beautiful flowers, ponds and frogs. Kokak reminds me of my home — the wonderful tropical life. It’s a conversation starter as well. Customers ask me what it means, and I can tell the story of the Philippine islands. My shop is more than selling chocolates. It’s an experience, a borrowed memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Your Filipina heritage is an important aspect of your identity. Tell us about how that emerges in your variety of chocolate flavors.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think of kalamansi — it’s a lime in the Philippines and is abundant there. My mom would make me hot kalamansi juice when I was sick. But in the summer, it was served cold, like lemonade. We included that as a popular flavor at Kokak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "“My shop is more than selling chocolates. It’s an experience, a borrowed memory.”",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "large",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Carol Gancia",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>We opened our shop during the pandemic, and we had a lot of time to think. We had about 50 recipes I created from the start, and we rotate that throughout the year. My favorite is our guava truffle — all made from scratch. Coconut pie is another. There’s a place in the southern part of metro Manila where they make buko pies — coconut pies. They’re not sweet, they’re just full of coconut meat. That’s a memory and an inspiration for our truffles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Do you serve anything besides chocolate?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also have our cacao porridge. Growing up in the Philippines, every Christmas season we make champurrado — it’s a [beverage] mix of chocolate and rice. A long time ago, in the 1500s, there was trade happening between the Philippines and Mexico. Mexico brought chocolates to us. Back then, most [Filipinos] were rice farmers. It’s a testament to the friendship between Mexicans and Filipinos — champurrado. That’s available year round, and we offer dine-in at our shop as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s your connection to the Bay Area, and how is that reflected in your business?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As far as flavors, we have Earl Grey, which is a very San Francisco afternoon tea I enjoy with the ladies. I don’t always get to do that much these days (laughs). I looked for Earl Grey and infused it with berry and chocolate for the filling. The Earl Grey tea we use is organic, fair trade and local. We also have coffee truffles, and the coffee is local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925998\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13925998\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-800x1200.jpg\" alt='a t-shirt at Kokak reads: \"love is love is love is chocolate is love...\"' width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kokak_shirt-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Love Is Chocolate Is Love” t-shirt at Kokak. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As much as we can, we keep our ingredients local. I can get tea from the grocery, but we find really premium teas from here. Same with our dairy. You don’t want your truffles to taste faint. Our truffles stay fresh, and the flavors are punchy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also identify as an LGBTQ shop and ship all over the country with our Pride-inspired chocolates. One of my favorite things is reading note cards that we write to ship for our customers. One customer wrote, “Dear [Anonymous], I love you just the way you are. From Mom.” It made me teary-eyed. And made me realize I was in the right place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Who are some of your favorite chocolatiers right now in Northern California?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like chocolates not just for flavor but also meaning. I like to support female chocolatiers, too. The reality is that if you sum up all the chocolate makers, it’s still very male dominated. There are two [local chocolatiers] who are my competition but also my friends: \u003ca href=\"https://www.socolachocolates.com/\">Socola\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.jadechocolates.com/\">Jade Chocolates\u003c/a>. We meet up every once in a while. We’ve done events and have camaraderie. I love this industry because of that. In the video production business it’s competitive. But in chocolate, we help each other. We’re excited to see each other at the pop-up events. It’s supportive in a weird way. That’s motivating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>For someone like me, who doesn’t usually go out of their way for chocolates, what makes Kokak worthwhile?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13923127,arts_13919707,arts_13914042",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I’m a small business owner. I never dreamed about earning billions of dollars and growing an empire. I enjoy the human-to-human touch. I want to connect with people. We’re already making less profit than a factory setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I made a tough decision that cut into our profitability [with] our biggest ingredient, which is a rare cacao. It’s the first domestically grown cacao tree [in the world] from several thousand years back. I let that melt slowly in my mouth and imagine what our ancestors were tasting years and years ago. This rare [Nacional] cacao in Ecuador is grown for flavor, not yield. A lot of chocolate growers sell ingredients for much cheaper, but they are from chocolate strains that were grown for volume production. Flavor is less of a priority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nacional wins over that. The genetics of the chocolate that we use is the same as our ancestors tasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12904247 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Kokak Chocolates (3901 18th St., San Francisco) is open Tues. 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wed. through Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13925984/kokak-chocolates-filipino-lgbtq-castro-san-francisco",
"authors": [
"11748"
],
"series": [
"arts_22307"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_3547",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_17573",
"arts_3226",
"arts_14730",
"arts_5158",
"arts_13915",
"arts_1146"
],
"featImg": "arts_13925996",
"label": "source_arts_13925984"
},
"arts_13921019": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13921019",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13921019",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1666977895000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 140
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1666977895,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Kapwa Gardens’ ‘Ancestor Altars’ Brings Healing for All Souls Day",
"headTitle": "Kapwa Gardens’ ‘Ancestor Altars’ Brings Healing for All Souls Day | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In early 2019, a tiny parking lot sat idly on 967 Mission St. By the fall, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kultivatelabs.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kultivate Labs\u003c/a> — an economic development nonprofit and arts organization working to bolster San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.somapilipinas.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SOMA Pilipinas\u003c/a> district — had transformed the space into a colorful, lush paradise for gathering and healing. They named it \u003ca href=\"https://www.kapwagardens.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kapwa Gardens\u003c/a>, revitalizing the once lonely environment with the Filipino belief of kapwa, or interconnectedness. On Sunday Oct. 30, Balay Kreative — an artist support program under Kultivate Labs — will launch the \u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> art installation at an All Souls Day event to honor deceased loved ones. [aside postid='arts_13913947']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Filipino culture, All Souls Day provides a window of time to reunite with the dead and to commemorate their memory with joy. “Oftentimes when people think about going to the cemetery, it’s a somber, dark time,” says Nicole Maxali, Balay Kreative program manager and \u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> organizer. “But for Filipinos, it’s more of a celebration of the afterlife.” At the height of the pandemic, Maxali was impacted by personal and collective grief — loss was everywhere and the usual means of processing these feelings were severed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That lack of physical connection during mourning was very devastating for a lot of folks,” says Maxali. “And so my idea was, ‘Why don’t we have an event at Kapwa Gardens so that people can come together with their families — with the community — and celebrate those that have passed on during the pandemic?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13921023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13921023\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muralist Cece Carpio sets up the portraits for ‘Ancestor Altars.’ \u003ccite>(Kristie Song)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The installation features six large, framed portraits of deceased ancestors by muralist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cececarpio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cece Carpio\u003c/a> that lead into tiered altars that hold various offerings and symbols decorated by artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/titty_boy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TITTY\u003c/a>. Each tier represents a step to heaven and highlights different remnants important to the dead, including framed photos, candles, flowers and food offerings like rice. Local community members are encouraged to visit the space now, though a more communal celebration with live musical performances will occur at the All Souls Day event on Sunday, Oct. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> and its accompanying celebration marks Kultivate Labs’ and Balay Kreative’s first effort in uniting the community for All Souls Day at Kapwa Gardens. By illuminating portraits and creating spaces where people can grieve together after a long period of isolation, Maxali hopes to promote generational healing. Through acknowledging and carrying on legacies in new ways, the act of moving forward can be both expansive and restorative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13921024\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13921024\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Portraits by Cece Carpio from ‘Ancestor Altars.’ \u003ccite>(Kristie Song)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think what’s beautiful about \u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> is that it not only is an event to honor our ancestors and those that come before us,” says Maxali. “But it’s also a great way for the next generation to understand that they come from such powerful people — that they, in turn, can move forward and bring so much power and beauty to their descendants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All Souls Day: An Afterlife Celebration\u003cem> takes place Sunday, Oct. 30 from 1-6 p.m. at Kapwa Gardens. Admission is free. Ancestor Altars will be on view until Oct. 30. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kapwagardens.com/events/undas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 550,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 10
},
"modified": 1705006213,
"excerpt": "Portraits by muralist Cece Carpio are the centerpieces of a Filipino celebration honoring lost loved ones.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Portraits by muralist Cece Carpio are the centerpieces of a Filipino celebration honoring lost loved ones.",
"title": "Kapwa Gardens’ ‘Ancestor Altars’ Brings Healing for All Souls Day | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Kapwa Gardens’ ‘Ancestor Altars’ Brings Healing for All Souls Day",
"datePublished": "2022-10-28T10:24:55-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:50:13-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "kapwa-gardens-ancestor-altars-brings-healing-for-all-souls-day",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/arts/13921019/kapwa-gardens-ancestor-altars-brings-healing-for-all-souls-day",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In early 2019, a tiny parking lot sat idly on 967 Mission St. By the fall, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kultivatelabs.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kultivate Labs\u003c/a> — an economic development nonprofit and arts organization working to bolster San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.somapilipinas.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SOMA Pilipinas\u003c/a> district — had transformed the space into a colorful, lush paradise for gathering and healing. They named it \u003ca href=\"https://www.kapwagardens.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kapwa Gardens\u003c/a>, revitalizing the once lonely environment with the Filipino belief of kapwa, or interconnectedness. On Sunday Oct. 30, Balay Kreative — an artist support program under Kultivate Labs — will launch the \u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> art installation at an All Souls Day event to honor deceased loved ones. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13913947",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Filipino culture, All Souls Day provides a window of time to reunite with the dead and to commemorate their memory with joy. “Oftentimes when people think about going to the cemetery, it’s a somber, dark time,” says Nicole Maxali, Balay Kreative program manager and \u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> organizer. “But for Filipinos, it’s more of a celebration of the afterlife.” At the height of the pandemic, Maxali was impacted by personal and collective grief — loss was everywhere and the usual means of processing these feelings were severed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That lack of physical connection during mourning was very devastating for a lot of folks,” says Maxali. “And so my idea was, ‘Why don’t we have an event at Kapwa Gardens so that people can come together with their families — with the community — and celebrate those that have passed on during the pandemic?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13921023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13921023\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Cece-edited--1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muralist Cece Carpio sets up the portraits for ‘Ancestor Altars.’ \u003ccite>(Kristie Song)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The installation features six large, framed portraits of deceased ancestors by muralist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cececarpio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cece Carpio\u003c/a> that lead into tiered altars that hold various offerings and symbols decorated by artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/titty_boy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TITTY\u003c/a>. Each tier represents a step to heaven and highlights different remnants important to the dead, including framed photos, candles, flowers and food offerings like rice. Local community members are encouraged to visit the space now, though a more communal celebration with live musical performances will occur at the All Souls Day event on Sunday, Oct. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> and its accompanying celebration marks Kultivate Labs’ and Balay Kreative’s first effort in uniting the community for All Souls Day at Kapwa Gardens. By illuminating portraits and creating spaces where people can grieve together after a long period of isolation, Maxali hopes to promote generational healing. Through acknowledging and carrying on legacies in new ways, the act of moving forward can be both expansive and restorative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13921024\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13921024\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/ancestor-altars-edited-1--1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Portraits by Cece Carpio from ‘Ancestor Altars.’ \u003ccite>(Kristie Song)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think what’s beautiful about \u003cem>Ancestor Altars\u003c/em> is that it not only is an event to honor our ancestors and those that come before us,” says Maxali. “But it’s also a great way for the next generation to understand that they come from such powerful people — that they, in turn, can move forward and bring so much power and beauty to their descendants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All Souls Day: An Afterlife Celebration\u003cem> takes place Sunday, Oct. 30 from 1-6 p.m. at Kapwa Gardens. Admission is free. Ancestor Altars will be on view until Oct. 30. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kapwagardens.com/events/undas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13921019/kapwa-gardens-ancestor-altars-brings-healing-for-all-souls-day",
"authors": [
"11813"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_8836",
"arts_585",
"arts_901"
],
"featImg": "arts_13921021",
"label": "arts_140"
},
"arts_13919707": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13919707",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13919707",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1664377257000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "ellis-creamery-filipino-ice-cream-bakery-halo-halo-gas-station-tracy",
"title": "This Filipino Gas Station Dessert Shop Is Among NorCal’s Most Delicious Secrets",
"publishDate": 1664377257,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "This Filipino Gas Station Dessert Shop Is Among NorCal’s Most Delicious Secrets | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]ou would never guess it, but there’s something transcendent about an otherwise bland National gas station on W. Grant Line Rd. in Tracy. On first appearance, it seems like any ordinary stop point in U.S. suburbia: People pull up in a hurry, fill up on petro, then hop back into their whips and speed off onto a multi-lane road on their way to whatever American Dream they are chasing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But between a Black Bear Diner and RV Center, right along Interstate 205, hides a clandestine gem exploding with Pinoy favorites. Here, at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ellis.creamery/\">Ellis Creamery\u003c/a>, Khristian Rabut experiments with distinctly Filipino ingredients to perfect his ice cream recipes while his wife Marie provides a full lineup of Filipino baked goods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The concept originally began in 2020, when Marie—who works full-time in healthcare—started a home-based business called Marie’s Kitchen as a way to explore her passion for baking. At the time, she wanted to supplement her income and provide a creative outlet. After gaining local recognition, she expanded her business and brought in her husband, Khristian, who purchased their brick-and-mortar gas station location in 2021, taking over the already existing Ellis Creamery. They also hired Khristian’s cousin, Carl Ongwico, to serve as the business’s in-house “ice cream expert.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Together, the family is bringing some of the hottest (and coldest) treats from the Philippine islands to Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We went back to food we knew in the Philippines,” Khristian says. “We tried to copy the way we remember eating in the Philippines. It gave us something to focus on during the pandemic, besides our day jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919720\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919720\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a Filipino cookie, known as a silvana, is sliced open to reveal layers of meringue and butter cream\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Filipino silvana is sliced open to reveal layers of meringue and butter cream. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Khristian first immigrated to San Jose from Lucena, a territory in the Quezon province located south of Manila. He arrived in Silicon Valley in 2007 with a work visa as part of the tech industry’s massive influx of talent from around the globe. Initially, he worked as a consultant trainer with companies like PG&E, Cypress and Infineon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, he met Marie—also from Lucena—and the couple returned to their hometown to marry in 2009. When they moved back to San Jose, they realized the cost of living was steeper than they could afford, and with their first child on the way, they made the decision to move an hour east to the commuter city of Tracy in 2014. It’s a migratory trend that still continues today, nearly a decade later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Tracy] is diverse. I’d guess there’s as many Latinos and Asians here as in the Bay,” Khristian says. “People are still moving in. We are one of the oldest, first residents in our area. Everyone on our street is new, all people who moved from the Bay. And most of them commute for work to the Bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a pattern that has created a cultural tapestry in Tracy where a small, family-owned operation like Ellis Creamery can thrive—despite being hidden inside an otherwise unremarkable gas station along a strip-mall lined road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The convenience store at this particular National Petroleum location looks just like the ones you can find at any local gas station. Except, all the way in the back corner, there’s a full-blown bakery and ice cream counter where you can fill up on another kind of fuel: sugar. It’s an unexpected but deliciously welcome surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ellis Creamery isn’t where you go to get a scoop of vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream, though they serve that, too. Instead, it’s where you go when you’re in need of tropically-tinted, Pacific-inspired flavors. You might opt for a refreshing scoop of “Kalamansi sherbet”—an “Asian lime” flavor, as Khristian describes it, with enough tang, zip and acid to balance the sugary goodness you’re sure to consume during your visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khristian notes how certain flavors like pistachio are popular, particularly among South Asian customers, he says. Other customers may be seeking specialty flavors, like “Ube Cookies and Cream”—a sundae-like original invention which includes a scoop of ube ice cream piled on top of homemade, Oreo-laced cookies and cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919722\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919722\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"the owner of Ellis Creamery holds up a clear cup of purple ube ice cream with an extra scoop of cookies-and-cream\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ube Cookies and Cream is one of Ellis Creamery’s original flavor mixes. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Nothing goes to waste in the Philippines,” Khristian tells me during my visit. “We like to mix things together. By adding something familiar like Oreos or bananas to ube, it not only becomes familiar to more people, but it keeps us from wasting any of our products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The concept of recycling what’s left over to enhance existing flavors is fully apparent in their version of halo-halo (Tagalog for “mixed”), the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines. The treat includes the usual shaved ice, ube ice cream, sweet kidney beans, coconut jelly and condensed milk—but, at Ellis Creamery, it also comes topped with crushed meringue, an ingredient that’s used in their other products: Filipino cakes and cookies such as Sans Rivals and Silvanas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Having the bakery is a business strategy,” Marie explains. “Ice cream is a seasonal business. We have to be strategic about how we sell during winter. If you look at most Filipino bakeries or ice cream shops, you might get some cookies and brownies, or ice cream. But here we offer more, we offer it all. And we’re using brands and flavors that we used to eat in the Philippines for authenticity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marie heads the full-fledged baking side of the operation, coming up with recipes in the little bit of free time she has when she isn’t working her full-time role in nursing. Some of her favorites include the Sans Rival (a meringue cake with butter cream filling and crushed nuts such as pistachios covering the outer layer) and ensaymada (a Filipino-style sweet bread that begins as a butter bun brioche roll and ends as a decoratively covered dessert featuring some combination of ube buttercream, parmesan cheese, green tea frosting or dulce de leche).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bakery does custom orders for large private events, and is known for its creative mix of cakes, savory items like pandesal and, starting this fall, meat-filled empanadas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For me, personally, I wanted to fulfill a family dream,” Khristian says. “Marie’s dream was always to own a shop—a pastry shop, to be known as a good baker. My goal was to fulfill that dream. We’re fortunate to have a knack for food and to be able to serve others our passion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13898436,arts_13915581,arts_13901303']\u003c/span>During my time in the kitchen, I was introduced to more Filipino flavors and traditions than I’ve ever known. It felt like I was running a food marathon around the Pacific islands—with Khristian leading the way. Salty breads, crunchy rolls, savory fillings, sweet bites, cold spoonfuls. But it may have been the Silvanas that most left their mark on my taste buds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cake-like cookies are layered and crispy—covered in smashed nuts on the exterior—yet fluffy and chewy inside, creating a heavenly balance of hard and soft, easy and resistant, sweet and salty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also not lacking in size or flavor are the ensaymadas—a veritable overload of Filipino indulgence packed into a cupcake-sized goodie. The sheer amount of customizable ingredients and toppings alone are worth the drive to this hard-to-spot business. But I assure you, it’s there. And once you’ve gone, you’ll wish every gas station had an Ellis Creamery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For many Bay Area residents, it’s hard to find the time (and gas funds, ironically) to make the drive over to a gas station in Tracy. Unfortunately, a business like Ellis Creamery doesn’t receive the same amount of attention or support as their hustle merits. The lack of foot traffic is a major hindrance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Ellis Creamery is ready to enter its second year of operation, and with that, they are ready to grow. In the meantime, the business is hitting up markets and events all over the Bay, from Daly City to Vallejo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919724\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919724\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"three Ellis Creamery workers display a tray of six ensaymadas, which are Filipino sweet rolls that resemble cupcakes\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khristian Rabut (left), stands with his employees, Roxanne Simon (center) and Carl Ongwico (right) after making a fresh batch of ensaymadas together. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In Tracy, we’re like a hidden secret,” Khristian says. “Most of our customers here are Asian. But when we do events in the Bay Area, we sell out fast, and many of our customers are diverse. For some of them, it’s their first time trying ube and we also get to introduce them to Filipino pastries.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though it isn’t yet official, they are currently in the process of filing the paperwork for a potential location in downtown San Jose. If all goes as planned, the new venue would be central to a large base of new clientele, particularly students at San Jose State University. It would give Ellis Creamery a foothold in Silicon Valley—the place where it all started for this Filipino couple with a sweet tooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ellis.creamery/\">Ellis Creamery\u003c/a> is located inside the National gas station at \u003cspan class=\"LrzXr\">2420 W. Grant Line Rd., Tracy. It is open Tuesday–Saturday from 9am to 7 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upcoming pop-up events include a\u003cem> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ci1PJBWAJSR/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D\">Filipino American History event\u003c/a> (Pamanas Plantas, 1615B Solano Ave., Berkeley) on Oct. 8 and \u003c/em>\u003cem>the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kpsfopen.org/\">Kunal Patel San Francisco Open\u003c/a> (Goldman Tennis Center, \u003cspan class=\"LrzXr\">50 Bowling Green Dr., San Francisco\u003c/span>) Oct. 15–16.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Ellis Creamery sells halo-halo, ensaymadas and other Filipino treats inside a gas station in Tracy.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1721778727,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 30,
"wordCount": 1684
},
"headData": {
"title": "Ellis Creamery Sells Filipino Ice Cream Inside a Gas Station in Tracy | KQED",
"description": "Ellis Creamery sells halo-halo, ensaymadas and other Filipino treats inside a gas station in Tracy.",
"ogTitle": "This Filipino Gas Station Dessert Shop Is Among NorCal’s Most Delicious Secrets",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "This Filipino Gas Station Dessert Shop Is Among NorCal’s Most Delicious Secrets",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Ellis Creamery Sells Filipino Ice Cream Inside a Gas Station in Tracy %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "This Filipino Gas Station Dessert Shop Is Among NorCal’s Most Delicious Secrets",
"datePublished": "2022-09-28T08:00:57-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-07-23T16:52:07-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/5ff51955-b844-4375-ae01-b0eb014c81f3/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13919707/ellis-creamery-filipino-ice-cream-bakery-halo-halo-gas-station-tracy",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">Y\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ou would never guess it, but there’s something transcendent about an otherwise bland National gas station on W. Grant Line Rd. in Tracy. On first appearance, it seems like any ordinary stop point in U.S. suburbia: People pull up in a hurry, fill up on petro, then hop back into their whips and speed off onto a multi-lane road on their way to whatever American Dream they are chasing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But between a Black Bear Diner and RV Center, right along Interstate 205, hides a clandestine gem exploding with Pinoy favorites. Here, at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ellis.creamery/\">Ellis Creamery\u003c/a>, Khristian Rabut experiments with distinctly Filipino ingredients to perfect his ice cream recipes while his wife Marie provides a full lineup of Filipino baked goods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The concept originally began in 2020, when Marie—who works full-time in healthcare—started a home-based business called Marie’s Kitchen as a way to explore her passion for baking. At the time, she wanted to supplement her income and provide a creative outlet. After gaining local recognition, she expanded her business and brought in her husband, Khristian, who purchased their brick-and-mortar gas station location in 2021, taking over the already existing Ellis Creamery. They also hired Khristian’s cousin, Carl Ongwico, to serve as the business’s in-house “ice cream expert.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Together, the family is bringing some of the hottest (and coldest) treats from the Philippine islands to Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We went back to food we knew in the Philippines,” Khristian says. “We tried to copy the way we remember eating in the Philippines. It gave us something to focus on during the pandemic, besides our day jobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919720\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919720\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a Filipino cookie, known as a silvana, is sliced open to reveal layers of meringue and butter cream\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_silvana-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Filipino silvana is sliced open to reveal layers of meringue and butter cream. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Khristian first immigrated to San Jose from Lucena, a territory in the Quezon province located south of Manila. He arrived in Silicon Valley in 2007 with a work visa as part of the tech industry’s massive influx of talent from around the globe. Initially, he worked as a consultant trainer with companies like PG&E, Cypress and Infineon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, he met Marie—also from Lucena—and the couple returned to their hometown to marry in 2009. When they moved back to San Jose, they realized the cost of living was steeper than they could afford, and with their first child on the way, they made the decision to move an hour east to the commuter city of Tracy in 2014. It’s a migratory trend that still continues today, nearly a decade later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Tracy] is diverse. I’d guess there’s as many Latinos and Asians here as in the Bay,” Khristian says. “People are still moving in. We are one of the oldest, first residents in our area. Everyone on our street is new, all people who moved from the Bay. And most of them commute for work to the Bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a pattern that has created a cultural tapestry in Tracy where a small, family-owned operation like Ellis Creamery can thrive—despite being hidden inside an otherwise unremarkable gas station along a strip-mall lined road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The convenience store at this particular National Petroleum location looks just like the ones you can find at any local gas station. Except, all the way in the back corner, there’s a full-blown bakery and ice cream counter where you can fill up on another kind of fuel: sugar. It’s an unexpected but deliciously welcome surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ellis Creamery isn’t where you go to get a scoop of vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream, though they serve that, too. Instead, it’s where you go when you’re in need of tropically-tinted, Pacific-inspired flavors. You might opt for a refreshing scoop of “Kalamansi sherbet”—an “Asian lime” flavor, as Khristian describes it, with enough tang, zip and acid to balance the sugary goodness you’re sure to consume during your visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Khristian notes how certain flavors like pistachio are popular, particularly among South Asian customers, he says. Other customers may be seeking specialty flavors, like “Ube Cookies and Cream”—a sundae-like original invention which includes a scoop of ube ice cream piled on top of homemade, Oreo-laced cookies and cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919722\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919722\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"the owner of Ellis Creamery holds up a clear cup of purple ube ice cream with an extra scoop of cookies-and-cream\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_ice-cream-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ube Cookies and Cream is one of Ellis Creamery’s original flavor mixes. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Nothing goes to waste in the Philippines,” Khristian tells me during my visit. “We like to mix things together. By adding something familiar like Oreos or bananas to ube, it not only becomes familiar to more people, but it keeps us from wasting any of our products.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The concept of recycling what’s left over to enhance existing flavors is fully apparent in their version of halo-halo (Tagalog for “mixed”), the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines. The treat includes the usual shaved ice, ube ice cream, sweet kidney beans, coconut jelly and condensed milk—but, at Ellis Creamery, it also comes topped with crushed meringue, an ingredient that’s used in their other products: Filipino cakes and cookies such as Sans Rivals and Silvanas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Having the bakery is a business strategy,” Marie explains. “Ice cream is a seasonal business. We have to be strategic about how we sell during winter. If you look at most Filipino bakeries or ice cream shops, you might get some cookies and brownies, or ice cream. But here we offer more, we offer it all. And we’re using brands and flavors that we used to eat in the Philippines for authenticity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marie heads the full-fledged baking side of the operation, coming up with recipes in the little bit of free time she has when she isn’t working her full-time role in nursing. Some of her favorites include the Sans Rival (a meringue cake with butter cream filling and crushed nuts such as pistachios covering the outer layer) and ensaymada (a Filipino-style sweet bread that begins as a butter bun brioche roll and ends as a decoratively covered dessert featuring some combination of ube buttercream, parmesan cheese, green tea frosting or dulce de leche).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bakery does custom orders for large private events, and is known for its creative mix of cakes, savory items like pandesal and, starting this fall, meat-filled empanadas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For me, personally, I wanted to fulfill a family dream,” Khristian says. “Marie’s dream was always to own a shop—a pastry shop, to be known as a good baker. My goal was to fulfill that dream. We’re fortunate to have a knack for food and to be able to serve others our passion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13898436,arts_13915581,arts_13901303",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>During my time in the kitchen, I was introduced to more Filipino flavors and traditions than I’ve ever known. It felt like I was running a food marathon around the Pacific islands—with Khristian leading the way. Salty breads, crunchy rolls, savory fillings, sweet bites, cold spoonfuls. But it may have been the Silvanas that most left their mark on my taste buds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cake-like cookies are layered and crispy—covered in smashed nuts on the exterior—yet fluffy and chewy inside, creating a heavenly balance of hard and soft, easy and resistant, sweet and salty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also not lacking in size or flavor are the ensaymadas—a veritable overload of Filipino indulgence packed into a cupcake-sized goodie. The sheer amount of customizable ingredients and toppings alone are worth the drive to this hard-to-spot business. But I assure you, it’s there. And once you’ve gone, you’ll wish every gas station had an Ellis Creamery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For many Bay Area residents, it’s hard to find the time (and gas funds, ironically) to make the drive over to a gas station in Tracy. Unfortunately, a business like Ellis Creamery doesn’t receive the same amount of attention or support as their hustle merits. The lack of foot traffic is a major hindrance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Ellis Creamery is ready to enter its second year of operation, and with that, they are ready to grow. In the meantime, the business is hitting up markets and events all over the Bay, from Daly City to Vallejo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919724\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919724\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"three Ellis Creamery workers display a tray of six ensaymadas, which are Filipino sweet rolls that resemble cupcakes\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/ellis_group-portrait-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khristian Rabut (left), stands with his employees, Roxanne Simon (center) and Carl Ongwico (right) after making a fresh batch of ensaymadas together. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In Tracy, we’re like a hidden secret,” Khristian says. “Most of our customers here are Asian. But when we do events in the Bay Area, we sell out fast, and many of our customers are diverse. For some of them, it’s their first time trying ube and we also get to introduce them to Filipino pastries.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though it isn’t yet official, they are currently in the process of filing the paperwork for a potential location in downtown San Jose. If all goes as planned, the new venue would be central to a large base of new clientele, particularly students at San Jose State University. It would give Ellis Creamery a foothold in Silicon Valley—the place where it all started for this Filipino couple with a sweet tooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ellis.creamery/\">Ellis Creamery\u003c/a> is located inside the National gas station at \u003cspan class=\"LrzXr\">2420 W. Grant Line Rd., Tracy. It is open Tuesday–Saturday from 9am to 7 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm.\u003c/span>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upcoming pop-up events include a\u003cem> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ci1PJBWAJSR/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D\">Filipino American History event\u003c/a> (Pamanas Plantas, 1615B Solano Ave., Berkeley) on Oct. 8 and \u003c/em>\u003cem>the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kpsfopen.org/\">Kunal Patel San Francisco Open\u003c/a> (Goldman Tennis Center, \u003cspan class=\"LrzXr\">50 Bowling Green Dr., San Francisco\u003c/span>) Oct. 15–16.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13919707/ellis-creamery-filipino-ice-cream-bakery-halo-halo-gas-station-tracy",
"authors": [
"11748"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_22144",
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_14183",
"arts_22078",
"arts_16240"
],
"featImg": "arts_13919718",
"label": "source_arts_13919707"
},
"arts_13918267": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13918267",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13918267",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1661961600000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1661961600,
"format": "standard",
"title": "This Fall Marks the Return of the In-Person Food Festival",
"headTitle": "This Fall Marks the Return of the In-Person Food Festival | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fallarts2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Find more of KQED’s picks for the best Fall 2022 events here\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the food enthusiast, fall in the Bay Area means bacon-wrapped hot dogs, pumpkin pie eating contests and ungodly quantities of garlic noodles scarfed out of a little paper tray. In other words, it’s peak food festival season—or at least it was until the past two years, when COVID safety concerns cancelled most of these gatherings outright and forced others to shrink themselves down into Zoom- and takeout-friendly form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a sign of how far we’ve come, then, that most of the biggest and most beloved fall food festivals and other food-related events are back in full force—and fully in person—this year. Make no mistake: We’re still in a pandemic, and it’s important to be mindful of other festival-goers’ safety and comfort level. (Don’t let anyone shame you for wearing a mask!) But if you’ve been looking forward to standing in a line with a couple dozen other lumpia lovers or vegan ice cream aficionados, we’ve got some great options for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918351\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1951px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918351\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9.jpg\" alt=\"A big aluminum tray of Greek pastitsio, the top cooked to golden brown.\" width=\"1951\" height=\"1063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9.jpg 1951w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-800x436.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-1020x556.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-768x418.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-1536x837.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-1920x1046.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1951px) 100vw, 1951px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big trays of bubbling-hot, golden-brown pastitsio are one of the savory attractions at the annual Belmont Greek Festival. \u003ccite>(Emmy Denton)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.belmontgreekfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Belmont Greek Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Church of the Holy Cross, Belmont\u003cbr>\nSept. 3–4, noon–10pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelin-starred restaurants are fine and all, but real connoisseurs of cuisine know that some of the most memorable eating happens not on white tablecloth but at the church (or mosque or temple) festival—the kind of paper-plate, bring-your-own-Tupperware affair where Uncle and Grandma trot out their most sacred family recipes. Hence the enduring popularity of the Belmont Greek Festival, which this year celebrates both its 50th anniversary and its first year back in person since the start of the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hosted by the Church of the Holy Cross, the fully volunteer-staffed festival is returning with a full slate of live music and traditional dancing (“\u003ca href=\"https://fb.watch/eXDNM67P4s/\">Opa!\u003c/a>”), but like any church festival worth its salt, food will be front and center—big, gut-busting plates of spanakopita, gyros and lasagna-like beef pastitsio, which visitors can enjoy on the church’s outdoor “platia,” made to resemble a bustling village square in Greece. Be sure to save room for dessert: It’d be a shame to leave without a taste of baklava or, the crowning glory of any big Greek celebration, the honey-drenched fried dough balls known as loukoumades. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918354\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918354\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-scaled.jpg\" alt='A man and woman in face masks squirt sauce on a paper tray of fried cauliflower. Their shirts read \"Plant N Soul.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plant N Soul staff squirt sauce onto fried cauliflower. The vegan pizza pop-up will be one of more than 50 vendors at this year’s Bizerkeley vegan food festival. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Bizerkeley Food Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/foodfest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nSept. 4, 11am–5pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Erika Hazel \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915889/berkeley-vegan-food-festival-bizerkeley-vegan\">launched the Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/a>, she wanted to make people more aware of just how diverse the Bay Area’s vegan food scene is—it’s not just “rabbit food,” after all. This Labor Day weekend, she’s continuing that mission with an event that will feature over 50 vegan vendors—more than double its 2021 debut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The purpose of the Bizerkeley Food Festival is to promote and uplift small businesses, POC businesses and women-owned businesses that are 100% plant-based/vegan while raising necessary funds for the Berkeley municipal animal shelter,” Hazel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community-centered event has quickly become the premier vegan festival in the Bay. Held in the Sports Basement parking lot, this year’s edition will feature local favorites like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13916044/sucka-free-soul-the-vegan-hood-chefs-honor-southern-heritage-with-a-frisco-twist\">Vegan Hood Chefs\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kubenicecream/?hl=en\">Kubé Nice Cream\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://thebolditalic.com/this-woman-owned-business-is-introducing-organic-beverages-to-a-food-desert-in-richmond-7b8ce3d8243\">Liquified Juicery\u003c/a> serving a wide array of vegan treats—everything from jambalaya and barbecue sliders to full-fat coconut ice cream. All food and beverages will be sold a la carte. As Hazel notes, a portion of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-bizerkeley-food-festival-tickets-323004123027\">ticket proceeds\u003c/a> will benefit the \u003ca href=\"https://friendsofbacs.org/\">Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services\u003c/a>. —\u003cem>A.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13900324\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13900324\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white author headshot for Bryant Terry, posing in sunglasses.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bryant Terry wants to provide mentorship opportunities for aspiring BIPOC food creatives. That’s the inspiration behind the Black Food Summit, which he’s organizing in collaboration with the Museum of the African Diaspora. \u003ccite>(Adrian Octavius Walker)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/event/chef-in-residence-bryant-terry-presents-black-food-summit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Black Food Summit\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco; TomKat Ranch, Pescadero\u003cbr>\nSept. 9–10\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Bryant Terry started 4 Color Books, his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900311/bryant-terry-four-color-books-imprint-food-media-diversity\">new imprint\u003c/a> that’s focused on BIPOC artists, writers and chefs, the Oakland-based chef and food activist wanted to help create an ecosystem in which Black and other BIPOC creatives would be able to thrive. Where were all of the talented Black cookbook authors, food stylists and food photographers, and why weren’t they landing the most coveted gigs from the prestige magazines and publishing houses? Were they getting the mentorship opportunities they needed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Terry is using his platform as \u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/\">MoAD’s\u003c/a> chef-in-residence to help grow that pipeline: In September, he’ll host a two-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/event/chef-in-residence-bryant-terry-presents-black-food-summit\">Black Food Summit\u003c/a> that will inspire—and teach practical skills to—anyone looking to publish a cookbook or carve out a career in food media. The summit will function, among other things, as one of the food world’s most exciting gatherings of Black talent, with nationally prominent writers like \u003ca href=\"http://www.nicoleataylor.com/\">Nicole Taylor\u003c/a> (of the Juneteenth cookbook \u003cem>Watermelon & Red Birds\u003c/em>) and \u003ca href=\"https://osayiendolyn.com/\">Osayi Endolyn\u003c/a> (the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Food & Wine\u003c/em> and more) on hand for a full day of panel discussions on topics such as storytelling, design and how to navigate the publishing world. On the second day, the summit will move to Pescadero’s \u003ca href=\"https://tomkatranch.org/\">TomKat Ranch\u003c/a> for a day of restful rejuvenation and hands-on activities (some of which may involve horses).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all culminates with a big, celebratory dinner out on the ranch, cooked by some of the Bay Area’s most accomplished chefs, including Matt Horn (Horn BBQ) and Fernay McPherson (Minnie Bells). Participants can buy a ticket for just one day or for the whole two-day summit. There’s also a livestream option for the Friday events at MoAD. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918355\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2111px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918355\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of napa cabbage kimchi.\" width=\"2111\" height=\"1408\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189.jpg 2111w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2111px) 100vw, 2111px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This year’s Chuseok Festival will celebrate traditional Korean foods such as kimchi, but it’ll also offer a wide range of fusion and Korean American diasporic dishes. \u003ccite>(Mark Shigenaga)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-bay-area-chuseok-festival-tickets-355585554967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chuseok Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Presidio Main Parade Lawn, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 10, 11am–5pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever since the event’s splashy 2019 debut, the organizers of the Bay Area Chuseok Festival have been chomping at the bit to bring the Korean harvest festival back to its in-person, deliciously food-focused glory after a couple of Zoom-centric editions during the peak of the pandemic. Eun-Joo Chang of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://koreancentersf.org/\">Korean Center, Inc.\u003c/a>, which organizes the event, describes Chuseok as the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving. Hosted at the Presidio, this year’s festival is expected to be bigger and better than ever—a larger outdoor space; more family-friendly entertainment, from K-pop to traditional crafts; and, of course, a whole host of food and beverage vendors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all of the food will be strictly Korean, though most of the featured businesses have at least one Korean chef or co-owner. So, while there will be traditional items such as Korean barbecue and \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/drinks/2017/2/20/14645442/makgeolli-korean-rice-wine\">makgeolli\u003c/a>, there also might be bulgogi-topped pizza and Korean-Mexican fusion. Oakland’s Noodle Belly will be on hand serving its signature garlic noodles; SF-based Dokkabier will be on hand to pour its lineup of Asian-inspired microbrews.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who like to get their hands dirty, San Francisco’s Korean consulate and the Korean food conglomerate and kimchi brand Jong Ga Foods will co-host K-Food, an event-within-event happening at the same time. The centerpiece: a hands-on cooking demonstration in which participants make their own ssamjang, the spicy-sweet condiment traditionally eaten with Korean barbecue. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918362\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918362\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq.jpg\" alt=\"Four oysters, elaborately topped with shrimp, cheese and spices, on a grill.\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saucey Oysters & BBQ specializes in elaborately topped grilled oysters. The Sacramento-based pop-up will be one of the 30-plus food vendors on hand at the California Soul Food Cookout. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Saucey Oysters & BBQ)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.californiasoulfoodcookoutandfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Soul Food Cookout\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton\u003cbr>\nSept. 17–18, 1–11pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For concert goers who love soul food, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/calisoulfoodfest/?hl=en\">California Soul Food Cookout & Festival\u003c/a> promises the best of both worlds. Going on its 12th year, the two-day event features a mix of family activities, gospel music, R&B, food trucks and comedy—with a portion of the proceeds going towards Bay Area charities to aid houseless individuals and domestic violence victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the food side, the festival’s 2022 edition will be hosted by Chef Milly, known for his stints as a contestant on \u003cem>Hell’s Kitchen\u003c/em>—and for dishes like his signature Crabby Cheese Fries (topped with lump crab meat and Old Bay seasoning). Other vendors will include Hayward-based Filipino fusion pop-up \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mekeni_kapampangankami/\">Mekeni’s Kitchen\u003c/a>, Sacramento-based grilled oyster specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sauceyoysters_bbq/?hl=en\">Saucey Oysters & BBQ\u003c/a> and the Filipino barbecue stand \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gim.belly/?hl=en\">Gim Belly\u003c/a>. The 30-plus diverse, mostly POC food makers were chosen by the organizers to represent the Bay Area’s cultural vibrancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you come to California Soul for the food, you’ll stay for the grooves: Musical headliners include gospel and R&B stars like Musiq Soulchild, Angie Stone, Mario Hodge and Fred Hammond. There will also be a job fair and career expo sponsored by the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce and Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce. —\u003cem>A.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918364\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918364\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling woman shows off a dish of sautéed mushrooms.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-800x968.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-1020x1234.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-1270x1536.jpg 1270w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-1693x2048.jpg 1693w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During her Shifting the Lens residency, Chef Shenarri Freeman will serve an elaborate tasting menu of vegan soul food dishes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of J Vineyards & Winery)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.exploretock.com/jvineyardswinery/experience/340529/shifting-the-lens-chef-shenarri-freeman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shifting the Lens with Chef Shenarri Freeman\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>J Vineyards & Winery, Healdsburg\u003cbr>\nSept. 29–Oct. 9\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Preeti Mistry was tired of hearing people say there wasn’t any point in pairing wine with Indian food—and that the richly spiced foods found throughout, say, South Asia, West Africa or the Caribbean were best just washed down with beer. So, the chef decided to change the conversation. \u003ca href=\"https://www.jwine.com/shifting-the-lens.html\">Shifting the Lens\u003c/a>, Mistry’s summer-long residency series J Winery in Healdsburg, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917165/preeti-mistry-wants-to-show-that-wine-pairing-isnt-just-for-white-food\">reexamines wine pairing in the context of cuisines that are often excluded from the fine dining discourse\u003c/a> here in the United States: Chinese food, Indian food, soul food. Each residency features a talented BIPOC woman guest chef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Sept. 29, Shifting the Lens will close out its first year with a residency by Shenarri “Greens” Freeman, a New York City-based wellness advocate and the chef of the vegan soul food restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cadence.newyork/?hl=en\">Cadence\u003c/a>. Over the course of two weeks, Thursday to Sunday, guests can book a two-hour, five-plus-course, fully plant-based tasting menu ($200) that comes with a thoughtful wine pairing for each dish. For those who want a little extra face time with the chef, a special VIP dinner on Oct. 1 will include a Q&A session. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918360\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918360\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg\" alt=\"A cup of halo halo, with layers of bright purple ube ice cream, flan and sweet beans.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turontastic’s halo-halo, from last year’s edition of Undiscovered SF. \u003ccite>(Photography by Albert Law: www.porkbellystudio.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/#tickets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Undiscovered SF Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nOct. 22, noon–6pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, the Undiscovered SF Festival asks the age-old question: If San Francisco had its very own Filipino theme park, what would that look like? Would mobile DJ crews usher each visitor in through ube-purple turnstiles? Would there be a lumpia-themed rollercoaster or a karaoke-themed merry-go-round? Most importantly: What would there be to eat?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Undiscovered SF 2022 will offer visitors the opportunity to see one possible vision for such a theme park come to life—though rollercoaster enthusiasts might have to wait for a future edition. Though the event’s earliest incarnations were set up as a \u003ca href=\"https://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?m=3609&i=453302&p=84&ver=html5\">Filipino night market\u003c/a>, during the pandemic Undiscovered SF evolved into a daytime event spread across multiple indoor and outdoor venues in the SOMA Pilipinas cultural district. This year’s version promises to be the largest one yet, with a rollicking main stage set up at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-s-newest-green-space-just-opened-in-SoMa-16969411.php\">Parks at 5M\u003c/a>, the neighborhood’s brand new outdoor park; a kaleidoscope of crafts and streetwear vendors; art exhibitions; and more than 20 food vendors (including local legends like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thelumpiacompany/\">Lumpia Company\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thesarapshop/\">Sarap Shop\u003c/a>). —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918350\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918350\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale.jpg\" alt=\"A marigold-covered altar for Día de los Muertos on a street corner in Fruitvale.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A marigold-covered altar for the ancestors at Oakland’s Día de los Muertos festival in Fruitvale. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Unity Council)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://diaoakland.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Día de los Muertos Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Fruitvale District, Oakland\u003cbr>\nOct. 30, 10am–5pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can’t celebrate fall in the Bay Area without attending a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/diaoakland/?hl=en\">Día de los Muertos event\u003c/a>—and, if you’re around Oakland, there’s no better place to do it than in Fruitvale. The cultural gathering has become one of the highlights of October, signaling the peak of “spooky szn,” autumnal changes and, of course, festival goodies. Now in its 27th year, Fruitvale’s Día de los Muertos event will return fully in person this Oct. 30 with a day of Aztec dancing, altar exhibits, live music and a more-than-you-can-eat offering of food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://unitycouncil.org/program/diaoakland/\">Oakland Unity Council\u003c/a>, which organizes the event, “The festival will resume in-person activities, highlighting the ofrendas, Danza Azteca, and low-riders which are all vital elements of the celebration. Our goal for the 2022 festival is to create a physical space where people can safely gather and hone in art and culture as tools for community healing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a themed-focus on honoring essential workers, this year’s celebration is meant to express a strong sense of gratitude to the food workers, cooks and purveyors of Latinx-focused meals. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the street vendors that the Día event is known for will be back in full force. From street-style elote dripping with sour cream, cheese and powdered chile, to classic Fruitvale staples like tacos, burritos and tortas, you can’t go wrong with a celebratory afternoon of comida in one of the Bay Area’s most vibrant communities. —\u003cem>A.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2434,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 34
},
"modified": 1705006435,
"excerpt": "’Tis the season for outdoor lumpia, loukoumades and garlic noodles, served in a paper tray.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "’Tis the season for outdoor lumpia, loukoumades and garlic noodles, served in a paper tray.",
"title": "This Fall Marks the Return of the In-Person Food Festival | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "This Fall Marks the Return of the In-Person Food Festival",
"datePublished": "2022-08-31T09:00:00-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:53:55-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "food-events-fall-2022",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "/food/",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Food",
"path": "/arts/13918267/food-events-fall-2022",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fallarts2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Find more of KQED’s picks for the best Fall 2022 events here\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the food enthusiast, fall in the Bay Area means bacon-wrapped hot dogs, pumpkin pie eating contests and ungodly quantities of garlic noodles scarfed out of a little paper tray. In other words, it’s peak food festival season—or at least it was until the past two years, when COVID safety concerns cancelled most of these gatherings outright and forced others to shrink themselves down into Zoom- and takeout-friendly form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a sign of how far we’ve come, then, that most of the biggest and most beloved fall food festivals and other food-related events are back in full force—and fully in person—this year. Make no mistake: We’re still in a pandemic, and it’s important to be mindful of other festival-goers’ safety and comfort level. (Don’t let anyone shame you for wearing a mask!) But if you’ve been looking forward to standing in a line with a couple dozen other lumpia lovers or vegan ice cream aficionados, we’ve got some great options for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918351\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1951px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918351\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9.jpg\" alt=\"A big aluminum tray of Greek pastitsio, the top cooked to golden brown.\" width=\"1951\" height=\"1063\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9.jpg 1951w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-800x436.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-1020x556.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-768x418.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-1536x837.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Pastitsio-2022-cooked-pan-CROPPED-BD864E13-48D0-415F-BB7B-C1436AEC7DA9-1920x1046.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1951px) 100vw, 1951px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big trays of bubbling-hot, golden-brown pastitsio are one of the savory attractions at the annual Belmont Greek Festival. \u003ccite>(Emmy Denton)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.belmontgreekfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Belmont Greek Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Church of the Holy Cross, Belmont\u003cbr>\nSept. 3–4, noon–10pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelin-starred restaurants are fine and all, but real connoisseurs of cuisine know that some of the most memorable eating happens not on white tablecloth but at the church (or mosque or temple) festival—the kind of paper-plate, bring-your-own-Tupperware affair where Uncle and Grandma trot out their most sacred family recipes. Hence the enduring popularity of the Belmont Greek Festival, which this year celebrates both its 50th anniversary and its first year back in person since the start of the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hosted by the Church of the Holy Cross, the fully volunteer-staffed festival is returning with a full slate of live music and traditional dancing (“\u003ca href=\"https://fb.watch/eXDNM67P4s/\">Opa!\u003c/a>”), but like any church festival worth its salt, food will be front and center—big, gut-busting plates of spanakopita, gyros and lasagna-like beef pastitsio, which visitors can enjoy on the church’s outdoor “platia,” made to resemble a bustling village square in Greece. Be sure to save room for dessert: It’d be a shame to leave without a taste of baklava or, the crowning glory of any big Greek celebration, the honey-drenched fried dough balls known as loukoumades. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918354\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918354\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-scaled.jpg\" alt='A man and woman in face masks squirt sauce on a paper tray of fried cauliflower. Their shirts read \"Plant N Soul.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/KCB01625-2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plant N Soul staff squirt sauce onto fried cauliflower. The vegan pizza pop-up will be one of more than 50 vendors at this year’s Bizerkeley vegan food festival. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Bizerkeley Food Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com/foodfest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>2727 Milvia Street, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nSept. 4, 11am–5pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Erika Hazel \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13915889/berkeley-vegan-food-festival-bizerkeley-vegan\">launched the Bizerkeley Food Festival\u003c/a>, she wanted to make people more aware of just how diverse the Bay Area’s vegan food scene is—it’s not just “rabbit food,” after all. This Labor Day weekend, she’s continuing that mission with an event that will feature over 50 vegan vendors—more than double its 2021 debut.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The purpose of the Bizerkeley Food Festival is to promote and uplift small businesses, POC businesses and women-owned businesses that are 100% plant-based/vegan while raising necessary funds for the Berkeley municipal animal shelter,” Hazel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The community-centered event has quickly become the premier vegan festival in the Bay. Held in the Sports Basement parking lot, this year’s edition will feature local favorites like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13916044/sucka-free-soul-the-vegan-hood-chefs-honor-southern-heritage-with-a-frisco-twist\">Vegan Hood Chefs\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kubenicecream/?hl=en\">Kubé Nice Cream\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://thebolditalic.com/this-woman-owned-business-is-introducing-organic-beverages-to-a-food-desert-in-richmond-7b8ce3d8243\">Liquified Juicery\u003c/a> serving a wide array of vegan treats—everything from jambalaya and barbecue sliders to full-fat coconut ice cream. All food and beverages will be sold a la carte. As Hazel notes, a portion of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-bizerkeley-food-festival-tickets-323004123027\">ticket proceeds\u003c/a> will benefit the \u003ca href=\"https://friendsofbacs.org/\">Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services\u003c/a>. —\u003cem>A.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13900324\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13900324\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white author headshot for Bryant Terry, posing in sunglasses.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Bryant-Terry_bw-portrait-AOW-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bryant Terry wants to provide mentorship opportunities for aspiring BIPOC food creatives. That’s the inspiration behind the Black Food Summit, which he’s organizing in collaboration with the Museum of the African Diaspora. \u003ccite>(Adrian Octavius Walker)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/event/chef-in-residence-bryant-terry-presents-black-food-summit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Black Food Summit\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco; TomKat Ranch, Pescadero\u003cbr>\nSept. 9–10\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Bryant Terry started 4 Color Books, his \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900311/bryant-terry-four-color-books-imprint-food-media-diversity\">new imprint\u003c/a> that’s focused on BIPOC artists, writers and chefs, the Oakland-based chef and food activist wanted to help create an ecosystem in which Black and other BIPOC creatives would be able to thrive. Where were all of the talented Black cookbook authors, food stylists and food photographers, and why weren’t they landing the most coveted gigs from the prestige magazines and publishing houses? Were they getting the mentorship opportunities they needed?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Terry is using his platform as \u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/\">MoAD’s\u003c/a> chef-in-residence to help grow that pipeline: In September, he’ll host a two-day \u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/event/chef-in-residence-bryant-terry-presents-black-food-summit\">Black Food Summit\u003c/a> that will inspire—and teach practical skills to—anyone looking to publish a cookbook or carve out a career in food media. The summit will function, among other things, as one of the food world’s most exciting gatherings of Black talent, with nationally prominent writers like \u003ca href=\"http://www.nicoleataylor.com/\">Nicole Taylor\u003c/a> (of the Juneteenth cookbook \u003cem>Watermelon & Red Birds\u003c/em>) and \u003ca href=\"https://osayiendolyn.com/\">Osayi Endolyn\u003c/a> (the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Food & Wine\u003c/em> and more) on hand for a full day of panel discussions on topics such as storytelling, design and how to navigate the publishing world. On the second day, the summit will move to Pescadero’s \u003ca href=\"https://tomkatranch.org/\">TomKat Ranch\u003c/a> for a day of restful rejuvenation and hands-on activities (some of which may involve horses).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all culminates with a big, celebratory dinner out on the ranch, cooked by some of the Bay Area’s most accomplished chefs, including Matt Horn (Horn BBQ) and Fernay McPherson (Minnie Bells). Participants can buy a ticket for just one day or for the whole two-day summit. There’s also a livestream option for the Friday events at MoAD. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918355\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2111px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918355\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of napa cabbage kimchi.\" width=\"2111\" height=\"1408\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189.jpg 2111w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/038_1st-Annual-Chuseok-Festival-SELECTS-06189-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2111px) 100vw, 2111px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This year’s Chuseok Festival will celebrate traditional Korean foods such as kimchi, but it’ll also offer a wide range of fusion and Korean American diasporic dishes. \u003ccite>(Mark Shigenaga)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-bay-area-chuseok-festival-tickets-355585554967\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chuseok Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Presidio Main Parade Lawn, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 10, 11am–5pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever since the event’s splashy 2019 debut, the organizers of the Bay Area Chuseok Festival have been chomping at the bit to bring the Korean harvest festival back to its in-person, deliciously food-focused glory after a couple of Zoom-centric editions during the peak of the pandemic. Eun-Joo Chang of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://koreancentersf.org/\">Korean Center, Inc.\u003c/a>, which organizes the event, describes Chuseok as the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving. Hosted at the Presidio, this year’s festival is expected to be bigger and better than ever—a larger outdoor space; more family-friendly entertainment, from K-pop to traditional crafts; and, of course, a whole host of food and beverage vendors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all of the food will be strictly Korean, though most of the featured businesses have at least one Korean chef or co-owner. So, while there will be traditional items such as Korean barbecue and \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/drinks/2017/2/20/14645442/makgeolli-korean-rice-wine\">makgeolli\u003c/a>, there also might be bulgogi-topped pizza and Korean-Mexican fusion. Oakland’s Noodle Belly will be on hand serving its signature garlic noodles; SF-based Dokkabier will be on hand to pour its lineup of Asian-inspired microbrews.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those who like to get their hands dirty, San Francisco’s Korean consulate and the Korean food conglomerate and kimchi brand Jong Ga Foods will co-host K-Food, an event-within-event happening at the same time. The centerpiece: a hands-on cooking demonstration in which participants make their own ssamjang, the spicy-sweet condiment traditionally eaten with Korean barbecue. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918362\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918362\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq.jpg\" alt=\"Four oysters, elaborately topped with shrimp, cheese and spices, on a grill.\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/calisoulfood_saucey-oysters-bbq-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saucey Oysters & BBQ specializes in elaborately topped grilled oysters. The Sacramento-based pop-up will be one of the 30-plus food vendors on hand at the California Soul Food Cookout. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Saucey Oysters & BBQ)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.californiasoulfoodcookoutandfestival.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Soul Food Cookout\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton\u003cbr>\nSept. 17–18, 1–11pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For concert goers who love soul food, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/calisoulfoodfest/?hl=en\">California Soul Food Cookout & Festival\u003c/a> promises the best of both worlds. Going on its 12th year, the two-day event features a mix of family activities, gospel music, R&B, food trucks and comedy—with a portion of the proceeds going towards Bay Area charities to aid houseless individuals and domestic violence victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the food side, the festival’s 2022 edition will be hosted by Chef Milly, known for his stints as a contestant on \u003cem>Hell’s Kitchen\u003c/em>—and for dishes like his signature Crabby Cheese Fries (topped with lump crab meat and Old Bay seasoning). Other vendors will include Hayward-based Filipino fusion pop-up \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mekeni_kapampangankami/\">Mekeni’s Kitchen\u003c/a>, Sacramento-based grilled oyster specialist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sauceyoysters_bbq/?hl=en\">Saucey Oysters & BBQ\u003c/a> and the Filipino barbecue stand \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gim.belly/?hl=en\">Gim Belly\u003c/a>. The 30-plus diverse, mostly POC food makers were chosen by the organizers to represent the Bay Area’s cultural vibrancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you come to California Soul for the food, you’ll stay for the grooves: Musical headliners include gospel and R&B stars like Musiq Soulchild, Angie Stone, Mario Hodge and Fred Hammond. There will also be a job fair and career expo sponsored by the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce and Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce. —\u003cem>A.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918364\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918364\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes.jpg\" alt=\"A smiling woman shows off a dish of sautéed mushrooms.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2322\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-800x968.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-1020x1234.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-1270x1536.jpg 1270w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/STL_Shenarri_Freeman_HighRes-1693x2048.jpg 1693w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During her Shifting the Lens residency, Chef Shenarri Freeman will serve an elaborate tasting menu of vegan soul food dishes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of J Vineyards & Winery)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.exploretock.com/jvineyardswinery/experience/340529/shifting-the-lens-chef-shenarri-freeman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shifting the Lens with Chef Shenarri Freeman\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>J Vineyards & Winery, Healdsburg\u003cbr>\nSept. 29–Oct. 9\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Preeti Mistry was tired of hearing people say there wasn’t any point in pairing wine with Indian food—and that the richly spiced foods found throughout, say, South Asia, West Africa or the Caribbean were best just washed down with beer. So, the chef decided to change the conversation. \u003ca href=\"https://www.jwine.com/shifting-the-lens.html\">Shifting the Lens\u003c/a>, Mistry’s summer-long residency series J Winery in Healdsburg, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917165/preeti-mistry-wants-to-show-that-wine-pairing-isnt-just-for-white-food\">reexamines wine pairing in the context of cuisines that are often excluded from the fine dining discourse\u003c/a> here in the United States: Chinese food, Indian food, soul food. Each residency features a talented BIPOC woman guest chef.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Sept. 29, Shifting the Lens will close out its first year with a residency by Shenarri “Greens” Freeman, a New York City-based wellness advocate and the chef of the vegan soul food restaurant \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cadence.newyork/?hl=en\">Cadence\u003c/a>. Over the course of two weeks, Thursday to Sunday, guests can book a two-hour, five-plus-course, fully plant-based tasting menu ($200) that comes with a thoughtful wine pairing for each dish. For those who want a little extra face time with the chef, a special VIP dinner on Oct. 1 will include a Q&A session. —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918360\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918360\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg\" alt=\"A cup of halo halo, with layers of bright purple ube ice cream, flan and sweet beans.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Turontastic-3_photo-from-Kultivate-Labs-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turontastic’s halo-halo, from last year’s edition of Undiscovered SF. \u003ccite>(Photography by Albert Law: www.porkbellystudio.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.undiscoveredsf.com/#tickets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Undiscovered SF Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nOct. 22, noon–6pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, the Undiscovered SF Festival asks the age-old question: If San Francisco had its very own Filipino theme park, what would that look like? Would mobile DJ crews usher each visitor in through ube-purple turnstiles? Would there be a lumpia-themed rollercoaster or a karaoke-themed merry-go-round? Most importantly: What would there be to eat?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Undiscovered SF 2022 will offer visitors the opportunity to see one possible vision for such a theme park come to life—though rollercoaster enthusiasts might have to wait for a future edition. Though the event’s earliest incarnations were set up as a \u003ca href=\"https://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?m=3609&i=453302&p=84&ver=html5\">Filipino night market\u003c/a>, during the pandemic Undiscovered SF evolved into a daytime event spread across multiple indoor and outdoor venues in the SOMA Pilipinas cultural district. This year’s version promises to be the largest one yet, with a rollicking main stage set up at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-s-newest-green-space-just-opened-in-SoMa-16969411.php\">Parks at 5M\u003c/a>, the neighborhood’s brand new outdoor park; a kaleidoscope of crafts and streetwear vendors; art exhibitions; and more than 20 food vendors (including local legends like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thelumpiacompany/\">Lumpia Company\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thesarapshop/\">Sarap Shop\u003c/a>). —\u003cem>L.T.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918350\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918350\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale.jpg\" alt=\"A marigold-covered altar for Día de los Muertos on a street corner in Fruitvale.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/dia-altar_fruitvale-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A marigold-covered altar for the ancestors at Oakland’s Día de los Muertos festival in Fruitvale. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Unity Council)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://diaoakland.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Día de los Muertos Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Fruitvale District, Oakland\u003cbr>\nOct. 30, 10am–5pm\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can’t celebrate fall in the Bay Area without attending a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/diaoakland/?hl=en\">Día de los Muertos event\u003c/a>—and, if you’re around Oakland, there’s no better place to do it than in Fruitvale. The cultural gathering has become one of the highlights of October, signaling the peak of “spooky szn,” autumnal changes and, of course, festival goodies. Now in its 27th year, Fruitvale’s Día de los Muertos event will return fully in person this Oct. 30 with a day of Aztec dancing, altar exhibits, live music and a more-than-you-can-eat offering of food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://unitycouncil.org/program/diaoakland/\">Oakland Unity Council\u003c/a>, which organizes the event, “The festival will resume in-person activities, highlighting the ofrendas, Danza Azteca, and low-riders which are all vital elements of the celebration. Our goal for the 2022 festival is to create a physical space where people can safely gather and hone in art and culture as tools for community healing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a themed-focus on honoring essential workers, this year’s celebration is meant to express a strong sense of gratitude to the food workers, cooks and purveyors of Latinx-focused meals. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the street vendors that the Día event is known for will be back in full force. From street-style elote dripping with sour cream, cheese and powdered chile, to classic Fruitvale staples like tacos, burritos and tortas, you can’t go wrong with a celebratory afternoon of comida in one of the Bay Area’s most vibrant communities. —\u003cem>A.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13918267/food-events-fall-2022",
"authors": [
"11743",
"11748"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2839",
"arts_18457",
"arts_10278",
"arts_2855",
"arts_1297",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13918352",
"label": "source_arts_13918267"
},
"arts_13917511": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13917511",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917511",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1660263401000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1660263401,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Jo Koy’s Daly City-Set ‘Easter Sunday’ Puts Filipinos Front and Center",
"headTitle": "Jo Koy’s Daly City-Set ‘Easter Sunday’ Puts Filipinos Front and Center | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>For a comedy, Jo Koy’s new movie \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> had a lot of waterworks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The film was no ordinary job for the comedian and the rest of the cast. The magnitude of being on a mostly Filipino set led to happy cry-fests, Koy said. Emotions really hit when co-star Tia Carrere pointed out this was her first time playing a Filipino character in her 40-year career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be able to be right there in a scene with five other Filipino actors and just doing a scene about a family… She never saw that before,” Koy, 51, told The Associated Press. “We all just kind of like teared up and just celebrated together because it’s like ‘OK, this is going to be one of many moments up here.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Koy, who is half Filipino and half white, is making his feature film debut in a movie largely inspired by the material from his Netflix stand-up specials. DreamWorks/Universal is touting \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em>, which opened in theaters Aug. 5, as the first big studio movie with an all-Filipino ensemble. Koy plays Joe Valencia, a comic and aspiring actor who goes home to Daly City for the titular holiday. He attempts to bond with his teenage son while dealing with well-meaning but overbearing relatives. The production comes at a time when Filipino American food, history and advocacy are increasingly emerging into the zeitgeist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Finally our stories, our faces are front and center on the big screen,” said Carrere, 55, and known for movies like \u003ci>Wayne’s World\u003c/i>, \u003ci>True Lies\u003c/i> and \u003ci>Lilo & Stitch\u003c/i>. “I have to pinch myself that I’m still here, still in the business and invited to the party.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jimmy O. Yang (\u003cem>Crazy Rich Asians\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Love Hard\u003c/em>), who has a cameo in \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em>, also served as a producer. That meant watching many, many audition tapes of actors of Filipino or Asian descent. Yang was blown away by the talent. It made casting 10 roles that much tougher. He thinks Hollywood claims that capable Asian actors are hard to find are just lazy excuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As an actor, I’m like all of these guys are so good. How did I ever get a job?” Yang said. “Some of them I wanted to call them and be like ‘Hey, man! Please keep going OK? We just couldn’t hire you for this job but please keep going.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/YIixb42aJPg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em>, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, is set in the heavily Filipino suburb of Daly City where screenwriter Ken Cheng immigrated to as a kid. He envisioned a mix of Ice Cube’s \u003cem>Friday\u003c/em> and the holiday flick \u003cem>It’s a Wonderful Life\u003c/em>. A producer, too, Cheng wrote it in 2020 during lockdown. He then turned to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin Partners is co-producing. Within a few hours the legendary director read it and gave his approval, according to Cheng.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From that day to the first day we started shooting was something like five and a half months. And that’s like insanely fast,” Cheng said. “A lot of that is how enthusiastic everyone was about building a movie around Jo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollywood is populated with notable half-Filipino actors like Vanessa Hudgens and Darren Criss. But Koy is the one leaning into his heritage in his work. For example, he wanted a scene in \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> showing the family packing customary balikbayan boxes. Filipinos, usually first-generation immigrants, typically send boxes with American goods to relatives in the Philippines. Mailing balikbayan boxes is practically its own industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s this responsibility that they put on their shoulders when they make it to this country,” Koy said. “I see that with a lot of Filipino families and I wanted to show the world that’s how important this is to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13915581,arts_13913947,arts_13914762']Today, Filipinos make up over 4 million of the country’s 23 million-plus Asian population, according to the U.S. Census. Filipino culture and history have been gaining more mainstream visibility in recent years—mostly because of decades-long activism by Filipinos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, a 30-foot tall gateway arch was unveiled in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown and a street in New York City’s Queens was co-named Little Manila Avenue. A newly built San Jose park was named Delano Manongs Park for the Filipino American farmworkers who worked alongside Cesar Chavez to organize the Delano grape strike between 1965 and 1970. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> is coming during “this really amazing moment in Asian American history and Filipino American history, where political, social, and economic capital has all come together,” said Eric Pido, an Asian American Studies professor at San Francisco State University with a background in Filipina/o American Studies. He predicts younger generations will raise Filipinos’ profiles in the next few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think Filipino Americans are no longer shying away from sort of taking a representational role in American politics, which will bring up all sorts of interesting things about Filipino American culture that lots of folks just don’t think about,” Pido said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Koy and Cheng attended a screening of \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> in Daly City. Among the attendees was the director of Pixar’s \u003cem>Turning Red\u003c/em>, Domee Shi. That animated film, about a Chinese Canadian teenage girl and her family, was a hit after its March release on Disney+. But a white film reviewer called the animated feature exhausting and only relatable for Shi’s Chinese family and friends. The review was later pulled over accusations of racism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea that stories that focus on Asian characters and cultures are too specific to be appealing is just outdated, Koy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The relationship between a mother and son is the same no matter what ethnicity,” Koy said. “I hate ignorant people that don’t move forward… There’s a lot of people that live in this country that need to be heard and it’s time to hear it.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1056,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 20
},
"modified": 1705006503,
"excerpt": "The film comes at a time when Filipino American food, history and advocacy are gaining increased visibility.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"socialTitle": "Jo Koy’s ‘Easter Sunday’ Puts Filipinos Front and Center %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The film comes at a time when Filipino American food, history and advocacy are gaining increased visibility.",
"title": "Jo Koy’s ‘Easter Sunday’ Puts Filipinos Front and Center | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Jo Koy’s Daly City-Set ‘Easter Sunday’ Puts Filipinos Front and Center",
"datePublished": "2022-08-11T17:16:41-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:55:03-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "easter-sunday-jo-koy-daly-city-filipino-family",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"nprByline": "Terry Tang, Associated Press",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"path": "/arts/13917511/easter-sunday-jo-koy-daly-city-filipino-family",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For a comedy, Jo Koy’s new movie \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> had a lot of waterworks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The film was no ordinary job for the comedian and the rest of the cast. The magnitude of being on a mostly Filipino set led to happy cry-fests, Koy said. Emotions really hit when co-star Tia Carrere pointed out this was her first time playing a Filipino character in her 40-year career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be able to be right there in a scene with five other Filipino actors and just doing a scene about a family… She never saw that before,” Koy, 51, told The Associated Press. “We all just kind of like teared up and just celebrated together because it’s like ‘OK, this is going to be one of many moments up here.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Koy, who is half Filipino and half white, is making his feature film debut in a movie largely inspired by the material from his Netflix stand-up specials. DreamWorks/Universal is touting \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em>, which opened in theaters Aug. 5, as the first big studio movie with an all-Filipino ensemble. Koy plays Joe Valencia, a comic and aspiring actor who goes home to Daly City for the titular holiday. He attempts to bond with his teenage son while dealing with well-meaning but overbearing relatives. The production comes at a time when Filipino American food, history and advocacy are increasingly emerging into the zeitgeist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Finally our stories, our faces are front and center on the big screen,” said Carrere, 55, and known for movies like \u003ci>Wayne’s World\u003c/i>, \u003ci>True Lies\u003c/i> and \u003ci>Lilo & Stitch\u003c/i>. “I have to pinch myself that I’m still here, still in the business and invited to the party.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jimmy O. Yang (\u003cem>Crazy Rich Asians\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Love Hard\u003c/em>), who has a cameo in \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em>, also served as a producer. That meant watching many, many audition tapes of actors of Filipino or Asian descent. Yang was blown away by the talent. It made casting 10 roles that much tougher. He thinks Hollywood claims that capable Asian actors are hard to find are just lazy excuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As an actor, I’m like all of these guys are so good. How did I ever get a job?” Yang said. “Some of them I wanted to call them and be like ‘Hey, man! Please keep going OK? We just couldn’t hire you for this job but please keep going.’”\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/YIixb42aJPg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/YIixb42aJPg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em>, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, is set in the heavily Filipino suburb of Daly City where screenwriter Ken Cheng immigrated to as a kid. He envisioned a mix of Ice Cube’s \u003cem>Friday\u003c/em> and the holiday flick \u003cem>It’s a Wonderful Life\u003c/em>. A producer, too, Cheng wrote it in 2020 during lockdown. He then turned to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin Partners is co-producing. Within a few hours the legendary director read it and gave his approval, according to Cheng.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From that day to the first day we started shooting was something like five and a half months. And that’s like insanely fast,” Cheng said. “A lot of that is how enthusiastic everyone was about building a movie around Jo.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollywood is populated with notable half-Filipino actors like Vanessa Hudgens and Darren Criss. But Koy is the one leaning into his heritage in his work. For example, he wanted a scene in \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> showing the family packing customary balikbayan boxes. Filipinos, usually first-generation immigrants, typically send boxes with American goods to relatives in the Philippines. Mailing balikbayan boxes is practically its own industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s this responsibility that they put on their shoulders when they make it to this country,” Koy said. “I see that with a lot of Filipino families and I wanted to show the world that’s how important this is to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13915581,arts_13913947,arts_13914762",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Today, Filipinos make up over 4 million of the country’s 23 million-plus Asian population, according to the U.S. Census. Filipino culture and history have been gaining more mainstream visibility in recent years—mostly because of decades-long activism by Filipinos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, a 30-foot tall gateway arch was unveiled in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown and a street in New York City’s Queens was co-named Little Manila Avenue. A newly built San Jose park was named Delano Manongs Park for the Filipino American farmworkers who worked alongside Cesar Chavez to organize the Delano grape strike between 1965 and 1970. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> is coming during “this really amazing moment in Asian American history and Filipino American history, where political, social, and economic capital has all come together,” said Eric Pido, an Asian American Studies professor at San Francisco State University with a background in Filipina/o American Studies. He predicts younger generations will raise Filipinos’ profiles in the next few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think Filipino Americans are no longer shying away from sort of taking a representational role in American politics, which will bring up all sorts of interesting things about Filipino American culture that lots of folks just don’t think about,” Pido said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Koy and Cheng attended a screening of \u003cem>Easter Sunday\u003c/em> in Daly City. Among the attendees was the director of Pixar’s \u003cem>Turning Red\u003c/em>, Domee Shi. That animated film, about a Chinese Canadian teenage girl and her family, was a hit after its March release on Disney+. But a white film reviewer called the animated feature exhausting and only relatable for Shi’s Chinese family and friends. The review was later pulled over accusations of racism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea that stories that focus on Asian characters and cultures are too specific to be appealing is just outdated, Koy said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The relationship between a mother and son is the same no matter what ethnicity,” Koy said. “I hate ignorant people that don’t move forward… There’s a lot of people that live in this country that need to be heard and it’s time to hear it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13917511/easter-sunday-jo-koy-daly-city-filipino-family",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13917511"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2854",
"arts_2855",
"arts_977"
],
"featImg": "arts_13917517",
"label": "arts"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"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",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"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",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"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.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"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.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"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",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"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",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"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",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"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/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"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",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"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.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/arts?tag=filipino": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 24,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 55,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"arts_13933283",
"arts_13932574",
"arts_13929263",
"arts_13928931",
"arts_13928804",
"arts_13926618",
"arts_13926503",
"arts_13925984",
"arts_13921019",
"arts_13919707",
"arts_13918267",
"arts_13917511"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts_tag_filipino": {
"isLoading": true
},
"arts_2855": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2855",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2855",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Filipino",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Filipino Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2867,
"slug": "filipino",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/filipino"
},
"source_arts_13933283": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13933283",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13932574": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13932574",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13929263": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13929263",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13928804": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13928804",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13926618": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13926618",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "/food/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13925984": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13925984",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13919707": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13919707",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13918267": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13918267",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "/food/",
"isLoading": false
},
"arts_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "The Do List",
"slug": "the-do-list",
"taxonomy": "program",
"description": null,
"featImg": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/The-Do-LIst-logo-2014-horizontal-015.png",
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 141,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/program/the-do-list"
},
"arts_1": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/arts"
},
"arts_12276": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_12276",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12276",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Explore the Bay Area culinary scene through KQED's food stories, recipes, dining experiences, and stories from the diverse tastemakers that define the Bay's cuisines.",
"title": "Bay Area Food Archives, Articles, News, and Reviews | KQED",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 12288,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/food"
},
"arts_8505": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8505",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8505",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "bay area hip-hop",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "bay area hip-hop Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8517,
"slug": "bay-area-hip-hop",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/bay-area-hip-hop"
},
"arts_14082": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14082",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14082",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "desi danganan",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "desi danganan Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14094,
"slug": "desi-danganan",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/desi-danganan"
},
"arts_10278": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10278",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10278",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10290,
"slug": "featured-arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/featured-arts"
},
"arts_14183": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14183",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14183",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Filipino food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Filipino food Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14195,
"slug": "filipino-food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/filipino-food"
},
"arts_1297": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1297",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1297",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "food Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1309,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/food"
},
"arts_16375": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_16375",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "16375",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "lumpia company",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "lumpia company Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16387,
"slug": "lumpia-company",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/lumpia-company"
},
"arts_17223": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_17223",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "17223",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "mobile djs",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "mobile djs Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17235,
"slug": "mobile-djs",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/mobile-djs"
},
"arts_1146": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1146",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1146",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 701,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/san-francisco"
},
"arts_4903": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4903",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4903",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "soma",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "soma Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4915,
"slug": "soma",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/soma"
},
"arts_8836": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_8836",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "8836",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "SOMA Pilipinas",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "SOMA Pilipinas Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8848,
"slug": "soma-pilipinas",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/soma-pilipinas"
},
"arts_20354": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_20354",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "20354",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "spam",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "spam Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20366,
"slug": "spam",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/spam"
},
"arts_20116": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_20116",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "20116",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "tasty tings",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "tasty tings Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20128,
"slug": "tasty-tings",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/tasty-tings"
},
"arts_585": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_585",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "585",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "thedolist",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "thedolist Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 590,
"slug": "thedolist",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/thedolist"
},
"arts_22307": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22307",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22307",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "¡Hella Hungry!",
"slug": "hella-hungry",
"taxonomy": "series",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "¡Hella Hungry! | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22319,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/series/hella-hungry"
},
"arts_15945": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_15945",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "15945",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Berryessa BART Urban Village",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Berryessa BART Urban Village Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 15957,
"slug": "berryessa-bart-urban-village",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/berryessa-bart-urban-village"
},
"arts_21731": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21731",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21731",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "burrito",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "burrito Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21743,
"slug": "burrito",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/burrito"
},
"arts_3419": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3419",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3419",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Chicano",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Chicano Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3431,
"slug": "chicano",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/chicano"
},
"arts_19125": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_19125",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "19125",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "flea markets",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "flea markets Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19137,
"slug": "flea-markets",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/flea-markets"
},
"arts_17573": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_17573",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "17573",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "hella hungry",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"socialTitle": "From Tamales to Trendy Toasts: Hella Hungry Tours Bay Area Flavors",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "KQED's food blog, Hella Hungry, dives into the Bay Area's diverse culinary scene. Discover hidden gems, meet passionate chefs, and explore the stories behind the flavors.",
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index",
"title": "From Tamales to Trendy Toasts: Hella Hungry Tours Bay Area Flavors",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17585,
"slug": "hella-hungry",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/hella-hungry"
},
"arts_15942": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_15942",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "15942",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "la pulga",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "la pulga Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 15954,
"slug": "la-pulga",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/la-pulga"
},
"arts_15892": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_15892",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "15892",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "lumpia",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "lumpia Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 15904,
"slug": "lumpia",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/lumpia"
},
"arts_14985": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14985",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14985",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "mexican food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "mexican food Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14997,
"slug": "mexican-food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/mexican-food"
},
"arts_1084": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1084",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1084",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Jose",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Jose Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1101,
"slug": "san-jose",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/san-jose"
},
"arts_22144": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22144",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22144",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "dessert",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "dessert Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22156,
"slug": "dessert",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/dessert"
},
"arts_22078": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22078",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22078",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ice cream",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ice cream Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22090,
"slug": "ice-cream",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/ice-cream"
},
"arts_17464": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_17464",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "17464",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Mac Dre",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Mac Dre Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17476,
"slug": "mac-dre",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/mac-dre"
},
"arts_16240": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_16240",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "16240",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ube",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ube Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16252,
"slug": "ube",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/ube"
},
"arts_18037": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_18037",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "18037",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Union City",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Union City Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18049,
"slug": "union-city",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/union-city"
},
"arts_75": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_75",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "75",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Pop Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Pop Culture Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 76,
"slug": "popculture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/popculture"
},
"arts_990": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_990",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "990",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "TV",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "TV Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1008,
"slug": "tv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/tv"
},
"arts_11007": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_11007",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11007",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "AAPI",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "AAPI Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 11019,
"slug": "aapi",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/aapi"
},
"arts_1176": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1176",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1176",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Filipino-American",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Filipino-American Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1188,
"slug": "filipino-american",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/filipino-american"
},
"arts_1191": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1191",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1191",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Sesame Street",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"socialTitle": "Sesame Street in the Bay: Fun & Learning for the Bay's Little Ones",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Learn with Elmo, Grover & friends in sunny San Francisco! KQED shares Sesame Street's Bay Area adventures, songs, and educational resources.",
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index",
"title": "Sesame Street in the Bay: Fun & Learning for the Bay's Little Ones",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1203,
"slug": "sesame-street",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sesame-street"
},
"arts_137": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_137",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "137",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2014/04/logo-npr-lg1.png",
"name": "NPR",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NPR Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 138,
"slug": "npr",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/affiliate/npr"
},
"arts_1601": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1601",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1601",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "E-40",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "E-40 Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1613,
"slug": "e-40",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/e-40"
},
"arts_6975": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_6975",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "6975",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Hyphy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Hyphy Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6987,
"slug": "hyphy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/hyphy"
},
"arts_2173": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2173",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2173",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "keak da sneak",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "keak da sneak Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2185,
"slug": "keak-da-sneak",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/keak-da-sneak"
},
"arts_1256": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1256",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1256",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Latino",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Latino Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1268,
"slug": "latino",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/latino"
},
"arts_1257": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1257",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1257",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Mission District",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Mission District Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1269,
"slug": "mission-district",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/mission-district"
},
"arts_14089": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14089",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14089",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "pop-up",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "pop-up Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14101,
"slug": "pop-up",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/pop-up"
},
"arts_4672": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4672",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4672",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Asian American",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Asian American Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4684,
"slug": "asian-american",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/asian-american"
},
"arts_16106": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_16106",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "16106",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "cookbook",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "cookbook Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16118,
"slug": "cookbook",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/cookbook"
},
"arts_7862": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_7862",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "7862",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "History",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "History Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 7874,
"slug": "history",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/history"
},
"arts_69": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_69",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "69",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Music",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Music Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 70,
"slug": "music",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/music"
},
"arts_6660": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_6660",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "6660",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "bay area history",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "bay area history Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6672,
"slug": "bay-area-history",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/bay-area-history"
},
"arts_10342": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10342",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10342",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "editorspick",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "editorspick Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10354,
"slug": "editorspick",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/editorspick"
},
"arts_2519": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2519",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2519",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Latin music",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Latin music Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2531,
"slug": "latin-music",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/latin-music"
},
"arts_905": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_905",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "905",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "rock",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "rock Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 923,
"slug": "rock",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/rock"
},
"arts_3547": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3547",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3547",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "castro",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "castro Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3559,
"slug": "castro",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/castro"
},
"arts_3226": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3226",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3226",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "LGBTQ+",
"slug": "lgbtq",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "LGBTQ+ | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 3238,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/lgbtq"
},
"arts_14730": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14730",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14730",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "pizza",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "pizza Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14742,
"slug": "pizza",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/pizza"
},
"arts_5158": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_5158",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "5158",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Pride",
"slug": "pride",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Pride | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 5170,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/pride"
},
"arts_13915": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_13915",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13915",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ramen",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ramen Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 13927,
"slug": "ramen",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/ramen"
},
"arts_70": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_70",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "70",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Visual Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Visual Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 71,
"slug": "visualarts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/visualarts"
},
"arts_901": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_901",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "901",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "visual art",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "visual art Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 919,
"slug": "visual-art",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/visual-art"
},
"arts_2839": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2839",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2839",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "dia de los muertos",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "dia de los muertos Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2851,
"slug": "dia-de-los-muertos",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/dia-de-los-muertos"
},
"arts_18457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_18457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "18457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fallarts2022",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fallarts2022 Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18469,
"slug": "fallarts2022",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/fallarts2022"
},
"arts_74": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_74",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "74",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Movies",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Movies Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 75,
"slug": "movies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/movies"
},
"arts_2854": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2854",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2854",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "daly city",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "daly city Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2866,
"slug": "daly-city",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/daly-city"
},
"arts_977": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_977",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "977",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Film",
"slug": "film",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Film Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 995,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/film"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
},
"navPromosReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": true,
"promos": {
"news": {
"name": "2026 Voter Guide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"imageURL": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nav-News-Nov2026ElectionCoverage@2x-7bd4aad4.png",
"description": "Get informed in minutes with our Voter Guide for California’s November 3 election."
},
"podcasts-radio": {},
"video-tv": {},
"events": {},
"support": {}
}
}
}