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_13926492": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13926492",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926492",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13926491,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-160x108.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 108
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1723
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-2048x1378.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1378
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-1020x686.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 686
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-1536x1034.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1034
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-1920x1292.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1292
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-800x538.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 538
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey-768x517.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 517
}
},
"publishDate": 1679287732,
"modified": 1679531919,
"caption": "Chopsticks Alley founder Trami Cron pictured with dress by Tuan Tran.",
"description": null,
"title": "TramiCron_ChopsticksAlley_byCherriLakey",
"credit": "Cherri Lakey",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A smiling Asian woman stands next to a mannequin in a netting dress",
"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_13926240": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13926240",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926240",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13926203,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-160x110.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 110
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1320
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-1020x701.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 701
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-1536x1056.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1056
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-800x550.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 550
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_lead-768x528.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 528
}
},
"publishDate": 1678819973,
"modified": 1702068529,
"caption": "Inspired by Tokyo's legendary Ramen Jiro, the Buta MAX at Ramen Champ in San Jose comes overloaded with decadent toppings.",
"description": null,
"title": "ramen champ_lead",
"credit": "Luke Tsai/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Bowl of ramen with an exorbitant amount of toppings: bean sprouts, chopped raw garlic, pork belly, pork fat and marinated egg.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13925241": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13925241",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13925241",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13925233,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-160x100.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1200
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-1020x638.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 638
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-1536x960.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-800x500.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-mexican_featured-crop-768x480.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1676584110,
"modified": 1676584268,
"caption": "Even though the food at Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine comes in a familiar format — like the tacos pictured here — most dishes feature Indigenous ingredients that predate Spain's colonization of Mexico by several hundred years.",
"description": null,
"title": "pre-hispanic mexican_featured-crop",
"credit": "Octavio Peña",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Hands holding a plate of colorful tacos, with two lime wedges and a tub of salsa on the side.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13923755": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13923755",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13923755",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13923743,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-160x119.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 119
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez.jpg",
"width": 2800,
"height": 2089
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-2048x1528.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1528
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-1020x761.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 761
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-1536x1146.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1146
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-1920x1432.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1432
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-800x597.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 597
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/1Culture_Espino_Jimenez-768x573.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 573
}
},
"publishDate": 1673839655,
"modified": 1674518789,
"caption": "Executive Director Lou Jimenez and owner Andrew Espino of 1Culture Gallery.",
"description": null,
"title": "1Culture_Espino_Jimenez",
"credit": "Cherri Lakey",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A woman and a man stand next to each other against a gallery wall covered in paintings",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13922291": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13922291",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13922291",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13922186,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Vallejo.Sunset-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1670003751,
"modified": 1670003847,
"caption": "The sun sets over Hwy. 37 in Vallejo — one of nature's many masterpieces on the canvas of Northern California. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Vallejo.Sunset",
"credit": "Pendarvis Harshaw",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A low setting sun behind a bridge above water",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13920486": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13920486",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13920486",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13920483,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1152
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor_food-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1666112403,
"modified": 1666113030,
"caption": "Flor Martinez Zaragoza frequently supports Latino-owned businesses in her city, such as Tostadas, which serves items such as their original \"birria burger.\"",
"description": null,
"title": "flor_food",
"credit": "Jordan Hayes",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Flor Martinez Zaragoza enjoys a table of Mexican foods, including ceviche, a birria burger and tacos",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13919526": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13919526",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13919526",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13919506,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-160x97.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 97
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1553
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-2048x1242.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1242
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-1020x619.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 619
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-1536x932.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 932
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-1920x1164.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1164
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-800x485.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 485
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-6-768x466.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 466
}
},
"publishDate": 1663886465,
"modified": 1663886605,
"caption": "Josh 'JB' Balogh and Grace Zheng during a skating lesson at Sunnyvale’s Fair Oaks Skate Park.",
"description": null,
"title": "Skatepark Lesson 08.26.22 -6",
"credit": "Joy Zheng",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "a man and a 6-year-old girl both pose holding skateboards at a skate park",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13917667": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13917667",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917667",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13917611,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C.jpg",
"width": 1082,
"height": 724
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C-1020x683.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 683
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C-800x535.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 535
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DBCDF006-A71C-4C63-AECE-36723CC08E8C-768x514.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 514
}
},
"publishDate": 1660627521,
"modified": 1660627563,
"caption": "Lil Kayla holding court during a performance at The Chapel on Friday August 12, 2022.",
"description": "Lil Kayla holding court during a performance at The Chapel on Friday August 12, 2022.",
"title": "Lil Kayla holding court during a performance at The Chapel on Friday August 12, 2022.",
"credit": "Pendarvis Harshaw",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Lil Kayla holding court during a performance at The Chapel on Friday August 12, 2022.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13917626": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13917626",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917626",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13917506,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.MAIN_-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1660586747,
"modified": 1660586932,
"caption": "Phillip Garcia in 'Sprung,' the new TV series premiering Friday, Aug. 19. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Garcia.MAIN",
"credit": "Freevee/Amazon",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A Latino man sits on a fence, looking left, with lush green hills in the background",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13917382": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13917382",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917382",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DonaldHarrison1-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1660151372,
"modified": 1660151486,
"caption": "Donald Harrison Jr. leads an all-star tribute to Charlie Parker at this year's San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.",
"description": null,
"title": "DonaldHarrison1",
"credit": "Courtesy San Jose Jazz",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A man in a beige top holds an alto saxophone",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13916629": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13916629",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13916629",
"found": true
},
"parent": 13916627,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Copy-of-Pass-The-Aux-template-21-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1658863073,
"modified": 1658863330,
"caption": "San Jose punk band Star 99's latest project dives into tender memories with loud, cathartic sound. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Star 99",
"credit": "Myron Fung ",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Star 99 members Thomas Romero, Jeremy Romero, Saoirse Alesandro and Chris Gough stand side by side in a black and white image.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_arts_13917506": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_13917506",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_13917506",
"name": "Brian Watt and Alexander Gonzalez",
"isLoading": false
},
"agilbert": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "86",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "86",
"found": true
},
"name": "Andrew Gilbert",
"firstName": "Andrew",
"lastName": "Gilbert",
"slug": "agilbert",
"email": "jazzscribe@aol.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "A Los Angeles native based in the Berkeley area since 1996, Andrew Gilbert covers jazz, international music and dance for KQED's \u003ci>California Report, \u003c/i>the\u003ci> Mercury News\u003c/i>, \u003ci>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/i>, \u003ci>Berkeleyside.com\u003c/i>, and other publications. He is available for weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs. #jazzscribe",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d7bcafdbefdd39e9a68f88724ca616eb4e7a5a6bff9cdfb62de652a1e1751471?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"Contributor",
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Andrew Gilbert | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d7bcafdbefdd39e9a68f88724ca616eb4e7a5a6bff9cdfb62de652a1e1751471?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d7bcafdbefdd39e9a68f88724ca616eb4e7a5a6bff9cdfb62de652a1e1751471?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/agilbert"
},
"clakey": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "191",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "191",
"found": true
},
"name": "Cherri Lakey",
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"slug": "clakey",
"email": "cherri@galleryad.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": null,
"bio": "Co-owner/curator of urban contemporary art and culture gallery \u003ca href=\"http://www.galleryAD.com\">ANNO DOMINI\u003c/a> // the second coming of Art & Design and producer of a bunch of other cool projects with partner \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/author/beder/\" target=\"_blank\">Brian Eder.\u003c/a> \u003ca class=\"twitter-follow-button\" href=\"https://twitter.com/astrogirl\" data-show-count=\"false\">Follow @astrogirl\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cscript>// \u003c![CDATA[\r\n!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');\r\n// ]]>\u003c/script>",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a92919baa84da5ce8920beeaf078c67?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Cherri Lakey | KQED",
"description": null,
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a92919baa84da5ce8920beeaf078c67?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a92919baa84da5ce8920beeaf078c67?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/clakey"
},
"ogpenn": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11491",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11491",
"found": true
},
"name": "Pendarvis Harshaw",
"firstName": "Pendarvis",
"lastName": "Harshaw",
"slug": "ogpenn",
"email": "ogpenn@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"arts"
],
"title": "Community Engagement Reporter",
"bio": "Pendarvis Harshaw is an educator, host and writer with KQED Arts.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/972b77ee8e3f346ae2b00622661187fbfabd059b5693bbdc1475ea7a722fd4cd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": "ogpenn",
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "hiphop",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Pendarvis Harshaw | KQED",
"description": "Community Engagement Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/972b77ee8e3f346ae2b00622661187fbfabd059b5693bbdc1475ea7a722fd4cd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/972b77ee8e3f346ae2b00622661187fbfabd059b5693bbdc1475ea7a722fd4cd?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ogpenn"
},
"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"
},
"vchung": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11827",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11827",
"found": true
},
"name": "Vicky Chung",
"firstName": "Victoria",
"lastName": "Chung",
"slug": "vchung",
"email": "vchung@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Vicky Chung is a social media associate for KQED. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Radio-Television-Film from San Jose State University. When she isn't binge-watching baking shows, you'll find her at an indie or pop concert.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ed74ab7df687fc80491d49a97d157ca5?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "coldpizzasIice",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Vicky Chung | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ed74ab7df687fc80491d49a97d157ca5?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ed74ab7df687fc80491d49a97d157ca5?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/vchung"
},
"opena": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11903",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11903",
"found": true
},
"name": "Octavio Peña",
"firstName": "Octavio",
"lastName": "Peña",
"slug": "opena",
"email": "octaviopenagutierrez@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8fb464e0c705ab58fc9d18e06211557c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Octavio Peña | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8fb464e0c705ab58fc9d18e06211557c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8fb464e0c705ab58fc9d18e06211557c?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/opena"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"arts_tag_san-jose": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1084",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1084",
"score": 8.002536
},
"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,
"title": "San Jose",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "arts",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 9
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/arts?tag=san-jose",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 9
}
},
{
"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_13926491": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13926491",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926491",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1679677227000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "san-jose-chopsticks-alley-gallery-southeast-asian-artists",
"title": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers the Work of Southeast Asian Artists",
"publishDate": 1679677227,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers the Work of Southeast Asian Artists | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 140,
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Behind the storefront windows of the former Zanotto’s grocery store in San José sits a new gallery with an elongated, narrow design — not unlike an alley. Its name, then, is fitting: Chopsticks Alley Gallery, which showcases the work of emerging and established Southeast Asian artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside, the current solo exhibition from Santa Rosa designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tuantsf/\">Tuan Tran\u003c/a> features haute couture designs that fuse Vietnamese culture and recycled materials. Sculptures made from electrical wire echo the traditional weaves of fishing nets. A luminescent dress pays homage to powerful female warriors like \u003ca href=\"https://vietnamtrips.com/the-trung-sisters-of-vietnam\">the Trung Sisters\u003c/a>, who successfully rebelled against the Chinese Han in 40 A.D.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13926203,arts_13923743' label='More from San José']In fact, each beautiful and skillfully crafted piece in \u003cem>Mẹ Earth: Past, Present, Future\u003c/em> tells a story of Vietnam’s rich heritage and the ingenuity of its people. It’s exactly the type of show that Trami Cron, the gallery’s founder and executive director, wants to see more of in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born to artistic parents in Saigon toward the end of the Vietnam War, Cron has taken an indirect path to organizing visual art exhibitions. “My mom was always worried about the ‘starving artist’ path for me and encouraged me towards medicine or law,” she explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cron followed the corporate track for a few years, but ultimately left her job in pharmaceutical and medical device sales to pursue her own passions. She’s since become an important advocate for San José’s Southeast Asian residents, a demographic that makes up 18% of the city’s population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chopsticks Alley began as an online foodie group, which Cron formed to share Vietnamese recipes and to promote her 2016 book, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.vietnameazy.com/\">VietnamEazy: A Novel About Mothers, Daughters and Food\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Explaining the name, Cron notes that “alleys in Asia aren’t scary places like here. Alleys are where things happen; they are busy places where people get together over food, gamble, and do other fun stuff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the group grew to 3,500 members, it expanded to include cook-offs, food contests to raise money for unhoused children, and a publication for young people to learn more about their Vietnamese culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926493\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Sunny view of long gallery space with four mannequins in dresses\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1896\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926493\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-800x592.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-1020x755.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-1536x1137.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-2048x1517.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-1920x1422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of ‘Mẹ Earth: Past, Present, Future’ at Chopsticks Alley. \u003ccite>(Cherri Lakey)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2016, Cron met with the San José Museum of Art, which had received a grant for a Vietnamese community outreach initiative. Cron quickly realized that Southeast Asian artists were underrepresented at the institution, and accepted a position as project coordinator. Since making the jump into visual arts, she has coordinated two exhibitions per year, in partnership with South Bay venues like ArtObject Gallery, Evergreen College and the Triton Museum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just traveled to places, and in many ways it worked out because we brought our work to where the people are,” Cron recalls. “And because of those pop-up exhibits, people learned about us and already knew who we were when we opened this gallery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cron’s curatorial vision for the Chopsticks Alley Gallery is to bring emerging artists together with established elders, bridging the generational gap in the Southeast Asian community. Cron believes that elders’ work is often overlooked or thought of as a hobby, while the younger generation is pushed away from their artistic passions towards careers in engineering and other practical fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926942\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq.jpg\" alt=\"Mesh origami-like sculpture of a dragon on shoulder of mannequin\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926942\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sculpted dragon detail on one of Tuan Tran’s dresses at Chopsticks Alley. \u003ccite>(Cherri Lakey)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This de-emphasis on art leads to a lack of representation, Cron explains. “You get to see a lot of voices from other communities, but none from the Southeast Asian perspective — because we’re not allowed to make art,” she points out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, Cron believes the generational gap in the Southeast Asian community has left its youth feeling distant from their culture and heritage. “I introduce the elders so that the young people know — ‘Look, we’ve always been here, we’ve always created art’ — and for the older folks to see how amazing the young people are,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the focus at Chopsticks Alley is on Southeast Asian artists, the gallery’s first exhibit, which opened Dec. 2, 2022, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chopsticksalleyart.org/xanh\">Xanh / Are you feeling blue?\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, included artists from the broader community — something Cron plans to do annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the gallery continues to develop its program, Cron is committed to mentoring young art administrators who can stay with the gallery in leadership roles. She hopes to create a strong foundation for Chopsticks Alley before she seeks out her next passion project: mentoring women professionals in achieving work-life balance and overall well-being.\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>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Mẹ Earth: Past, Present, Future’ is on view through May 21, 2023. \u003ca href=\"https://www.chopsticksalleyart.org/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Gallery director Trami Cron fosters cross-generational connections between artists — both emerging and established.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726758849,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 18,
"wordCount": 824
},
"headData": {
"title": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers Southeast Asian Artists | KQED",
"description": "Gallery director Trami Cron fosters cross-generational connections between artists — both emerging and established.",
"ogTitle": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers the Work of Southeast Asian Artists",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers the Work of Southeast Asian Artists",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers Southeast Asian Artists %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "San José’s Chopsticks Alley Centers the Work of Southeast Asian Artists",
"datePublished": "2023-03-24T10:00:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T08:14:09-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13926491/san-jose-chopsticks-alley-gallery-southeast-asian-artists",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Behind the storefront windows of the former Zanotto’s grocery store in San José sits a new gallery with an elongated, narrow design — not unlike an alley. Its name, then, is fitting: Chopsticks Alley Gallery, which showcases the work of emerging and established Southeast Asian artists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside, the current solo exhibition from Santa Rosa designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tuantsf/\">Tuan Tran\u003c/a> features haute couture designs that fuse Vietnamese culture and recycled materials. Sculptures made from electrical wire echo the traditional weaves of fishing nets. A luminescent dress pays homage to powerful female warriors like \u003ca href=\"https://vietnamtrips.com/the-trung-sisters-of-vietnam\">the Trung Sisters\u003c/a>, who successfully rebelled against the Chinese Han in 40 A.D.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13926203,arts_13923743",
"label": "More from San José "
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In fact, each beautiful and skillfully crafted piece in \u003cem>Mẹ Earth: Past, Present, Future\u003c/em> tells a story of Vietnam’s rich heritage and the ingenuity of its people. It’s exactly the type of show that Trami Cron, the gallery’s founder and executive director, wants to see more of in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born to artistic parents in Saigon toward the end of the Vietnam War, Cron has taken an indirect path to organizing visual art exhibitions. “My mom was always worried about the ‘starving artist’ path for me and encouraged me towards medicine or law,” she explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cron followed the corporate track for a few years, but ultimately left her job in pharmaceutical and medical device sales to pursue her own passions. She’s since become an important advocate for San José’s Southeast Asian residents, a demographic that makes up 18% of the city’s population.\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>Chopsticks Alley began as an online foodie group, which Cron formed to share Vietnamese recipes and to promote her 2016 book, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.vietnameazy.com/\">VietnamEazy: A Novel About Mothers, Daughters and Food\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. Explaining the name, Cron notes that “alleys in Asia aren’t scary places like here. Alleys are where things happen; they are busy places where people get together over food, gamble, and do other fun stuff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the group grew to 3,500 members, it expanded to include cook-offs, food contests to raise money for unhoused children, and a publication for young people to learn more about their Vietnamese culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926493\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Sunny view of long gallery space with four mannequins in dresses\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1896\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926493\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-800x592.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-1020x755.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-1536x1137.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-2048x1517.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ChopsticksAlley_installationview_byCherriLakey-1920x1422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of ‘Mẹ Earth: Past, Present, Future’ at Chopsticks Alley. \u003ccite>(Cherri Lakey)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2016, Cron met with the San José Museum of Art, which had received a grant for a Vietnamese community outreach initiative. Cron quickly realized that Southeast Asian artists were underrepresented at the institution, and accepted a position as project coordinator. Since making the jump into visual arts, she has coordinated two exhibitions per year, in partnership with South Bay venues like ArtObject Gallery, Evergreen College and the Triton Museum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just traveled to places, and in many ways it worked out because we brought our work to where the people are,” Cron recalls. “And because of those pop-up exhibits, people learned about us and already knew who we were when we opened this gallery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cron’s curatorial vision for the Chopsticks Alley Gallery is to bring emerging artists together with established elders, bridging the generational gap in the Southeast Asian community. Cron believes that elders’ work is often overlooked or thought of as a hobby, while the younger generation is pushed away from their artistic passions towards careers in engineering and other practical fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926942\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq.jpg\" alt=\"Mesh origami-like sculpture of a dragon on shoulder of mannequin\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926942\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Dragondetail_TuanTran_web_sq-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sculpted dragon detail on one of Tuan Tran’s dresses at Chopsticks Alley. \u003ccite>(Cherri Lakey)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This de-emphasis on art leads to a lack of representation, Cron explains. “You get to see a lot of voices from other communities, but none from the Southeast Asian perspective — because we’re not allowed to make art,” she points out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, Cron believes the generational gap in the Southeast Asian community has left its youth feeling distant from their culture and heritage. “I introduce the elders so that the young people know — ‘Look, we’ve always been here, we’ve always created art’ — and for the older folks to see how amazing the young people are,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the focus at Chopsticks Alley is on Southeast Asian artists, the gallery’s first exhibit, which opened Dec. 2, 2022, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chopsticksalleyart.org/xanh\">Xanh / Are you feeling blue?\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, included artists from the broader community — something Cron plans to do annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the gallery continues to develop its program, Cron is committed to mentoring young art administrators who can stay with the gallery in leadership roles. She hopes to create a strong foundation for Chopsticks Alley before she seeks out her next passion project: mentoring women professionals in achieving work-life balance and overall well-being.\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>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Mẹ Earth: Past, Present, Future’ is on view through May 21, 2023. \u003ca href=\"https://www.chopsticksalleyart.org/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13926491/san-jose-chopsticks-alley-gallery-southeast-asian-artists",
"authors": [
"191"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_76",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1084",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13926492",
"label": "arts_140"
},
"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_13926203": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13926203",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13926203",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1678821092000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1678821092,
"format": "audio",
"title": "One of Tokyo’s Most Extreme Ramen Styles Finds a Home in San Jose",
"headTitle": "One of Tokyo’s Most Extreme Ramen Styles Finds a Home in San Jose | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>San Jose’s most extreme bowl of ramen comes topped with a mountain of bean sprouts so massive, you can barely see the broth underneath. Everything about the “Buta MAX” ramen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ramenchampsj/\">Ramen Champ\u003c/a> is extra: the noodles and pork that are cut extra, extra thick. The vampire-murdering portion of raw garlic. The portion size, in general, abundant to the point of intimidation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a meal you would eat to prepare yourself for a long winter hibernation. And it also happens to be one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cloistered away in an anonymous South San Jose shopping plaza, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13904835/san-jose-immigrant-food\">city jam-packed with similar-looking strip malls\u003c/a>, Ramen Champ is the only Bay Area ramen shop I’m aware of that specializes in what’s known in Japan as “Jiro-style” ramen. The restaurant is the creation of chef-owner Shogo Hara, who opened Ramen Champ in December of 2021 after spending the past several years working at other South Bay and Peninsula ramen shops while also running a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fujibentosc.com/\">bento box catering business\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Chef Shogo] wanted to have a different style of ramen, as opposed to the very neat-looking ramen styles,” explains Kento Takahashi, a Ramen Champ employee who helped translate for Hara and spoke on his behalf. “The Jiro style was very visually appealing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926241\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926241\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior.jpg\" alt='Exterior of a ramen restaurant. The sign reads \"CHAMP\" in bold yellow lettering, with \"Japanese Ramen\" in white underneath.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramen Champ is located in an anonymous-looking strip mall in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To really understand the legend of Jiro ramen, however, you have to trace the style back to its origins in Tokyo, where it enjoys a cult following that’s unusually fervent even in a nation of dedicated ramen heads. Yamada Takumi opened the original Ramen Jiro in the Meguro neighborhood in 1968, but the shop’s popularity didn’t take off until a few years later when it moved to a storefront near Keio University. There, it carved out a niche \u003ca href=\"https://sabukaru.online/articles/ramen-jiro\">selling huge, relatively inexpensive bowls of ramen to frugal college kids\u003c/a>. That in itself wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, but the specifics of the ramen style that Yamada developed were: the absurdly large mound of bean sprouts and cabbage, the raw garlic, the nubs of soft pork fat and generous quantity of braised pork belly, which came in big chunks instead of your typical sliced chashu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramen Jiro soon came to be known as a quintessential \u003ca href=\"https://www.sankei.com/article/20220323-MAIBUZRJA5GI3CAUP5SV74LWHE/\">soul food for Tokyo’s university students\u003c/a>. The style is probably too heavy and rich — and the portions too large — for it to achieve broad mainstream popularity. (One skeptical Japanese food writer even \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20120610052321/http://ss-foodlabo.com/series/series_001_03.html\">speculated\u003c/a> that 90 percent of the people in Japan \u003ci>don’t \u003c/i>like Ramen Jiro.) But the shop has a legion of devotees who call themselves “\u003ca href=\"https://sabukaru.online/articles/ramen-jiro\">Jirorians\u003c/a>” and consider it a point of pride to visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.sankei.com/article/20220323-MAIBUZRJA5GI3CAUP5SV74LWHE/\">all 42 of the restaurant’s current locations\u003c/a>, each offering its own slight variation on the style. \u003ca href=\"https://gigazine.net/news/20090419_ramen_jiro/\">Online reviews\u003c/a> tend to focus on what a monumental challenge it is to even finish the bowl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You either love it or you don’t,” says chef Tommy Cleary of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hinayakitori/?hl=en\">Hina Yakitori\u003c/a>, who is a fan of the style. He first came across Ramen Jiro in 2009 when he was working as an apprentice at a yakitori restaurant in Tokyo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a lot younger, I was totally into eating huge amounts of food, and I was broke. Seeing [the Jiro ramen] was like looking at a piece of art for the first time,” he says, recalling how awestruck he was by the portion size. “I’ve never seen anything like it before or since — it’s a one-of-a-kind creation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ7wCBRPbG0/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area has no shortage of stunt ramen — the five-pound bowl you have to finish within a fixed time limit in order to win a T-shirt, or the various wallet-busting versions that come topped with every luxury ingredient under the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13925701,arts_13898743,arts_13923840']Ramen Champ isn’t that kind of shop. The other more traditional styles that it offers, like its tonkotsu and its soupless, fat-slicked mazesoba, are all top of the line for the Bay Area. As for the Jiro-style Buta MAX, once I got past the shock factor of the portion size, all I could do was marvel at what a well balanced and artfully crafted bowl of ramen it was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like the original Jiro ramen, its foundation is a clear, shoyu (soy sauce-based) pork broth that’s surprisingly light on the palate. The little nubs of slow-simmered pork fat, perhaps the most luxurious of the toppings, serve a secondary function of flavoring the soup while it steeps, so that the broth becomes richer and more intense over the course of the meal. The noodles are custom-made by Iseya Craft Noodle, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/ramen-noodles-iseya-17547602.php\">a Hayward-based noodle maker\u003c/a> that provides fresh ramen noodles for a handful of top-tier Bay Area ramen shops. In the classic Jiro style, the noodles are thick and wide so that they can hold their texture while you work your way through the mountain of vegetables. They have a delightful bounce and chew that remind me of hand-pulled Chinese noodles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926244\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926244\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of sliced cucumber served as an appetizer.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cucumber appetizer at Ramen Champ. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mostly, though, what makes the Buta MAX memorable are those toppings — the classic combination of well-seasoned bean sprouts and tender, fatty pork and the addicting pungency of the raw garlic, which keeps you coming back for another spoonful, and then another, until, to your great surprise, you’ve somehow managed to finish the entire massive bowl. By the time you trudge back to your car, slightly woozy, you’re already thinking about when you’ll come back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Could such an extreme style of ramen be the next big food trend here in Northern California? In the copycat world of Bay Area ramen, stranger things have happened. Already, Ramen Champ’s Takahashi says, a couple of other South Bay ramen shops have added versions to their menu. But for now, their restaurant is the only one that truly specializes in the Jiro style.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s our bestseller,” Takahashi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ramenchampsj/\">\u003ci>Ramen Champ\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located at 6229 Santa Teresa Blvd. in San Jose. It opens at 11:30 a.m. daily — check the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ramen-champ.com/\">\u003ci>restaurant’s website\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> for exact hours.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1108,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 18
},
"modified": 1705005744,
"excerpt": "Ramen Champ and the ultra-rich, toppings-laden cult of ‘Jiro-style’ ramen.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "One of Tokyo’s Most Extreme Ramen Styles Finds a Home in San Jose",
"socialTitle": "Ramen Champ in San Jose Serves Tokyo's Legendary 'Jiro-Style' Ramen%%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"ogTitle": "One of Tokyo’s Most Extreme Ramen Styles Finds a Home in San Jose",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Ramen Champ and the ultra-rich, toppings-laden cult of ‘Jiro-style’ ramen.",
"title": "Ramen Champ in San Jose Serves Tokyo's Legendary 'Jiro-Style' Ramen | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "One of Tokyo’s Most Extreme Ramen Styles Finds a Home in San Jose",
"datePublished": "2023-03-14T12:11:32-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:42:24-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "ramen-champ-jiro-style-ramen-cult-san-jose-tokyo",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food/",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/3d285506-ce99-48db-af28-afd40159afec/audio.mp3",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Food",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13926203/ramen-champ-jiro-style-ramen-cult-san-jose-tokyo",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Jose’s most extreme bowl of ramen comes topped with a mountain of bean sprouts so massive, you can barely see the broth underneath. Everything about the “Buta MAX” ramen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ramenchampsj/\">Ramen Champ\u003c/a> is extra: the noodles and pork that are cut extra, extra thick. The vampire-murdering portion of raw garlic. The portion size, in general, abundant to the point of intimidation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a meal you would eat to prepare yourself for a long winter hibernation. And it also happens to be one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cloistered away in an anonymous South San Jose shopping plaza, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13904835/san-jose-immigrant-food\">city jam-packed with similar-looking strip malls\u003c/a>, Ramen Champ is the only Bay Area ramen shop I’m aware of that specializes in what’s known in Japan as “Jiro-style” ramen. The restaurant is the creation of chef-owner Shogo Hara, who opened Ramen Champ in December of 2021 after spending the past several years working at other South Bay and Peninsula ramen shops while also running a \u003ca href=\"https://www.fujibentosc.com/\">bento box catering business\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Chef Shogo] wanted to have a different style of ramen, as opposed to the very neat-looking ramen styles,” explains Kento Takahashi, a Ramen Champ employee who helped translate for Hara and spoke on his behalf. “The Jiro style was very visually appealing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926241\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926241\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior.jpg\" alt='Exterior of a ramen restaurant. The sign reads \"CHAMP\" in bold yellow lettering, with \"Japanese Ramen\" in white underneath.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_exterior-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramen Champ is located in an anonymous-looking strip mall in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To really understand the legend of Jiro ramen, however, you have to trace the style back to its origins in Tokyo, where it enjoys a cult following that’s unusually fervent even in a nation of dedicated ramen heads. Yamada Takumi opened the original Ramen Jiro in the Meguro neighborhood in 1968, but the shop’s popularity didn’t take off until a few years later when it moved to a storefront near Keio University. There, it carved out a niche \u003ca href=\"https://sabukaru.online/articles/ramen-jiro\">selling huge, relatively inexpensive bowls of ramen to frugal college kids\u003c/a>. That in itself wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, but the specifics of the ramen style that Yamada developed were: the absurdly large mound of bean sprouts and cabbage, the raw garlic, the nubs of soft pork fat and generous quantity of braised pork belly, which came in big chunks instead of your typical sliced chashu.\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>Ramen Jiro soon came to be known as a quintessential \u003ca href=\"https://www.sankei.com/article/20220323-MAIBUZRJA5GI3CAUP5SV74LWHE/\">soul food for Tokyo’s university students\u003c/a>. The style is probably too heavy and rich — and the portions too large — for it to achieve broad mainstream popularity. (One skeptical Japanese food writer even \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20120610052321/http://ss-foodlabo.com/series/series_001_03.html\">speculated\u003c/a> that 90 percent of the people in Japan \u003ci>don’t \u003c/i>like Ramen Jiro.) But the shop has a legion of devotees who call themselves “\u003ca href=\"https://sabukaru.online/articles/ramen-jiro\">Jirorians\u003c/a>” and consider it a point of pride to visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.sankei.com/article/20220323-MAIBUZRJA5GI3CAUP5SV74LWHE/\">all 42 of the restaurant’s current locations\u003c/a>, each offering its own slight variation on the style. \u003ca href=\"https://gigazine.net/news/20090419_ramen_jiro/\">Online reviews\u003c/a> tend to focus on what a monumental challenge it is to even finish the bowl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You either love it or you don’t,” says chef Tommy Cleary of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hinayakitori/?hl=en\">Hina Yakitori\u003c/a>, who is a fan of the style. He first came across Ramen Jiro in 2009 when he was working as an apprentice at a yakitori restaurant in Tokyo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Being a lot younger, I was totally into eating huge amounts of food, and I was broke. Seeing [the Jiro ramen] was like looking at a piece of art for the first time,” he says, recalling how awestruck he was by the portion size. “I’ve never seen anything like it before or since — it’s a one-of-a-kind creation.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ7wCBRPbG0/"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Bay Area has no shortage of stunt ramen — the five-pound bowl you have to finish within a fixed time limit in order to win a T-shirt, or the various wallet-busting versions that come topped with every luxury ingredient under the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13925701,arts_13898743,arts_13923840",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ramen Champ isn’t that kind of shop. The other more traditional styles that it offers, like its tonkotsu and its soupless, fat-slicked mazesoba, are all top of the line for the Bay Area. As for the Jiro-style Buta MAX, once I got past the shock factor of the portion size, all I could do was marvel at what a well balanced and artfully crafted bowl of ramen it was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like the original Jiro ramen, its foundation is a clear, shoyu (soy sauce-based) pork broth that’s surprisingly light on the palate. The little nubs of slow-simmered pork fat, perhaps the most luxurious of the toppings, serve a secondary function of flavoring the soup while it steeps, so that the broth becomes richer and more intense over the course of the meal. The noodles are custom-made by Iseya Craft Noodle, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/ramen-noodles-iseya-17547602.php\">a Hayward-based noodle maker\u003c/a> that provides fresh ramen noodles for a handful of top-tier Bay Area ramen shops. In the classic Jiro style, the noodles are thick and wide so that they can hold their texture while you work your way through the mountain of vegetables. They have a delightful bounce and chew that remind me of hand-pulled Chinese noodles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13926244\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926244\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of sliced cucumber served as an appetizer.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/ramen-champ_cucumber-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cucumber appetizer at Ramen Champ. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mostly, though, what makes the Buta MAX memorable are those toppings — the classic combination of well-seasoned bean sprouts and tender, fatty pork and the addicting pungency of the raw garlic, which keeps you coming back for another spoonful, and then another, until, to your great surprise, you’ve somehow managed to finish the entire massive bowl. By the time you trudge back to your car, slightly woozy, you’re already thinking about when you’ll come back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Could such an extreme style of ramen be the next big food trend here in Northern California? In the copycat world of Bay Area ramen, stranger things have happened. Already, Ramen Champ’s Takahashi says, a couple of other South Bay ramen shops have added versions to their menu. But for now, their restaurant is the only one that truly specializes in the Jiro style.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s our bestseller,” Takahashi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"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/ramenchampsj/\">\u003ci>Ramen Champ\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is located at 6229 Santa Teresa Blvd. in San Jose. It opens at 11:30 a.m. daily — check the \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ramen-champ.com/\">\u003ci>restaurant’s website\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> for exact hours.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13926203/ramen-champ-jiro-style-ramen-cult-san-jose-tokyo",
"authors": [
"11743"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_21732",
"arts_13915",
"arts_1084",
"arts_20006"
],
"featImg": "arts_13926240",
"label": "source_arts_13926203"
},
"arts_13925233": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13925233",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13925233",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1676584867000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "pre-hispanic-mexican-cuisine-indigenous-mayan-food-truck-taco-truck-san-jose",
"title": "A New Food Truck Brings Indigenous Mexican Flavors to San Jose",
"publishDate": 1676584867,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "A New Food Truck Brings Indigenous Mexican Flavors to San Jose | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/prehispanicmxcuisine/\">Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine\u003c/a> food truck, a taco might come seasoned with a Mayan spice paste, stuffed with huitlacoche or drizzled with fiery xni-pec salsa — all ingredients that predate Spain’s colonization of Mexico by hundreds of years. That makes it one of just a handful of food businesses in San Jose that specialize in Indigenous Mexican cooking.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chef Jesus Varguez started the truck in 2021 because he wanted to introduce these Indigenous flavors to the South Bay. He’d had years of experience cooking at upscale restaurants such as Alexander’s Steakhouse, Orchard City Kitchen and Zona Rosa, but he decided to pursue a path that he found more personally meaningful: sharing the cuisine of his Mayan roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Pre-Hispanic, for me,” Varguez says, “is a way to bring back what our ancient food tastes like. I always had this interest to open my own restaurant to my tradition in the Yucatán peninsula. What I see from my grandma and [other] Natives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925242\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925242\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena.jpg\" alt=\"A taquero in a baseball cap cooks meat on the grill inside his taco truck.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesus Varguez started the food truck as a way to connect to his family’s Mayan roots. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Varguez considers his menu the rebirth of the food of his ancestors. The dishes come in a familiar format — tacos, burritos and quesadillas. But almost every item features pre-colonial ingredients and techniques that set them apart from your typical taco truck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, the truck offers quesadillas stuffed with huitlacoche, which the Aztecs first enjoyed 700 years ago when they learned that the fungus stunting the growth of their diseased corn had a nutty, mushroomy taste. The quesadillas come with a bright-orange salsa from the Yucatán called xni-pec, which dates back to the Mayan civilization and is made by pickling slices of habanero and onions in citrus juice, providing acidity to balance the fat from the cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make his al pastor Yucateco, Varguez marinates pork in recado negro — a traditional Mayan marinade made by charring chilies and other ingredients — and tops it with fresh pineapple, epazote oil, lime and onion. And while most taco trucks only serve pork, chicken and beef, Varguez also offers an octopus and chorizo taco with a layer of crispy cheese, a drizzle of chili oil and a spritz of lime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the most basic building block of Mexican cuisine, the corn tortilla, has pre-Hispanic roots — especially when they’re made from scratch using a 3,500-year-old technique known as nixtamalization, a process the Mayans used to soften corn kernels and break down the niacin to make it more nutritious. Varguez makes his multi-colored tortillas in this traditional way: He soaks purple and yellow heirloom corn from Oaxaca in a bath of calcium hydroxide, then grinds it to form a pliable masa dough. His freshly pressed tortillas are pillowy and have a more prominent corn flavor than their factory-made counterparts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925243\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a plate of four tacos, with a side of bright orange salsa.\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Another view of the food trucks Indigenous-influenced tacos, served with a side of Mayan xni-pec salsa. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pre-hispanic Mexican Cuisine is part of a larger movement of talented chefs who are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900187/molcaxitl-kitchen-taco-stand-outer-sunset-indigenous-mexican-food\">recreating the food of Mexico’s pre-colonial past\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/people/Xokol/100063747542621/\">Xokol\u003c/a> in Jalisco, for instance, honors the importance of maize to Indigenous Mexican communities by serving dishes that incorporate corn in different forms. It specializes in making a kind of concentric, tri-colored tortilla that Indigenous people in Mexico would hide in a stack of standard tortillas \u003ca href=\"https://www.bonappetit.com/story/patterned-tortillas-instagram-indigenous-mexican-ceremony\">as a symbol of resistance to the Spanish conquest\u003c/a>. Here in the Bay Area, San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nopalitosf.com/\">Nopalito\u003c/a> combines its handmade masa with Native ingredients to create tamales stuffed with heirloom ayocote beans and panuchos topped with chicken tinted red with achiote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13900187,arts_13912976,arts_13903531']Through these restaurants’ combined efforts, more people are tasting a new side of Mexican cuisine — and people with Indigenous heritage are reconnecting with their roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Varguez says he’s proud to represent the flavors of his community here in California. While some customers are surprised by the unfamiliar dishes and modify their order to resemble something more traditional, the chef says most people are enthusiastic to try something new. By dedicating his skills to preserve these flavors, he’s giving a new generation of diners the opportunity to taste a cuisine from long ago and far away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s something that’s happening right now,” Varguez says. “It’s a new way to see Indigenous food.”\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>Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine’s location changes daily. For the food truck’s weekly schedule, check its \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/prehispanicmxcuisine/\">\u003ci>Instagram account.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine is a celebration of its chef's Mayan heritage.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1716317032,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 790
},
"headData": {
"title": "A New Food Truck Brings Indigenous Mexican Flavors to San Jose | KQED",
"description": "Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine is a celebration of its chef's Mayan heritage.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "A New Food Truck Brings Indigenous Mexican Flavors to San Jose",
"datePublished": "2023-02-16T14:01:07-08:00",
"dateModified": "2024-05-21T11:43:52-07:00",
"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",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "Yes",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13925233/pre-hispanic-mexican-cuisine-indigenous-mayan-food-truck-taco-truck-san-jose",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/prehispanicmxcuisine/\">Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine\u003c/a> food truck, a taco might come seasoned with a Mayan spice paste, stuffed with huitlacoche or drizzled with fiery xni-pec salsa — all ingredients that predate Spain’s colonization of Mexico by hundreds of years. That makes it one of just a handful of food businesses in San Jose that specialize in Indigenous Mexican cooking.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chef Jesus Varguez started the truck in 2021 because he wanted to introduce these Indigenous flavors to the South Bay. He’d had years of experience cooking at upscale restaurants such as Alexander’s Steakhouse, Orchard City Kitchen and Zona Rosa, but he decided to pursue a path that he found more personally meaningful: sharing the cuisine of his Mayan roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Pre-Hispanic, for me,” Varguez says, “is a way to bring back what our ancient food tastes like. I always had this interest to open my own restaurant to my tradition in the Yucatán peninsula. What I see from my grandma and [other] Natives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925242\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925242\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena.jpg\" alt=\"A taquero in a baseball cap cooks meat on the grill inside his taco truck.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-jose-varguez_octavio-pena-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jesus Varguez started the food truck as a way to connect to his family’s Mayan roots. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Varguez considers his menu the rebirth of the food of his ancestors. The dishes come in a familiar format — tacos, burritos and quesadillas. But almost every item features pre-colonial ingredients and techniques that set them apart from your typical taco truck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For instance, the truck offers quesadillas stuffed with huitlacoche, which the Aztecs first enjoyed 700 years ago when they learned that the fungus stunting the growth of their diseased corn had a nutty, mushroomy taste. The quesadillas come with a bright-orange salsa from the Yucatán called xni-pec, which dates back to the Mayan civilization and is made by pickling slices of habanero and onions in citrus juice, providing acidity to balance the fat from the cheese.\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>To make his al pastor Yucateco, Varguez marinates pork in recado negro — a traditional Mayan marinade made by charring chilies and other ingredients — and tops it with fresh pineapple, epazote oil, lime and onion. And while most taco trucks only serve pork, chicken and beef, Varguez also offers an octopus and chorizo taco with a layer of crispy cheese, a drizzle of chili oil and a spritz of lime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the most basic building block of Mexican cuisine, the corn tortilla, has pre-Hispanic roots — especially when they’re made from scratch using a 3,500-year-old technique known as nixtamalization, a process the Mayans used to soften corn kernels and break down the niacin to make it more nutritious. Varguez makes his multi-colored tortillas in this traditional way: He soaks purple and yellow heirloom corn from Oaxaca in a bath of calcium hydroxide, then grinds it to form a pliable masa dough. His freshly pressed tortillas are pillowy and have a more prominent corn flavor than their factory-made counterparts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13925243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925243\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a plate of four tacos, with a side of bright orange salsa.\" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/pre-hispanic-tacos_octavio-pena-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Another view of the food trucks Indigenous-influenced tacos, served with a side of Mayan xni-pec salsa. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pre-hispanic Mexican Cuisine is part of a larger movement of talented chefs who are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900187/molcaxitl-kitchen-taco-stand-outer-sunset-indigenous-mexican-food\">recreating the food of Mexico’s pre-colonial past\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/people/Xokol/100063747542621/\">Xokol\u003c/a> in Jalisco, for instance, honors the importance of maize to Indigenous Mexican communities by serving dishes that incorporate corn in different forms. It specializes in making a kind of concentric, tri-colored tortilla that Indigenous people in Mexico would hide in a stack of standard tortillas \u003ca href=\"https://www.bonappetit.com/story/patterned-tortillas-instagram-indigenous-mexican-ceremony\">as a symbol of resistance to the Spanish conquest\u003c/a>. Here in the Bay Area, San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nopalitosf.com/\">Nopalito\u003c/a> combines its handmade masa with Native ingredients to create tamales stuffed with heirloom ayocote beans and panuchos topped with chicken tinted red with achiote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13900187,arts_13912976,arts_13903531",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Through these restaurants’ combined efforts, more people are tasting a new side of Mexican cuisine — and people with Indigenous heritage are reconnecting with their roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Varguez says he’s proud to represent the flavors of his community here in California. While some customers are surprised by the unfamiliar dishes and modify their order to resemble something more traditional, the chef says most people are enthusiastic to try something new. By dedicating his skills to preserve these flavors, he’s giving a new generation of diners the opportunity to taste a cuisine from long ago and far away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s something that’s happening right now,” Varguez says. “It’s a new way to see Indigenous food.”\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>Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine’s location changes daily. For the food truck’s weekly schedule, check its \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/prehispanicmxcuisine/\">\u003ci>Instagram account.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13925233/pre-hispanic-mexican-cuisine-indigenous-mayan-food-truck-taco-truck-san-jose",
"authors": [
"11903"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1297",
"arts_7005",
"arts_14985",
"arts_19757",
"arts_1084"
],
"featImg": "arts_13925241",
"label": "source_arts_13925233"
},
"arts_13923743": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13923743",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13923743",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1674583208000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "1culture-gallery-san-jose-graffiti-murals-andrew-espino",
"title": "How a Passion for Graffiti Led to the Opening of San José’s New Gallery, 1Culture",
"publishDate": 1674583208,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How a Passion for Graffiti Led to the Opening of San José’s New Gallery, 1Culture | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Just across the street from San José’s City Hall, the epicenter of local political power, real estate broker Andrew Espino has opened \u003ca href=\"https://www.shop1culture.com/\">1Culture\u003c/a>, a new gallery with a vision that represents his lifelong love of hip-hop, the oldies and the graffiti scene of the late 1980s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During his formative years, Espino may have been better at sports than he was at tagging, but his memories of hanging out with graffiti-writer friends, flipping through New York City graffiti books and listening to music have stayed with him. After college he dove into the world of real estate, but continued to collect art. “I’d buy a piece and then use it as part of the staging in a house I was selling,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few years later, his passion for the arts and culture of his youth began to intensify, and Espino began selling prints and creative merchandise at local pop-up events under the 1Culture moniker. It was hard to break even, let alone turn a profit, and it demanded much of his time, but Espino was hooked — and hatching even bigger plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2022, he took the leap and opened 1Culture Gallery, nestled in a string of small businesses along Santa Clara Street. “I wanted to see what it’s like to run a gallery and I wanted to help artists learn and make money from their artwork,” he explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923748\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1781px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923748\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca.jpg\" alt=\"A man with a beard stands beside a framed, black and white ornate drawing\" width=\"1781\" height=\"2200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca.jpg 1781w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-800x988.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-1020x1260.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-768x949.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-1243x1536.jpg 1243w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-1658x2048.jpg 1658w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1781px) 100vw, 1781px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist Miguel Machuca at 1Culture. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The space caught the attention of San José State urban studies student Lou Jimenez, who was there to see an exhibition of the deeply psychological and symbolic charcoal works of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/artemachuca33/?hl=en\">Miguel Machuca\u003c/a>. (Machuca produced the pieces seven years ago, during a year long battle with cancer.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I came to see Miguel’s show and was so impressed that I wanted to learn more about the space,” Jiménez recalls. “I reached out to Andrew to see if there was a way I could be involved.” She’s now the gallery’s executive director; Machuca is the art installer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jiménez shares Espino’s vision to support local artists. “He comes from a different demographic and is leading by example,” she says of his real estate background. “He’s taking a huge risk because it requires a lot of investment and there is no art market here per se, so I appreciate the fact that we’re trying to expand that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Espino admits he initially underestimated how challenging sales can be. “When I first started I thought it was going to be much easier to sell artwork. When you look at it from an outside perspective you think, ‘Oh you live in Silicon Valley and there’s a bunch of rich people here, and they’re going to throw money at you,’ and then you realize there’s no market for it,” he explains. “When I say ‘no market,’ I mean there’s no buyers. We have tons of sellers but no buyers. That was a huge and discouraging surprise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923749\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923749\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127.jpg\" alt=\"Colorful mural of black, purple, orange and green on building front\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127.jpg 2400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mural by Carlos Rodriguez in the Wynwood District of Miami, Florida. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of 1Culture)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even with this realization, his sights are set on success, and he’s already put himself in a “bigger mindset” to steadily accomplish that. In October 2022, Espino took artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/carlosrmk/?hl=en\">Carlos Rodriguez\u003c/a> to Brooklyn to participate in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bedstuywalls/?hl=en\">BedStuy Walls mural festival\u003c/a>. A few months later Espino arranged for Rodriguez to paint a mural in the Wynwood district during the Art Basel fair in Miami Beach. “Every city we’ve gone to, I feel we’ve had an influence there with our West Coast culture,” Espino says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Espino hopes taking artists to other cities will provide the encouragement they might need to pursue a career in the arts. It’s also a way to build résumés, which gives the artists more legitimacy to potential collectors back in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through his businessman’s perspective, Espino feels collectors need to be educated on the value of supporting local talent. “A lot of homeowners need to be hand-held and explained to them how much of a difference it makes to the community to invest in local art and as sad as that is, they just don’t see it or hear it,” he says. “A few of the purchases we have had happened because we told them the story of the art and then they purchased, but it’s exhausting because you have to do that one by one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923750\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923750\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210.jpg\" alt=\"Painting of man with hands in prayer, overlaid with colorful patterns\" width=\"2200\" height=\"2316\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210.jpg 2200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-800x842.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1020x1074.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-160x168.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-768x808.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1459x1536.jpg 1459w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1945x2048.jpg 1945w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1920x2021.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2200px) 100vw, 2200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artwork by Shen Shen 210 for ‘Bay Area Legends’ exhibit. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of 1Culture)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s clear that there are numerous hurdles ahead, but Espino is not the first person to face them — nor is he alone. Directors and proprietors of galleries and creative businesses have long grappled with issues of attendance, funding and sales in the South Bay. “San José is a suburb, it has [a population of] one million now, but the mentality is the same,” Espino notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not one to back down from a challenge, Espino and his team have the passion and determination to construct a platform that will empower local artists and, if all goes to his plan, they hope to have a significant impact on the local arts community and culture for many years to come.\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>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The upcoming exhibit ‘Bay Area Legends’ at \u003ca href=\"https://www.shop1culture.com/\">1Culture\u003c/a> will feature 20 graffiti artists who have left their mark on the history and evolution of graffiti culture in Northern California. The opening reception will feature live painting and DJs on Feb. 3, 5–9 p.m. during \u003ca href=\"https://www.southfirstfridays.com\">Art Walk SJ\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Real estate broker Andrew Espino aims to support local artists in a city where there are ‘tons of sellers but no buyers.’",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726759093,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 17,
"wordCount": 999
},
"headData": {
"title": "San José’s 1Culture Gallery Was Born Out of a Passion for Graffiti | KQED",
"description": "Real estate broker Andrew Espino aims to support local artists in a city where there are ‘tons of sellers but no buyers.’",
"ogTitle": "How a Passion for Graffiti Led to the Opening of San José’s New Gallery, 1Culture",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "How a Passion for Graffiti Led to the Opening of San José’s New Gallery, 1Culture",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "San José’s 1Culture Gallery Was Born Out of a Passion for Graffiti %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How a Passion for Graffiti Led to the Opening of San José’s New Gallery, 1Culture",
"datePublished": "2023-01-24T10:00:08-08:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T08:18:13-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13923743/1culture-gallery-san-jose-graffiti-murals-andrew-espino",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Just across the street from San José’s City Hall, the epicenter of local political power, real estate broker Andrew Espino has opened \u003ca href=\"https://www.shop1culture.com/\">1Culture\u003c/a>, a new gallery with a vision that represents his lifelong love of hip-hop, the oldies and the graffiti scene of the late 1980s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During his formative years, Espino may have been better at sports than he was at tagging, but his memories of hanging out with graffiti-writer friends, flipping through New York City graffiti books and listening to music have stayed with him. After college he dove into the world of real estate, but continued to collect art. “I’d buy a piece and then use it as part of the staging in a house I was selling,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few years later, his passion for the arts and culture of his youth began to intensify, and Espino began selling prints and creative merchandise at local pop-up events under the 1Culture moniker. It was hard to break even, let alone turn a profit, and it demanded much of his time, but Espino was hooked — and hatching even bigger plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2022, he took the leap and opened 1Culture Gallery, nestled in a string of small businesses along Santa Clara Street. “I wanted to see what it’s like to run a gallery and I wanted to help artists learn and make money from their artwork,” he explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923748\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1781px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923748\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca.jpg\" alt=\"A man with a beard stands beside a framed, black and white ornate drawing\" width=\"1781\" height=\"2200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca.jpg 1781w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-800x988.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-1020x1260.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-768x949.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-1243x1536.jpg 1243w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/MiguelMachuca-1658x2048.jpg 1658w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1781px) 100vw, 1781px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist Miguel Machuca at 1Culture. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The space caught the attention of San José State urban studies student Lou Jimenez, who was there to see an exhibition of the deeply psychological and symbolic charcoal works of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/artemachuca33/?hl=en\">Miguel Machuca\u003c/a>. (Machuca produced the pieces seven years ago, during a year long battle with cancer.)\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>“I came to see Miguel’s show and was so impressed that I wanted to learn more about the space,” Jiménez recalls. “I reached out to Andrew to see if there was a way I could be involved.” She’s now the gallery’s executive director; Machuca is the art installer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jiménez shares Espino’s vision to support local artists. “He comes from a different demographic and is leading by example,” she says of his real estate background. “He’s taking a huge risk because it requires a lot of investment and there is no art market here per se, so I appreciate the fact that we’re trying to expand that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Espino admits he initially underestimated how challenging sales can be. “When I first started I thought it was going to be much easier to sell artwork. When you look at it from an outside perspective you think, ‘Oh you live in Silicon Valley and there’s a bunch of rich people here, and they’re going to throw money at you,’ and then you realize there’s no market for it,” he explains. “When I say ‘no market,’ I mean there’s no buyers. We have tons of sellers but no buyers. That was a huge and discouraging surprise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923749\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2400px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923749\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127.jpg\" alt=\"Colorful mural of black, purple, orange and green on building front\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127.jpg 2400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_6127-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mural by Carlos Rodriguez in the Wynwood District of Miami, Florida. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of 1Culture)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even with this realization, his sights are set on success, and he’s already put himself in a “bigger mindset” to steadily accomplish that. In October 2022, Espino took artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/carlosrmk/?hl=en\">Carlos Rodriguez\u003c/a> to Brooklyn to participate in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bedstuywalls/?hl=en\">BedStuy Walls mural festival\u003c/a>. A few months later Espino arranged for Rodriguez to paint a mural in the Wynwood district during the Art Basel fair in Miami Beach. “Every city we’ve gone to, I feel we’ve had an influence there with our West Coast culture,” Espino says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Espino hopes taking artists to other cities will provide the encouragement they might need to pursue a career in the arts. It’s also a way to build résumés, which gives the artists more legitimacy to potential collectors back in San José.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through his businessman’s perspective, Espino feels collectors need to be educated on the value of supporting local talent. “A lot of homeowners need to be hand-held and explained to them how much of a difference it makes to the community to invest in local art and as sad as that is, they just don’t see it or hear it,” he says. “A few of the purchases we have had happened because we told them the story of the art and then they purchased, but it’s exhausting because you have to do that one by one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13923750\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923750\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210.jpg\" alt=\"Painting of man with hands in prayer, overlaid with colorful patterns\" width=\"2200\" height=\"2316\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210.jpg 2200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-800x842.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1020x1074.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-160x168.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-768x808.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1459x1536.jpg 1459w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1945x2048.jpg 1945w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/ShenShen210-1920x2021.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2200px) 100vw, 2200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artwork by Shen Shen 210 for ‘Bay Area Legends’ exhibit. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of 1Culture)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s clear that there are numerous hurdles ahead, but Espino is not the first person to face them — nor is he alone. Directors and proprietors of galleries and creative businesses have long grappled with issues of attendance, funding and sales in the South Bay. “San José is a suburb, it has [a population of] one million now, but the mentality is the same,” Espino notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not one to back down from a challenge, Espino and his team have the passion and determination to construct a platform that will empower local artists and, if all goes to his plan, they hope to have a significant impact on the local arts community and culture for many years to come.\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>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>The upcoming exhibit ‘Bay Area Legends’ at \u003ca href=\"https://www.shop1culture.com/\">1Culture\u003c/a> will feature 20 graffiti artists who have left their mark on the history and evolution of graffiti culture in Northern California. The opening reception will feature live painting and DJs on Feb. 3, 5–9 p.m. during \u003ca href=\"https://www.southfirstfridays.com\">Art Walk SJ\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13923743/1culture-gallery-san-jose-graffiti-murals-andrew-espino",
"authors": [
"191"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1084",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13923755",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13922186": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13922186",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13922186",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1670007900000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1670007900,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The Most Memorable Sunset of the Year",
"headTitle": "The Most Memorable Sunset of the Year | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, as we near the end of 2022, the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture are reflecting on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing\">One Beautiful Thing\u003c/a> from the year. Here, in a year of endless freeway commutes and big-city gridlock, correspondent Pendarvis Harshaw honors the spiritual regeneration of a well-timed sunset.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">S\u003c/span>omeone asks you the best place to watch a sunset in Northern California, what do you say?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving down I-80 after leaving Tahoe? Sitting on a beach in Monterey? Pulled over somewhere on Hwy. 1, watching that big burning ball in the sky skinny dip into the Pacific?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">This year alone, I’ve seen the sunset from the fishing pier in Benicia, and Lone Tree Point in Rodeo. Have you ever been to San Jose’s Alviso Marina? With its wetlands, wide array of birds and murky waves, it’s like another world during the evening hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of my personal top five favorite spots is the east side of Lake Merritt; I love watching the pelicans dive into the water as the sun dips behind the Alameda County Courthouse. And quiet as it’s kept, another personal favorite is the McDonalds parking lot on the hillside of Vallejo’s Magazine Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This place we call home has so many large bodies of water, changes in elevation, amazing displays of architecture, and evenings of pleasant weather that you really can’t go wrong when it comes to a Northern California sunset. You could literally pull over at the intersection of Road 104 and Road 35 in Davis, among the cows, and fall in love with the colors of the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13922295\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-800x587.jpg\" alt=\"The sun disappears behind the plains of Central California, the sky a burnt amber and blue\" width=\"800\" height=\"587\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13922295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-800x587.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-1020x748.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-768x563.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-1536x1127.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset.jpg 1885w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view after pulling over at Road 104 and Road 35 in Davis, among the cows. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he most memorable sunset of my year, though, involves an unfortunate carjacking on the Bay Bridge, a much-needed conversation about the under-recognized legacy of San Francisco gangsta rap, and getting blasted by sand on Ocean Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story starts in a boutique hip-hop clothing shop in San Francisco’s Lakeview neighborhood. Varsity jackets and colorful hoodies line one wall, while the other bears a mural painted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13916721/sucka-free-history-with-dregs-one\">Dregs One\u003c/a>. It’s a collage of Bay Area rappers who’ve transitioned to ancestor-hood. I’m in the middle of the store chopping it up with the shop owner, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cellski415/?hl=en\">Cellski\u003c/a>, a San Francisco rap icon whose career spans four decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s telling me about the history of rappers and dope dealers in the City. That leads to a conversation about Chemical Baby, Cellski’s clothing line, a name inspired by the toxic dirt and water found in his community, as well as the drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13922284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1020x1360.jpg\" alt=\"San Francisco hip-hop legend Cellski, at his boutique clothing store in Lakeview.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13922284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco hip-hop legend Cellski at his boutique clothing store in Lakeview. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We talk about some of his upcoming plans, and then I shake his hand and head toward the door, ready to drive back to Sacramento. He warns me about traffic. On top of the usual 5 p.m. gridlock, apparently there’d been\u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/chp-looks-for-armed-carjacking-suspect-on-bay-bridge/\"> a carjacking on the Bay Bridge\u003c/a> earlier that day, and The City was a shitshow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I decide to kill time by grabbing a slice from Northgate Pizza and hitting Ocean Beach. That’s where I messed up. The wind and sand combined to drop a diss track that my car still hasn’t recovered from. The song goes: “Sand in my beard and in my Thermos / Sand all over my clothes and my epidermis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach trip truncated and traffic still a mess, I decide on an alternate route: across the Golden Gate Bridge, up 101 and over Hwy. 37 from Novato to Vallejo. From there, I figure, I can catch 80 and bypass the gridlock as I head back to Sac — and I get more than I bargained for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13922300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-800x590.jpg\" alt=\"The sun sets behind the skyline of Oakland's downtown with Lake Merritt in the foreground\" width=\"800\" height=\"590\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13922300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-800x590.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-1020x752.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-768x566.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-1536x1133.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-2048x1510.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-1920x1416.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lake Merritt, Oakland’s jewel. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he afternoon conversation with the Lakeview lyricist inspired my evening playlist. I slap a couple tracks from Cellski, then 11/5, Cougnut, and an RBL Posse track or two. With early- to mid-’90s Frisco gangsta rap blasting through the speakers of my midsize hybrid, I hit Hwy. 37 right at golden hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving east, the sunset in my rearview, I watch as the spring sky turns beaming, brilliant shades of Baskin-Robbins Rainbow Sherbet and Starburst Passion Fruit purple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California State Route 37 is low-lying, two-lane highway that runs along the northern edge of San Pablo Bay. It’s surrounded by marshy wetlands and a series of sloughs, as well as the Napa River. The water ripples up right next to the road. The cautious mind wonders \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/highway-37-could-be-under-water-decades-from-now-heres-caltrans-solution/\">how long this infrastructure will hold against rising tides\u003c/a>. The imaginative mind feels like it’s riding atop the waves of the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the present mind enjoys the classic SF gangsta rap reverberating through the stock sound system as the sun sets in my rearview mirror. \u003cem>There’s a bluebird on my shoulder, should I kill it?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all the photos I’ve taken of sunsets this year, that’s the one I didn’t take. Probably safer to take a pass on getting a pixelated image of a gigantic star burning 91 million miles away, while driving 70 miles per hour on a giant rotating rock. (It would’ve been really, really pretty tho.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on this year and all the sunsets I’ve seen, so many of them were background visuals for my lengthy commute. Every once in a while, I’d get to a specific spot, face toward the west, and watch nature’s daily magic happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet my most memorable sunset of the year, I watched as I drove in the opposite direction. How lucky are we? There are so many beautiful places to watch the sunset here in the Bay Area that we can literally turn our back, and it’s still one of the prettiest sights in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\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\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1026,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 22
},
"modified": 1705006099,
"excerpt": "Even on the unlikeliest of days, a Northern California sunset can stop time.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Even on the unlikeliest of days, a Northern California sunset can stop time.",
"title": "The Most Memorable Sunset of the Year | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Most Memorable Sunset of the Year",
"datePublished": "2022-12-02T11:05:00-08:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:48:19-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-most-memorable-sunset-of-the-year",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"subhead": "Take a photo of it?",
"source": "One Beautiful Thing From 2022",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13922186/the-most-memorable-sunset-of-the-year",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, as we near the end of 2022, the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture are reflecting on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing\">One Beautiful Thing\u003c/a> from the year. Here, in a year of endless freeway commutes and big-city gridlock, correspondent Pendarvis Harshaw honors the spiritual regeneration of a well-timed sunset.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">S\u003c/span>omeone asks you the best place to watch a sunset in Northern California, what do you say?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving down I-80 after leaving Tahoe? Sitting on a beach in Monterey? Pulled over somewhere on Hwy. 1, watching that big burning ball in the sky skinny dip into the Pacific?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">This year alone, I’ve seen the sunset from the fishing pier in Benicia, and Lone Tree Point in Rodeo. Have you ever been to San Jose’s Alviso Marina? With its wetlands, wide array of birds and murky waves, it’s like another world during the evening hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of my personal top five favorite spots is the east side of Lake Merritt; I love watching the pelicans dive into the water as the sun dips behind the Alameda County Courthouse. And quiet as it’s kept, another personal favorite is the McDonalds parking lot on the hillside of Vallejo’s Magazine Street.\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>This place we call home has so many large bodies of water, changes in elevation, amazing displays of architecture, and evenings of pleasant weather that you really can’t go wrong when it comes to a Northern California sunset. You could literally pull over at the intersection of Road 104 and Road 35 in Davis, among the cows, and fall in love with the colors of the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13922295\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-800x587.jpg\" alt=\"The sun disappears behind the plains of Central California, the sky a burnt amber and blue\" width=\"800\" height=\"587\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13922295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-800x587.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-1020x748.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-768x563.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset-1536x1127.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Davis.Sunset.jpg 1885w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view after pulling over at Road 104 and Road 35 in Davis, among the cows. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he most memorable sunset of my year, though, involves an unfortunate carjacking on the Bay Bridge, a much-needed conversation about the under-recognized legacy of San Francisco gangsta rap, and getting blasted by sand on Ocean Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story starts in a boutique hip-hop clothing shop in San Francisco’s Lakeview neighborhood. Varsity jackets and colorful hoodies line one wall, while the other bears a mural painted by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13916721/sucka-free-history-with-dregs-one\">Dregs One\u003c/a>. It’s a collage of Bay Area rappers who’ve transitioned to ancestor-hood. I’m in the middle of the store chopping it up with the shop owner, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cellski415/?hl=en\">Cellski\u003c/a>, a San Francisco rap icon whose career spans four decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s telling me about the history of rappers and dope dealers in the City. That leads to a conversation about Chemical Baby, Cellski’s clothing line, a name inspired by the toxic dirt and water found in his community, as well as the drugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13922284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1020x1360.jpg\" alt=\"San Francisco hip-hop legend Cellski, at his boutique clothing store in Lakeview.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13922284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/IMG_8555-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco hip-hop legend Cellski at his boutique clothing store in Lakeview. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We talk about some of his upcoming plans, and then I shake his hand and head toward the door, ready to drive back to Sacramento. He warns me about traffic. On top of the usual 5 p.m. gridlock, apparently there’d been\u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/chp-looks-for-armed-carjacking-suspect-on-bay-bridge/\"> a carjacking on the Bay Bridge\u003c/a> earlier that day, and The City was a shitshow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I decide to kill time by grabbing a slice from Northgate Pizza and hitting Ocean Beach. That’s where I messed up. The wind and sand combined to drop a diss track that my car still hasn’t recovered from. The song goes: “Sand in my beard and in my Thermos / Sand all over my clothes and my epidermis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beach trip truncated and traffic still a mess, I decide on an alternate route: across the Golden Gate Bridge, up 101 and over Hwy. 37 from Novato to Vallejo. From there, I figure, I can catch 80 and bypass the gridlock as I head back to Sac — and I get more than I bargained for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13922300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-800x590.jpg\" alt=\"The sun sets behind the skyline of Oakland's downtown with Lake Merritt in the foreground\" width=\"800\" height=\"590\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13922300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-800x590.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-1020x752.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-768x566.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-1536x1133.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-2048x1510.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/LakeMerrit.Sunset.1-1920x1416.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lake Merritt, Oakland’s jewel. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he afternoon conversation with the Lakeview lyricist inspired my evening playlist. I slap a couple tracks from Cellski, then 11/5, Cougnut, and an RBL Posse track or two. With early- to mid-’90s Frisco gangsta rap blasting through the speakers of my midsize hybrid, I hit Hwy. 37 right at golden hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving east, the sunset in my rearview, I watch as the spring sky turns beaming, brilliant shades of Baskin-Robbins Rainbow Sherbet and Starburst Passion Fruit purple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California State Route 37 is low-lying, two-lane highway that runs along the northern edge of San Pablo Bay. It’s surrounded by marshy wetlands and a series of sloughs, as well as the Napa River. The water ripples up right next to the road. The cautious mind wonders \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/highway-37-could-be-under-water-decades-from-now-heres-caltrans-solution/\">how long this infrastructure will hold against rising tides\u003c/a>. The imaginative mind feels like it’s riding atop the waves of the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the present mind enjoys the classic SF gangsta rap reverberating through the stock sound system as the sun sets in my rearview mirror. \u003cem>There’s a bluebird on my shoulder, should I kill it?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all the photos I’ve taken of sunsets this year, that’s the one I didn’t take. Probably safer to take a pass on getting a pixelated image of a gigantic star burning 91 million miles away, while driving 70 miles per hour on a giant rotating rock. (It would’ve been really, really pretty tho.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on this year and all the sunsets I’ve seen, so many of them were background visuals for my lengthy commute. Every once in a while, I’d get to a specific spot, face toward the west, and watch nature’s daily magic happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet my most memorable sunset of the year, I watched as I drove in the opposite direction. How lucky are we? There are so many beautiful places to watch the sunset here in the Bay Area that we can literally turn our back, and it’s still one of the prettiest sights in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\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\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13922186/the-most-memorable-sunset-of-the-year",
"authors": [
"11491"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_2303"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2767",
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_831",
"arts_19127",
"arts_4355",
"arts_1146",
"arts_1084",
"arts_3800"
],
"featImg": "arts_13922291",
"label": "source_arts_13922186"
},
"arts_13920483": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13920483",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13920483",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1666124238000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "flor-martinez-zaragoza-instagram-influencer-activist-farm-workers-immigrants-daca-hella-hungry",
"title": "Meet The San Jose Influencer Using Her Platform to Support Farm Workers and Undocumented Immigrants",
"publishDate": 1666124238,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Meet The San Jose Influencer Using Her Platform to Support Farm Workers and Undocumented Immigrants | 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\">When most people think of Silicon Valley, they tend to think of the white-collar aspects — the self-driving Teslas, search engine startups and mega-billionaire corporations. But who is in those office buildings after hours, wiping down desks and taking out the trash? Who is cooking meals for campuses filled with six- and seven-figure earning employees? Who is tending the nearby fields and orchards? And why is \u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/joint-venture-report-highlights-silicon-valley-wealth-gaps-and-tech-booms-san-jose-santa-clara-county/\">the gap here between the affluent and working class, particularly in Spanish-speaking households\u003c/a>, among the worst in the nation?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flor Martinez Zaragoza, a 27-year-old activist, influencer and community advocate — probably best known for her Instagram account, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/flowerinspanish/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">@flowerinspanish\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where she has 128,000 followers — has long been acutely aware of those discrepancies. She grew up in San Martin, a small town 25 miles south of San Jose that felt worlds apart from the ritzy tech campuses of Apple, Facebook and Google. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Living outside of the city, there’s a crazy cultural difference driving around [Highway] 101,” she says. “It’s all farmworkers from Gilroy towards Salinas. Then you get to San Jose, Oakland, SF and it’s more industrial.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As an undocumented immigrant with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917125/bay-area-daca-recipients-have-mixed-emotions-on-10-year-anniversary\">Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (DACA) status, Martinez Zaragoza picked grapes for wineries during her summers as a teenager, along with her family. Throughout her life, she has had to toggle between being an undocumented Mexicana with deep Bay Area roots and just trying to make ends meet in one of the world’s most expensive places to live. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For immigrants like her, it can feel impossible to voice any concerns, as they’re largely overshadowed by the larger forces of Silicon Valley and being undocumented. But \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Martinez Zaragoza is no longer keeping quiet about her community’s needs. In 2020 — as wildfires swept across Northern California, putting thousands of mostly undocumented farm workers in harm’s way — she began using social media as a tool to educate others about the hardships of a workforce population that is, and has been, aggressively exploited. It’s where she comes from.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since then, she has used her \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@flowerinspanish\">rising platform\u003c/a> to spotlight farm workers, undocumented business owners and independent, immigrant-owned restaurants around Northern and Central California. Her goal is to change California laws and improve pathways for thousands like her. I hung out with Flor at a few of her favorite restaurants around San Jo to learn more about her work and mission.\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>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KQED: \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11923693/farmworkers-24-day-march-culminates-in-sacramento-pressuring-newsom-to-sign-union-bill\">\u003cb>You participated in a 24-day United Farm Workers march\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb> that ended in Sacramento — a protest that successfully pressured Governor Gavin Newsom to sign \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://openstates.org/ca/bills/20212022/AB2183/\">\u003cb>a piece of legislation expanding farm workers’ union rights\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. Can you tell us about that bill and your role in it?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bill, AB 2183, is for farm workers to vote for union representation freely and fairly without fear of intimidation or threat from employers. Many of them are undocumented. They’ve been able to unionize before, but [in the past] they’ve been fearful about it. Many leaders who work in the field would be dismissed or fired [for their involvement]. They didn’t have much protection: They had to vote on site, in the field. But now this bill allows farm workers to vote from home and use their voice without being targeted. They’re the most vulnerable workforce in the nation. That bill passed right before they were about to go on strike.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How did you get involved in this work?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I migrated to the U.S. [from Jalisco, México] when I was three, but I’ve lived in the Bay Area for most of my life. I’ve mostly lived in Gilroy and San Martin, near Morgan Hill, and I moved to San Jose six years ago. I used to be a farm worker when I was 14 years old. I worked in Gilroy, Watsonville and Santa Cruz, picking wine grapes with my parents and sister. I did it for a couple summers and then I had to focus on high school and stopped working in the fields. My grandpa was a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://video.kqed.org/video/oregon-experience-the-braceros/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bracero\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, too. He worked in Lodi, where we [recently] marched through. My grandpa broke his rib when he was working, and they sent him back to México. No compensation. They’re still treated like that today. If a worker gets hurt on the job, they don’t have work insurance. They’re so undervalued — sprayed with pesticides, without representation. They don’t have the money to get health care. There are lots of Mexicanos and Central Americans in the fields. They’re undocumented. There’s no hazard pay.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfIb_jFZhL/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s your inspiration?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was probably about 12 years old when I started advocating for immigration reform. My mom has always been a big advocate for educational rights for marginalized students. I would go to district meetings and events and use my English to speak for the women who only spoke in Spanish. I was their voice, and it introduced me to public speaking and advocating for others at an early age. Seeing my mom speaking broken English for women who spoke no English … that inspired me. They fought for charter schools to support students who didn’t know English — they would just get put into special ed, and it impacted their futures. A group of Latina moms fought for smaller classes with more attention and resources. And they won. I was a part of that. They sent me to Nashville and I was part of a leadership convention summit. I was the youngest one there with other leaders around the country. I learned how to be a voice and help my people. I’ve just been non-stop ever since.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How has social media helped you to share your messages and experiences with others?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a tool that previous generations didn’t have. The bill that just passed for farmworkers was largely due to social media. The United Farm Workers introduced the bill, and the farmworkers supported it. Many people told me they learned about what was happening because of the content being put out on social media. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Flor Martinez Zaragoza\"]“There’s no reason those who feed us should be hungry. They’re the lowest paid workforce in the nation.”[/pullquote]If some of us didn’t go hard on social media, lots of people wouldn’t be aware. TikTok platforms allow younger generations to listen and tell their story and others can be more active. I’ve seen the immense difference in how this younger generation stands up and makes videos. It’s about the education of people and spreading the message as influencers on [social media]. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You’re vocal about supporting local businesses like \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tostadas.sj/\">\u003cb>Tostadas\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb> and its sister restaurants, the coffeeshop \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/conazucarcafe/\">\u003cb>Con Azúcar Cafe\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb> and the newly opened \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tostadasprime/\">\u003cb>Tostadas Prime\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. What do you like about these restaurants?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These locations are Latino-owned. When we put money back into our communities instead of corporations, that’s a resource. Our communities don’t always have much of it. These places provide jobs for people, and they outsource their ingredients responsibly. Having a Latino coffee shop [like Con Azúcar] is important. There are thousands of Starbucks in San Jose. But you can go around the corner and keep the money in your community. These places are doing it responsibly and giving back. For example, they support my nonprofit, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ca/C4574861\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Celebration Nation Inc\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. We have had multiple times when they let me borrow equipment for my toy drive. We help each other, repost our stuff, anything we need from each other. The owners have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917125/bay-area-daca-recipients-have-mixed-emotions-on-10-year-anniversary\">DACA\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> like me.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tostadas is one of my favorite places. They’ve been around for a while. They have vegan options, and it’s very cultural. The pandemic took a hit on them, but they’re still around. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjtyUQrNYsG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">Tostadas Prime\u003c/a>] is more luxury. If people order a certain dish, a percentage will go to a nonprofit and help farm workers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These restaurants employ around 200 people. It’s important to put money back into our community. When we shop for food, it’s usually corporate. It’s a business and there are lots of chains. It takes a toll on our bodies and health. They’re mass producing on demand and introducing pesticides and poison. I’m vocal about eating organic. It helps us and the farm workers. Big corporations profit from us. We need to go back to how our ancestors were eating, harvesting whatever they could and sharing it with their neighbors, keeping it local and small batch. If San Jose had its own food system, that would be massive.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13920530\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1928px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13920530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural.jpg\" alt=\"A young Latina stands in front of a mural painted inside a restaurant, depicting two undocumented Latino brothers shaking hands\" width=\"1928\" height=\"1271\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural.jpg 1928w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-1920x1266.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1928px) 100vw, 1928px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Martinez Zaragoza’s favorite restaurants, Tostadas, is owned by DACA recipient brothers Alex and Victor Garcia, portrayed here in a mural. \u003ccite>(Jordan Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You mentioned your nonprofit. Tell us more about it.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I started a nonprofit [\u003ca href=\"https://www.celebration-nation.org/\">Celebration Nation\u003c/a>] to support farm workers. We have a food bank program for them. We serve about 10,000 workers every month, across six towns in California. It’s volunteer-run. It’s basically to fill the gap around food insecurity with farm workers. There’s no reason those who feed us should be hungry. They’re the lowest paid workforce in the nation. Their families suffer. [They usually get served] food that lacks nutrition, which leads to health issues in the future. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We serve different languages, including Triqui and Mixtec. We have translators to prevent language barriers for accessing food banks. There are lots of reasons that farm workers get excluded from assistance. Having worked in the field helps me to get trust and know what’s going on. I went viral in 2020 during the fires, smoke, heat waves, pandemic. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzEYHhpbEC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I expressed my frustration during the conditions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEGjH1_pNjz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">I was telling people to pick their own vegetables\u003c/a>. I used to be a worker so I have insight into the details.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our next project is creating an educational program accessible on Web.3 and we will be utilizing blockchain technology to educate marginalized youth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You currently have \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917125/bay-area-daca-recipients-have-mixed-emotions-on-10-year-anniversary\">\u003cb>DACA\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. How has that impacted your life?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It has honestly helped me so much. It allowed me to get a driver’s license and a Social Security number. It shielded me from deportation. It lets me go about my day more comfortably. I have to renew it every two years. Having [Social Security] literally allows me to do business, to apply for loans, to apply for government grants. During the pandemic my event company was able to get a government grant because of my social. Also, I was able to get a stimulus check, unlike many farm workers who are undocumented. It definitely changed my life, and it sucks that it’s not available for more people. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CjV0S5PJM9k/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DACA stopped accepting new applicants about two years ago. Trump was pushing the issue, trying to get rid of it every year. He left a lasting impact on the status of DACA, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/16/new-article-1626468650daca-texas-judge/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a Texas judge ended applications\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. DACA doesn’t exist for the new generation. This month we’re waiting to see what happens — they’re supposed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/10/05/1127107147/an-appeals-court-rules-against-daca-but-the-program-continues-for-now\">share new information\u003c/a>. There is so much uncertainty, it sucks. We work for our communities, we’re contributing to the economy, doing our part for San Jose, providing jobs. This is people’s livelihoods. It’s about making an impact on the city, state, nation. We’re dreamers but we don’t sleep. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What are you currently working on, and what’s on your mind?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13918088,arts_13920076,arts_13919032']I have a food company that’s coming soon. I haven’t announced it officially yet, but we’re going to sell chiles secos, spices, nuts and cultura from México. It’ll have its roots in México.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the end of the day I have DACA. I have to create my own path and be in control of my future. I have to make choices that help me and my community. DACA and immigration reform are important. Immigration reform could help 11 to 12 million people, including our parents and the next generation. I organize rallies in San Jose and collaborate with other social justice groups like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pactsj.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">PACT [People Acting in Community Together]\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They’ve always included me and my mom. She’s in Mexico now and can’t come back. But when she was here she had a community with PACT and had an outlet to advocate as an immigrant mom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I try to provide that for women in my nonprofit. We’re run by moms and volunteers. They have a community and they throw their own parties. I like to lead the way when I can and step up. I wouldn’t change it. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flor’s work can be seen \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/flowerinspanish/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">online\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and at her nonprofit, \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.celebration-nation.org/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Celebration Nation\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (3031 Tisch Way, 110 Plaza West, San Jose). \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/conazucarcafe/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Con Azúcar Cafe\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is open M–F from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat.–Sun. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (101 E Santa Clara St., San Jose). Tostadas has two locations in San Jose and a newly opened Tostadas Prime in Santa Clara. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tostadas.sj/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Check their page\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for updates. Special thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/imrealbasic/\">Jordan Hayes\u003c/a> for his photography and videography.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Flor Martinez Zaragoza uses Instagram and TikTok as vehicles for her activism.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1729111923,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 37,
"wordCount": 2361
},
"headData": {
"title": "Meet The San Jose Influencer Using Her Platform to Support Farm Workers and Undocumented Immigrants | KQED",
"description": "Flor Martinez Zaragoza uses Instagram and TikTok as vehicles for her activism.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Meet The San Jose Influencer Using Her Platform to Support Farm Workers and Undocumented Immigrants",
"datePublished": "2022-10-18T13:17:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-10-16T13:52:03-07:00",
"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/13920483/flor-martinez-zaragoza-instagram-influencer-activist-farm-workers-immigrants-daca-hella-hungry",
"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\">When most people think of Silicon Valley, they tend to think of the white-collar aspects — the self-driving Teslas, search engine startups and mega-billionaire corporations. But who is in those office buildings after hours, wiping down desks and taking out the trash? Who is cooking meals for campuses filled with six- and seven-figure earning employees? Who is tending the nearby fields and orchards? And why is \u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/joint-venture-report-highlights-silicon-valley-wealth-gaps-and-tech-booms-san-jose-santa-clara-county/\">the gap here between the affluent and working class, particularly in Spanish-speaking households\u003c/a>, among the worst in the nation?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flor Martinez Zaragoza, a 27-year-old activist, influencer and community advocate — probably best known for her Instagram account, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/flowerinspanish/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">@flowerinspanish\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where she has 128,000 followers — has long been acutely aware of those discrepancies. She grew up in San Martin, a small town 25 miles south of San Jose that felt worlds apart from the ritzy tech campuses of Apple, Facebook and Google. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Living outside of the city, there’s a crazy cultural difference driving around [Highway] 101,” she says. “It’s all farmworkers from Gilroy towards Salinas. Then you get to San Jose, Oakland, SF and it’s more industrial.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As an undocumented immigrant with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917125/bay-area-daca-recipients-have-mixed-emotions-on-10-year-anniversary\">Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (DACA) status, Martinez Zaragoza picked grapes for wineries during her summers as a teenager, along with her family. Throughout her life, she has had to toggle between being an undocumented Mexicana with deep Bay Area roots and just trying to make ends meet in one of the world’s most expensive places to live. \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\">For immigrants like her, it can feel impossible to voice any concerns, as they’re largely overshadowed by the larger forces of Silicon Valley and being undocumented. But \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Martinez Zaragoza is no longer keeping quiet about her community’s needs. In 2020 — as wildfires swept across Northern California, putting thousands of mostly undocumented farm workers in harm’s way — she began using social media as a tool to educate others about the hardships of a workforce population that is, and has been, aggressively exploited. It’s where she comes from.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since then, she has used her \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@flowerinspanish\">rising platform\u003c/a> to spotlight farm workers, undocumented business owners and independent, immigrant-owned restaurants around Northern and Central California. Her goal is to change California laws and improve pathways for thousands like her. I hung out with Flor at a few of her favorite restaurants around San Jo to learn more about her work and mission.\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>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KQED: \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11923693/farmworkers-24-day-march-culminates-in-sacramento-pressuring-newsom-to-sign-union-bill\">\u003cb>You participated in a 24-day United Farm Workers march\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb> that ended in Sacramento — a protest that successfully pressured Governor Gavin Newsom to sign \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://openstates.org/ca/bills/20212022/AB2183/\">\u003cb>a piece of legislation expanding farm workers’ union rights\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. Can you tell us about that bill and your role in it?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The bill, AB 2183, is for farm workers to vote for union representation freely and fairly without fear of intimidation or threat from employers. Many of them are undocumented. They’ve been able to unionize before, but [in the past] they’ve been fearful about it. Many leaders who work in the field would be dismissed or fired [for their involvement]. They didn’t have much protection: They had to vote on site, in the field. But now this bill allows farm workers to vote from home and use their voice without being targeted. They’re the most vulnerable workforce in the nation. That bill passed right before they were about to go on strike.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How did you get involved in this work?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I migrated to the U.S. [from Jalisco, México] when I was three, but I’ve lived in the Bay Area for most of my life. I’ve mostly lived in Gilroy and San Martin, near Morgan Hill, and I moved to San Jose six years ago. I used to be a farm worker when I was 14 years old. I worked in Gilroy, Watsonville and Santa Cruz, picking wine grapes with my parents and sister. I did it for a couple summers and then I had to focus on high school and stopped working in the fields. My grandpa was a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://video.kqed.org/video/oregon-experience-the-braceros/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bracero\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, too. He worked in Lodi, where we [recently] marched through. My grandpa broke his rib when he was working, and they sent him back to México. No compensation. They’re still treated like that today. If a worker gets hurt on the job, they don’t have work insurance. They’re so undervalued — sprayed with pesticides, without representation. They don’t have the money to get health care. There are lots of Mexicanos and Central Americans in the fields. They’re undocumented. There’s no hazard pay.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfIb_jFZhL/"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s your inspiration?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was probably about 12 years old when I started advocating for immigration reform. My mom has always been a big advocate for educational rights for marginalized students. I would go to district meetings and events and use my English to speak for the women who only spoke in Spanish. I was their voice, and it introduced me to public speaking and advocating for others at an early age. Seeing my mom speaking broken English for women who spoke no English … that inspired me. They fought for charter schools to support students who didn’t know English — they would just get put into special ed, and it impacted their futures. A group of Latina moms fought for smaller classes with more attention and resources. And they won. I was a part of that. They sent me to Nashville and I was part of a leadership convention summit. I was the youngest one there with other leaders around the country. I learned how to be a voice and help my people. I’ve just been non-stop ever since.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How has social media helped you to share your messages and experiences with others?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a tool that previous generations didn’t have. The bill that just passed for farmworkers was largely due to social media. The United Farm Workers introduced the bill, and the farmworkers supported it. Many people told me they learned about what was happening because of the content being put out on social media. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "“There’s no reason those who feed us should be hungry. They’re the lowest paid workforce in the nation.”",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "large",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Flor Martinez Zaragoza",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If some of us didn’t go hard on social media, lots of people wouldn’t be aware. TikTok platforms allow younger generations to listen and tell their story and others can be more active. I’ve seen the immense difference in how this younger generation stands up and makes videos. It’s about the education of people and spreading the message as influencers on [social media]. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You’re vocal about supporting local businesses like \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tostadas.sj/\">\u003cb>Tostadas\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb> and its sister restaurants, the coffeeshop \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/conazucarcafe/\">\u003cb>Con Azúcar Cafe\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb> and the newly opened \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tostadasprime/\">\u003cb>Tostadas Prime\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. What do you like about these restaurants?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These locations are Latino-owned. When we put money back into our communities instead of corporations, that’s a resource. Our communities don’t always have much of it. These places provide jobs for people, and they outsource their ingredients responsibly. Having a Latino coffee shop [like Con Azúcar] is important. There are thousands of Starbucks in San Jose. But you can go around the corner and keep the money in your community. These places are doing it responsibly and giving back. For example, they support my nonprofit, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ca/C4574861\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Celebration Nation Inc\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. We have had multiple times when they let me borrow equipment for my toy drive. We help each other, repost our stuff, anything we need from each other. The owners have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917125/bay-area-daca-recipients-have-mixed-emotions-on-10-year-anniversary\">DACA\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> like me.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tostadas is one of my favorite places. They’ve been around for a while. They have vegan options, and it’s very cultural. The pandemic took a hit on them, but they’re still around. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjtyUQrNYsG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">Tostadas Prime\u003c/a>] is more luxury. If people order a certain dish, a percentage will go to a nonprofit and help farm workers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These restaurants employ around 200 people. It’s important to put money back into our community. When we shop for food, it’s usually corporate. It’s a business and there are lots of chains. It takes a toll on our bodies and health. They’re mass producing on demand and introducing pesticides and poison. I’m vocal about eating organic. It helps us and the farm workers. Big corporations profit from us. We need to go back to how our ancestors were eating, harvesting whatever they could and sharing it with their neighbors, keeping it local and small batch. If San Jose had its own food system, that would be massive.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13920530\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1928px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13920530\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural.jpg\" alt=\"A young Latina stands in front of a mural painted inside a restaurant, depicting two undocumented Latino brothers shaking hands\" width=\"1928\" height=\"1271\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural.jpg 1928w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/flor-mural-1920x1266.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1928px) 100vw, 1928px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Martinez Zaragoza’s favorite restaurants, Tostadas, is owned by DACA recipient brothers Alex and Victor Garcia, portrayed here in a mural. \u003ccite>(Jordan Hayes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You mentioned your nonprofit. Tell us more about it.\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I started a nonprofit [\u003ca href=\"https://www.celebration-nation.org/\">Celebration Nation\u003c/a>] to support farm workers. We have a food bank program for them. We serve about 10,000 workers every month, across six towns in California. It’s volunteer-run. It’s basically to fill the gap around food insecurity with farm workers. There’s no reason those who feed us should be hungry. They’re the lowest paid workforce in the nation. Their families suffer. [They usually get served] food that lacks nutrition, which leads to health issues in the future. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We serve different languages, including Triqui and Mixtec. We have translators to prevent language barriers for accessing food banks. There are lots of reasons that farm workers get excluded from assistance. Having worked in the field helps me to get trust and know what’s going on. I went viral in 2020 during the fires, smoke, heat waves, pandemic. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzEYHhpbEC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I expressed my frustration during the conditions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEGjH1_pNjz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">I was telling people to pick their own vegetables\u003c/a>. I used to be a worker so I have insight into the details.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our next project is creating an educational program accessible on Web.3 and we will be utilizing blockchain technology to educate marginalized youth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You currently have \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917125/bay-area-daca-recipients-have-mixed-emotions-on-10-year-anniversary\">\u003cb>DACA\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. How has that impacted your life?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It has honestly helped me so much. It allowed me to get a driver’s license and a Social Security number. It shielded me from deportation. It lets me go about my day more comfortably. I have to renew it every two years. Having [Social Security] literally allows me to do business, to apply for loans, to apply for government grants. During the pandemic my event company was able to get a government grant because of my social. Also, I was able to get a stimulus check, unlike many farm workers who are undocumented. It definitely changed my life, and it sucks that it’s not available for more people. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/CjV0S5PJM9k/"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DACA stopped accepting new applicants about two years ago. Trump was pushing the issue, trying to get rid of it every year. He left a lasting impact on the status of DACA, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/16/new-article-1626468650daca-texas-judge/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a Texas judge ended applications\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. DACA doesn’t exist for the new generation. This month we’re waiting to see what happens — they’re supposed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/10/05/1127107147/an-appeals-court-rules-against-daca-but-the-program-continues-for-now\">share new information\u003c/a>. There is so much uncertainty, it sucks. We work for our communities, we’re contributing to the economy, doing our part for San Jose, providing jobs. This is people’s livelihoods. It’s about making an impact on the city, state, nation. We’re dreamers but we don’t sleep. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What are you currently working on, and what’s on your mind?\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_13918088,arts_13920076,arts_13919032",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I have a food company that’s coming soon. I haven’t announced it officially yet, but we’re going to sell chiles secos, spices, nuts and cultura from México. It’ll have its roots in México.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the end of the day I have DACA. I have to create my own path and be in control of my future. I have to make choices that help me and my community. DACA and immigration reform are important. Immigration reform could help 11 to 12 million people, including our parents and the next generation. I organize rallies in San Jose and collaborate with other social justice groups like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pactsj.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">PACT [People Acting in Community Together]\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They’ve always included me and my mom. She’s in Mexico now and can’t come back. But when she was here she had a community with PACT and had an outlet to advocate as an immigrant mom. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I try to provide that for women in my nonprofit. We’re run by moms and volunteers. They have a community and they throw their own parties. I like to lead the way when I can and step up. I wouldn’t change it. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\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\">Flor’s work can be seen \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/flowerinspanish/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">online\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and at her nonprofit, \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.celebration-nation.org/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Celebration Nation\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (3031 Tisch Way, 110 Plaza West, San Jose). \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/conazucarcafe/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Con Azúcar Cafe\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is open M–F from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat.–Sun. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (101 E Santa Clara St., San Jose). Tostadas has two locations in San Jose and a newly opened Tostadas Prime in Santa Clara. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tostadas.sj/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Check their page\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for updates. Special thanks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/imrealbasic/\">Jordan Hayes\u003c/a> for his photography and videography.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13920483/flor-martinez-zaragoza-instagram-influencer-activist-farm-workers-immigrants-daca-hella-hungry",
"authors": [
"11748"
],
"series": [
"arts_22307"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276",
"arts_22352"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2370",
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_17573",
"arts_1773",
"arts_1084",
"arts_3001"
],
"featImg": "arts_13920486",
"label": "source_arts_13920483"
},
"arts_13919506": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13919506",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13919506",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1663888739000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "meet-josh-jb-balogh-the-south-bay-coach-making-skating-accessible-to-a-new-generation",
"title": "Meet Josh 'JB' Balogh, the South Bay Coach Making Skating Accessible to a New Generation",
"publishDate": 1663888739,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Meet Josh ‘JB’ Balogh, the South Bay Coach Making Skating Accessible to a New Generation | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Josh “JB” Balogh’s YouTube channel is impressive: there’s footage of him grinding on stair rails and doing 360-degree flips in the air, as if a thin piece of wood and four wheels give him gravity-defying powers. But when I meet him at Sunnyvale’s Fair Oaks Skate Park, the 36-year-old South Bay skateboarder is coaching a 6-year-old girl in a skirt, pink helmet and matching elbow and knee pads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That 6-year-old is \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cutemuffing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grace Zheng\u003c/a>, a student of Balogh’s. The Zheng family discovered Balogh through his YouTube channel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/skateparklessons\">S\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/skateparklessons\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">kate Park Lessons\u003c/a>. His videos are all about skating—tutorials on the basics, explanations on complex tricks and more. Although Balogh has competed nationally, he’s gained most of his popularity through teaching. He started Skate Park Lessons in 2020 and, in the two years since, he’s amassed 66,000 YouTube subscribers. Balogh has also been holding in-person lessons—under the name Pro Skate Lessons—at Fair Oaks Park for nearly 20 years, making him a beloved figure in the Bay Area skate scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11653010,news_11698821\"]Balogh started skating at 9 years old in his Pennsylvania hometown and became a pro skater at 23 in the Bay Area. In 2008, he competed in the local division of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.timbrauch.com/contest.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10th Annual Tim Brauch Memorial Contest\u003c/a> and went on to place fifth in the professional category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His experience with teaching started years before he began competing. In his teens, Balogh frequented the now-closed Vans Park at Milpitas’ Great Mall. At the age of 14, he caught the attention of the park’s seasoned skaters, performing tricks that were uncommon to see someone do at his age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People would come up to me and say, ‘You skate really well, how’d you learn so fast and so young? Can you help me?’” says Balogh. “They kept coming back and asking for more. Sometimes people would tip me, and eventually, it turned into a job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919538\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919538\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Josh ‘JB’ Balogh has earned a cult following for both his online and in-person coaching. \u003ccite>(Joy Zheng)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It only seemed natural that Balogh would pursue teaching full time. In 2008, he took a job at California’s largest skate park, San Jose’s Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park, where he ran lessons, camps and contests for kids and adults of all skill levels. Balogh has also taught for the YMCA and worked as a professional mentor through nonprofits in East San Jose. Throughout these different roles, Balogh continued to run Pro Skate Lessons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s awesome to watch people grow and go through life,” Balogh says. “A lot of guys that come here have troubles and they’re struggling. They spend a lot of time skating, and then they kinda find something else that they love, and then they start investing time into that. Hopefully, it builds good habits that allow them to succeed and do better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M1XywlWink\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the South Bay, skaters of all demographics, both experienced and new, can be seen dropping into bowls at local skate parks. Veteran pro skaters such as Circle-A Skateboards owner Bob Schmelzer and the world-renowned Steve “Cab” Caballero—once named “skater of the century” by \u003cem>Thrasher\u003c/em> magazine—helped shape the culture in San Jose and surrounding towns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, new skaters are livening up the scene and forming female-, queer- and trans-friendly organizations, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.skatelikeagirl.com/\">Skate Like a Girl SF Bay Area\u003c/a>. Meetups are happening at suburban skate parks, schools, parking lots and just about any place with smooth asphalt. The skating scene is more alive than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Skating’s kinda changing and it’s starting to include a lot more people,” Balogh says. “It’s cool to see more people trying it here. A lot more people are falling in love with it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The clients that Balogh takes on reflect the diversity of the community. He teaches everybody ages 5 and up. A memorable recent student was a 70-year-old retired P.E. teacher: “He told his wife, ‘I need to learn how to [ride a] motorcycle or skateboard,’ and she was immediately like, ‘skateboard,’” recalls Balogh. “So he showed up for a lesson, I taught him how to skate, and he kind of ‘X’d’ it off his bucket list.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her pink skating ensemble, 6-year-old Grace defies the stereotypes of a female skater. “With skateboarding, you can also be pretty,” says Joy Zheng, Grace’s mom. “The ‘pretty’ and the sport are not opposite to each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919542\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919542\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a young girl and a man do a trick in a skate park\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grace Zheng skating with Josh ‘JB’ Balogh. \u003ccite>(Joy Zheng)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Watching Balogh’s lesson with Grace reminded me of my own experience with skating. Growing up, I had tried skateboarding a number of times, but hadn’t truly gotten into it until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now, in my twenties, the skating scene can seem just as intimidating as it was when I was a kid. I’d always felt that I had to know what I was doing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily for me, that changed when I came across Balogh’s YouTube channel. It was a one-stop shop for all skaters, including a beginner such as myself. Balogh and Skate Park Lessons’ teachings made skating, as well as skate parks, feel welcoming and accessible to all. That ethos is apparent in his teachings—both in his videos and even more so after I witnessed his in-person lesson with Grace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balogh has a unique, step-by-step way of teaching that any student can understand. “There are many skateboarding tutorials online—how to do this, how to do that,” Joy says. “But it seems like many of them are missing the key point. Why am I following your steps but can’t do your tricks? But [Balogh], he knows the key points, and he points them out. Like, ‘Oh! This is the part that I missed.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most importantly, Balogh is driven by a higher purpose to help others, teaching the habits that have helped him in his life in addition to skating fundamentals. His purpose, combined with his talent and patience, ensure a new generation of skaters can take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "San Jose's skating scene is alive and well—and more inclusive than ever—thanks, in part, to the teachings of one veteran coach with a cult following. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726759290,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 18,
"wordCount": 1119
},
"headData": {
"title": "Meet Josh 'JB' Balogh, the South Bay Coach Making Skating Accessible to a New Generation | KQED",
"description": "San Jose's skating scene is alive and well—and more inclusive than ever—thanks, in part, to the teachings of one veteran coach with a cult following. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Meet Josh 'JB' Balogh, the South Bay Coach Making Skating Accessible to a New Generation",
"datePublished": "2022-09-22T16:18:59-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T08:21:30-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"WpOldSlug": "meet-%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bjosh-jb-balogh-the-south-bay-coach-making-skating-accessible-to-a-new-generation",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"path": "/arts/13919506/meet-josh-jb-balogh-the-south-bay-coach-making-skating-accessible-to-a-new-generation",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Josh “JB” Balogh’s YouTube channel is impressive: there’s footage of him grinding on stair rails and doing 360-degree flips in the air, as if a thin piece of wood and four wheels give him gravity-defying powers. But when I meet him at Sunnyvale’s Fair Oaks Skate Park, the 36-year-old South Bay skateboarder is coaching a 6-year-old girl in a skirt, pink helmet and matching elbow and knee pads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That 6-year-old is \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cutemuffing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grace Zheng\u003c/a>, a student of Balogh’s. The Zheng family discovered Balogh through his YouTube channel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/skateparklessons\">S\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/skateparklessons\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">kate Park Lessons\u003c/a>. His videos are all about skating—tutorials on the basics, explanations on complex tricks and more. Although Balogh has competed nationally, he’s gained most of his popularity through teaching. He started Skate Park Lessons in 2020 and, in the two years since, he’s amassed 66,000 YouTube subscribers. Balogh has also been holding in-person lessons—under the name Pro Skate Lessons—at Fair Oaks Park for nearly 20 years, making him a beloved figure in the Bay Area skate scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11653010,news_11698821",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Balogh started skating at 9 years old in his Pennsylvania hometown and became a pro skater at 23 in the Bay Area. In 2008, he competed in the local division of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.timbrauch.com/contest.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10th Annual Tim Brauch Memorial Contest\u003c/a> and went on to place fifth in the professional category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His experience with teaching started years before he began competing. In his teens, Balogh frequented the now-closed Vans Park at Milpitas’ Great Mall. At the age of 14, he caught the attention of the park’s seasoned skaters, performing tricks that were uncommon to see someone do at his age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People would come up to me and say, ‘You skate really well, how’d you learn so fast and so young? Can you help me?’” says Balogh. “They kept coming back and asking for more. Sometimes people would tip me, and eventually, it turned into a job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919538\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919538\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Josh ‘JB’ Balogh has earned a cult following for both his online and in-person coaching. \u003ccite>(Joy Zheng)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It only seemed natural that Balogh would pursue teaching full time. In 2008, he took a job at California’s largest skate park, San Jose’s Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park, where he ran lessons, camps and contests for kids and adults of all skill levels. Balogh has also taught for the YMCA and worked as a professional mentor through nonprofits in East San Jose. Throughout these different roles, Balogh continued to run Pro Skate Lessons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s awesome to watch people grow and go through life,” Balogh says. “A lot of guys that come here have troubles and they’re struggling. They spend a lot of time skating, and then they kinda find something else that they love, and then they start investing time into that. Hopefully, it builds good habits that allow them to succeed and do better.”\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/1M1XywlWink'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/1M1XywlWink'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In the South Bay, skaters of all demographics, both experienced and new, can be seen dropping into bowls at local skate parks. Veteran pro skaters such as Circle-A Skateboards owner Bob Schmelzer and the world-renowned Steve “Cab” Caballero—once named “skater of the century” by \u003cem>Thrasher\u003c/em> magazine—helped shape the culture in San Jose and surrounding towns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, new skaters are livening up the scene and forming female-, queer- and trans-friendly organizations, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.skatelikeagirl.com/\">Skate Like a Girl SF Bay Area\u003c/a>. Meetups are happening at suburban skate parks, schools, parking lots and just about any place with smooth asphalt. The skating scene is more alive than ever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Skating’s kinda changing and it’s starting to include a lot more people,” Balogh says. “It’s cool to see more people trying it here. A lot more people are falling in love with it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The clients that Balogh takes on reflect the diversity of the community. He teaches everybody ages 5 and up. A memorable recent student was a 70-year-old retired P.E. teacher: “He told his wife, ‘I need to learn how to [ride a] motorcycle or skateboard,’ and she was immediately like, ‘skateboard,’” recalls Balogh. “So he showed up for a lesson, I taught him how to skate, and he kind of ‘X’d’ it off his bucket list.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her pink skating ensemble, 6-year-old Grace defies the stereotypes of a female skater. “With skateboarding, you can also be pretty,” says Joy Zheng, Grace’s mom. “The ‘pretty’ and the sport are not opposite to each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13919542\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13919542\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a young girl and a man do a trick in a skate park\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/Skatepark-Lesson-08.26.22-5-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grace Zheng skating with Josh ‘JB’ Balogh. \u003ccite>(Joy Zheng)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Watching Balogh’s lesson with Grace reminded me of my own experience with skating. Growing up, I had tried skateboarding a number of times, but hadn’t truly gotten into it until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now, in my twenties, the skating scene can seem just as intimidating as it was when I was a kid. I’d always felt that I had to know what I was doing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily for me, that changed when I came across Balogh’s YouTube channel. It was a one-stop shop for all skaters, including a beginner such as myself. Balogh and Skate Park Lessons’ teachings made skating, as well as skate parks, feel welcoming and accessible to all. That ethos is apparent in his teachings—both in his videos and even more so after I witnessed his in-person lesson with Grace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Balogh has a unique, step-by-step way of teaching that any student can understand. “There are many skateboarding tutorials online—how to do this, how to do that,” Joy says. “But it seems like many of them are missing the key point. Why am I following your steps but can’t do your tricks? But [Balogh], he knows the key points, and he points them out. Like, ‘Oh! This is the part that I missed.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most importantly, Balogh is driven by a higher purpose to help others, teaching the habits that have helped him in his life in addition to skating fundamentals. His purpose, combined with his talent and patience, ensure a new generation of skaters can take off.\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>\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\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13919506/meet-josh-jb-balogh-the-south-bay-coach-making-skating-accessible-to-a-new-generation",
"authors": [
"11827"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_13238"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_1084",
"arts_1442",
"arts_2475",
"arts_14954"
],
"featImg": "arts_13919526",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13917611": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13917611",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917611",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1660672873000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "life-between-the-stages-lil-kayla-and-san-jose-jazz",
"title": "Life Between the Stages: Lil Kayla and San Jose Jazz",
"publishDate": 1660672873,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Life Between the Stages: Lil Kayla and San Jose Jazz | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Mentally I’m somewhere between a Lil Kayla show and the San Jose Jazz Summer Festival. Yup, that’s where I’m at in this stage in life. It clicked this weekend after attending both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m an old head at the Lil Kayla show, and a youngsta at the jazz fest. A position that grants me a unique view on the culture around me. I had a moment of gratitude this weekend for being where I am; I like this stage, the in-between stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13917669 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-800x617.jpg\" alt=\"Fans capture footage as Lil Kayla performs at The Chapel in San Francisco on Friday August 12, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"617\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-800x617.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-1020x786.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-768x592.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215.jpg 1288w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fans capture footage as Lil Kayla performs at The Chapel in San Francisco on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thereal_lilkayla/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lil Kayla\u003c/a>, a young lyricist with a big personality and a larger following, is the pride of San Francisco’s Sunnydale projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday night she brought out the neighborhood, devoted fans and her grandmother. A large portion of the audience inside The Chapel were young women with Xs marked on their hands, a sign of being under the legal drinking age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Girls with big eyelashes passed Backwoods back and forth, others revealed braces on their teeth as they smiled. I saw a person with a ring light attached to the back of their phone—a handheld personal stage, ready for her to show out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917676\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917676\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A portion of the crowd at the Lil Kayla show at The Chapel in San Francisco on August 12, 2022. \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A portion of the crowd at the Lil Kayla show at The Chapel in San Francisco on Aug. 12, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Opening acts from San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/loafyprincesss/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mya’Mya\u003c/a> and East Oakland’s “hyphy princess” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/princessjourney_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Journey B. The Reason\u003c/a> were interspersed with sets from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ ShellHeart\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/drewwwbanga/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Banga\u003c/a>. The crowd was already going when event host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/troyllf/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Troy LLF \u003c/a>announced Lil Kayla was up next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13910972']Phones came out, camera lights came on, arms went skyward, and the from the moment she walked on the stage the crowd recited Lil Kayla’s lyrics bar for bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About two-thirds of the way into her set, Lil Kayla invited a few audience members to come on stage and spit her rhymes without skipping a word. Three out of four of the women who participated did so without an issue. Crowd participation on another level. Everyone was Lil Kayla that night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lil Kayla - One More Chance (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) dir. by KIING FILMZ\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ngL8H5yRQw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While standing directly next to the stage taking photos of Lil Kayla, I got a tap on my shoulder. It was a younger brother who was wearing a ski mask, despite the Tucson-like temperatures. Before asking if he could get past me to get on stage, he said, “Excuse me, sir.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where I’m at in life!? “Sir,” in the middle of a Bay Area hip-hop function? Well I’ll be damned. Let me take my geriatric ass to a jazz festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917662\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917662\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Radio host Greg Bridges and photographer Robert Birnbach engage in a conversation about jazz, photography and more during the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Saturday August 13, 2022. \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Radio host Greg Bridges and photographer Robert Birnbach engage in a conversation about jazz, photography and more during the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The next morning I drove to the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, and posted in the back of the Tech Interactive’s New Venture Hall. On stage sat jazz scholar and radio show host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/g1rhythm/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Greg Bridges\u003c/a> and photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rbsphoto/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Birnbach\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Photographers have a way of adding to the story that the music is telling,” Bridges said at the onset of the conversation. Birnbach discussed best practices for photographing musicians and their instruments from different angles on stage, among other topics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping around from photographic example to photographic example as he talked, Birnbach told the audience his preselected collection of images had gotten out of order. As Birnbach fished for a specific picture, Bridges reminded the audience, “This is jazz, we improvise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917674\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917674\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Mike poses for a photo after performing at the at the 2022 San José Jazz Summer Festival.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alabama Mike poses for a photo after performing at the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I went into the jazz fest not knowing what to expect. Improvisation was my entire game plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the August sun bounced off of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alabama_mike_blues/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alabama Mike\u003c/a>‘s gold teeth as he ran through his set, next up was \u003ca href=\"https://diunna.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Diunna Greenleaf\u003c/a>. As she settled into a chair on stage, she said that sitting on stage isn’t her normal forte, but if she were to fall no one in the audience would be strong enough to pick her up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A big woman with an even larger voice, she held the crowd down from her perch. That is, until she deemed that the crowd wasn’t giving back what she was putting out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Greenleaf’s rendition of Ray Charles’ “Hard Times,” she got out of the chair and slowly walked down the stage’s steps to join the crowd. The grass where people were sprawled on blankets chillin’ became an impromptu stage. With no microphone, standing in the middle of the crowd and nearly wailing, Greenleaf pushed audience members’ emotional buttons. One person in a white dress was in tears. Another in an orange shirt clasped their hands together, as if in prayer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917663\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-800x561.jpg\" alt='Diunna Greenleaf performs \"Hard Times\" in front of a captive audience at the 2022 San José Jazz Summer Festival.' width=\"800\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-800x561.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-1020x715.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-768x538.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394.jpg 1422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diunna Greenleaf performs “Hard Times” in front of a captive audience at the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What stage of grief produces this kind of art?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Greenleaf’s performance, came \u003ca href=\"https://ragman.org/tribal-gold\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tribal Gold\u003c/a>, a combination of the New Orleans Suspects and Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanche. They hit the stage and it was instantly Mardi Gras, with the area in front of the stage becoming a dance floor—a sub-stage, if you will.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917668\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917668\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanche of Tribal Gold perform at the San José Jazz Summer Festival on Saturday August 13, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanche of Tribal Gold perform at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A toddler dancing to the the jazz and blues got me thinking about the stages of life: how it’s less about age, and more about where your spirit is at that place and time. I’m clearly at that stage between hyphy and swinging jazz. But I still have questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How much say do we have in choosing what stage we’re on? Is the stage between stages a stage in itself? What differentiates those who love the limelight from those disabled by stage fright? If life is a series of stages, is it real or is it… staged?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917665\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917665\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Rapper Pallaví aka Fijiana watching friend and fellow rapper Stoni perform in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday August 13, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rapper Pallaví aka Fijiana watching friend and fellow rapper Stoni perform in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These thoughts ran through my head as I pushed north, up 880 to the final event of the evening: a backyard bonfire and performance at the Regulars Only house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A long list of artists, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pass510/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Passwurdz\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iamfijiana/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fijiana\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mksmth_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mksmth\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thedakotawytefoxx/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Dakota Wytefoxx\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/popit4gee/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gee Pop\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wantmoren8/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WantMoren8\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tia.nomore/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/poosie_apex/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Poo$ie,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/princessjourney_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JourneyB tha Reason\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kvnalln/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Allen\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/callherstoni/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stoni\u003c/a> and more graced the stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The audience itself was full of talented individuals who could’ve easily rocked the mic with the scheduled performers. Folks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mad.lines/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MADlines\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/firstnameian/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Kelly\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kingtahoe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">King Tahoe \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/guapdad4000/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guapdad 4000\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/champgreen/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Champ Green\u003c/a> held down the grill, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> was in full photographer mode.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917666\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917666\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Wantmoren8 spitting rhymes during a performance in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday August 13, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390.jpg 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wantmoren8 spitting rhymes during a performance in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At one point Raj hit the stage and grabbed the mic, just to take an orchestrated photo of the crowd. A sea of who’s-who. Smiles and peace signs. Only a portion of the full list of attendees that evening, but it captured the sentiment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The view from the stage shows people at the function, and it shows a house in the background, one that’s being remodeled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTIrgOvexd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This weekend was a reminder that it’s not always about reaching a new level or getting to that next platform, it’s more about appreciating the stage you’re on—even if you’re in between stages.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "If you're one part hip-hop function and one part jazz festival, you're not alone, writes Pendarvis Harshaw.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726759334,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 30,
"wordCount": 1337
},
"headData": {
"title": "Life Between the Stages: Lil Kayla and San Jose Jazz | KQED",
"description": "If you're one part hip-hop function and one part jazz festival, you're not alone, writes Pendarvis Harshaw.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Life Between the Stages: Lil Kayla and San Jose Jazz",
"datePublished": "2022-08-16T11:01:13-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T08:22:14-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"subhead": "Lil Kayla, The San Jose Jazz ",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"path": "/arts/13917611/life-between-the-stages-lil-kayla-and-san-jose-jazz",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Mentally I’m somewhere between a Lil Kayla show and the San Jose Jazz Summer Festival. Yup, that’s where I’m at in this stage in life. It clicked this weekend after attending both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m an old head at the Lil Kayla show, and a youngsta at the jazz fest. A position that grants me a unique view on the culture around me. I had a moment of gratitude this weekend for being where I am; I like this stage, the in-between stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13917669 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-800x617.jpg\" alt=\"Fans capture footage as Lil Kayla performs at The Chapel in San Francisco on Friday August 12, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"617\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-800x617.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-1020x786.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215-768x592.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04034-e1660629307215.jpg 1288w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fans capture footage as Lil Kayla performs at The Chapel in San Francisco on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thereal_lilkayla/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lil Kayla\u003c/a>, a young lyricist with a big personality and a larger following, is the pride of San Francisco’s Sunnydale projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Friday night she brought out the neighborhood, devoted fans and her grandmother. A large portion of the audience inside The Chapel were young women with Xs marked on their hands, a sign of being under the legal drinking age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Girls with big eyelashes passed Backwoods back and forth, others revealed braces on their teeth as they smiled. I saw a person with a ring light attached to the back of their phone—a handheld personal stage, ready for her to show out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917676\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917676\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"A portion of the crowd at the Lil Kayla show at The Chapel in San Francisco on August 12, 2022. \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6DDFD960-B179-4C3C-A6AE-00090D35D650.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A portion of the crowd at the Lil Kayla show at The Chapel in San Francisco on Aug. 12, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Opening acts from San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/loafyprincesss/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mya’Mya\u003c/a> and East Oakland’s “hyphy princess” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/princessjourney_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Journey B. The Reason\u003c/a> were interspersed with sets from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/djshellheart/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DJ ShellHeart\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/drewwwbanga/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Banga\u003c/a>. The crowd was already going when event host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/troyllf/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Troy LLF \u003c/a>announced Lil Kayla was up next.\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>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13910972",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Phones came out, camera lights came on, arms went skyward, and the from the moment she walked on the stage the crowd recited Lil Kayla’s lyrics bar for bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About two-thirds of the way into her set, Lil Kayla invited a few audience members to come on stage and spit her rhymes without skipping a word. Three out of four of the women who participated did so without an issue. Crowd participation on another level. Everyone was Lil Kayla that night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lil Kayla - One More Chance (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) dir. by KIING FILMZ\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ngL8H5yRQw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While standing directly next to the stage taking photos of Lil Kayla, I got a tap on my shoulder. It was a younger brother who was wearing a ski mask, despite the Tucson-like temperatures. Before asking if he could get past me to get on stage, he said, “Excuse me, sir.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where I’m at in life!? “Sir,” in the middle of a Bay Area hip-hop function? Well I’ll be damned. Let me take my geriatric ass to a jazz festival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917662\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917662\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Radio host Greg Bridges and photographer Robert Birnbach engage in a conversation about jazz, photography and more during the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Saturday August 13, 2022. \" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/6A7B1855-B118-4476-9279-C911868C6F05.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Radio host Greg Bridges and photographer Robert Birnbach engage in a conversation about jazz, photography and more during the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The next morning I drove to the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, and posted in the back of the Tech Interactive’s New Venture Hall. On stage sat jazz scholar and radio show host \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/g1rhythm/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Greg Bridges\u003c/a> and photographer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rbsphoto/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Birnbach\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Photographers have a way of adding to the story that the music is telling,” Bridges said at the onset of the conversation. Birnbach discussed best practices for photographing musicians and their instruments from different angles on stage, among other topics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping around from photographic example to photographic example as he talked, Birnbach told the audience his preselected collection of images had gotten out of order. As Birnbach fished for a specific picture, Bridges reminded the audience, “This is jazz, we improvise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917674\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917674\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Alabama Mike poses for a photo after performing at the at the 2022 San José Jazz Summer Festival.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04134-1.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alabama Mike poses for a photo after performing at the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I went into the jazz fest not knowing what to expect. Improvisation was my entire game plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the August sun bounced off of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/alabama_mike_blues/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alabama Mike\u003c/a>‘s gold teeth as he ran through his set, next up was \u003ca href=\"https://diunna.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Diunna Greenleaf\u003c/a>. As she settled into a chair on stage, she said that sitting on stage isn’t her normal forte, but if she were to fall no one in the audience would be strong enough to pick her up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A big woman with an even larger voice, she held the crowd down from her perch. That is, until she deemed that the crowd wasn’t giving back what she was putting out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Greenleaf’s rendition of Ray Charles’ “Hard Times,” she got out of the chair and slowly walked down the stage’s steps to join the crowd. The grass where people were sprawled on blankets chillin’ became an impromptu stage. With no microphone, standing in the middle of the crowd and nearly wailing, Greenleaf pushed audience members’ emotional buttons. One person in a white dress was in tears. Another in an orange shirt clasped their hands together, as if in prayer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917663\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-800x561.jpg\" alt='Diunna Greenleaf performs \"Hard Times\" in front of a captive audience at the 2022 San José Jazz Summer Festival.' width=\"800\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-800x561.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-1020x715.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394-768x538.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04162-e1660627054394.jpg 1422w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diunna Greenleaf performs “Hard Times” in front of a captive audience at the 2022 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What stage of grief produces this kind of art?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Greenleaf’s performance, came \u003ca href=\"https://ragman.org/tribal-gold\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tribal Gold\u003c/a>, a combination of the New Orleans Suspects and Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanche. They hit the stage and it was instantly Mardi Gras, with the area in front of the stage becoming a dance floor—a sub-stage, if you will.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917668\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917668\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanche of Tribal Gold perform at the San José Jazz Summer Festival on Saturday August 13, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/DSC04203.jpg 1616w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanche of Tribal Gold perform at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A toddler dancing to the the jazz and blues got me thinking about the stages of life: how it’s less about age, and more about where your spirit is at that place and time. I’m clearly at that stage between hyphy and swinging jazz. But I still have questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How much say do we have in choosing what stage we’re on? Is the stage between stages a stage in itself? What differentiates those who love the limelight from those disabled by stage fright? If life is a series of stages, is it real or is it… staged?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917665\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917665\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Rapper Pallaví aka Fijiana watching friend and fellow rapper Stoni perform in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday August 13, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/044A8378-0B30-4725-B697-E7F08469AFF4.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rapper Pallaví aka Fijiana watching friend and fellow rapper Stoni perform in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These thoughts ran through my head as I pushed north, up 880 to the final event of the evening: a backyard bonfire and performance at the Regulars Only house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A long list of artists, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pass510/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Passwurdz\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iamfijiana/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fijiana\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mksmth_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mksmth\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thedakotawytefoxx/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Dakota Wytefoxx\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/popit4gee/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gee Pop\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wantmoren8/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WantMoren8\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tia.nomore/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tia Nomore\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/poosie_apex/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Poo$ie,\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/princessjourney_/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JourneyB tha Reason\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kvnalln/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Allen\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/callherstoni/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stoni\u003c/a> and more graced the stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The audience itself was full of talented individuals who could’ve easily rocked the mic with the scheduled performers. Folks like \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mad.lines/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MADlines\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/firstnameian/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Kelly\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kingtahoe/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">King Tahoe \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/guapdad4000/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guapdad 4000\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/champgreen/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Champ Green\u003c/a> held down the grill, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rexx Life Raj\u003c/a> was in full photographer mode.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917666\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917666\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Wantmoren8 spitting rhymes during a performance in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday August 13, 2022.\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-1020x682.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/5491A041-12A5-452B-9767-0DA68D518390.jpg 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wantmoren8 spitting rhymes during a performance in the Regulars Only backyard on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At one point Raj hit the stage and grabbed the mic, just to take an orchestrated photo of the crowd. A sea of who’s-who. Smiles and peace signs. Only a portion of the full list of attendees that evening, but it captured the sentiment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The view from the stage shows people at the function, and it shows a house in the background, one that’s being remodeled.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "instagramLink",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"instagramUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/ChTIrgOvexd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\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>This weekend was a reminder that it’s not always about reaching a new level or getting to that next platform, it’s more about appreciating the stage you’re on—even if you’re in between stages.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13917611/life-between-the-stages-lil-kayla-and-san-jose-jazz",
"authors": [
"11491"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_69"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1331",
"arts_10278",
"arts_831",
"arts_1420",
"arts_1143",
"arts_1146",
"arts_1084",
"arts_2078"
],
"featImg": "arts_13917667",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13917506": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13917506",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917506",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1660587602000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1660587602,
"format": "audio",
"title": "Raised in San Jose, Phillip Garcia Stars in New Pandemic Comedy Series 'Sprung'",
"headTitle": "Raised in San Jose, Phillip Garcia Stars in New Pandemic Comedy Series ‘Sprung’ | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When Phillip Garcia landed a starring role in the new TV comedy \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em>, which premieres this Friday on Amazon subsidiary Freevee, he couldn’t wait to tell his grandma—and not just because he knew she’d be proud. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 34-year-old actor, who’s guest starred on crime dramas like \u003cem>Criminal Minds\u003c/em> and \u003cem>CSI: Vegas\u003c/em>, was excited about something else: “I could spare her not having to see me die on TV anymore,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='news_11908377']Garcia, originally from San Jose, says family is important to him—on and off screen. In \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em>, his character Rooster is released from prison due to COVID, and he ends up sheltering in place with a group of formerly incarcerated folks. Those include the show’s hero and Rooster’s former cellmate Jack (Garret Dillahunt), Rooster’s mom Barb (Martha Plimpton) and Gloria, Jack’s former prison girlfriend (Shakira Barrera).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The show, created by Greg Garcia (\u003cem>My Name Is Earl\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Raising Hope\u003c/em>), follows Jack as he navigates life outside prison and bands together with this new family, using their criminal expertise to do some good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It becomes this Robin Hood story, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor,” said Garcia, who got his start in musical theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s Brian Watt caught up with Garcia to talk about \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em>, his Bay Area roots and the possibility of a 49ers film.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.headshot.sq_.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man in headshot against a dark background\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13917624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.headshot.sq_.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.headshot.sq_-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phillip Garcia. \u003ccite>(Anderson Group)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BRIAN WATT: Was there ever a moment of trepidation about doing a show that basically laughs at the expense of the pandemic?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PHILLIP GARCIA: Without getting too political, Greg [Garcia] did a great job, not hitting you over the head with it. The story is truly about these characters going through something that we all went through. I think we need something like this right now. We need to poke fun at ourselves a little bit, and to say, “Hey, remember when we didn’t know whether we could touch our faces?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What is it about your character Rooster that you connect with?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, I auditioned for the villain character, and all my friends, they all said, “Oh, Phillip is so sweet. He has such a positive outlook.” I think that’s Rooster. He’s the good guy, but he’s misunderstood at times. If there’s something that he could mess up along the way, oh, he’ll definitely mess it up: He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. And it’s funny because my mom, Barb, played by Martha Plimpton, I think the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, in terms of the IQ perspective. Greg did a good job, making Barb and Rooster the butt of every joke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re based in L.A. now, but you started in eastern San Jose, in Alum Rock. What was it like growing up there?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s predominantly Latino, more blue-collar people who are working everyday to try and make ends meet. You saw people struggling. My dad worked three jobs to try and support my brother and me. For me, to be the change, it’s a lot of weight. I just want to make my city proud. I want to make my family proud. I think about the way I grew up and the things I was surrounded by, and thank God for my family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917625\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man holds a flower in the middle of the street looking forlorn \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917625\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phillip Garcia, seen in an episode of ‘Sprung.’ \u003ccite>(Freevee/Amazon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re right next to the tech sector. At one point did your dad ever look at you and say, “Hey, I hear there’s a bunch of tech jobs just right over there. If you get into tech, you know, there’s some real money to be made!”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He wanted the best for his kids. He was a positive influence on me. When he figured out I wanted to be an actor, which happened maybe in the sixth grade, I played Mogwli in \u003cem>The Jungle Book\u003c/em>. Since there were no actors or singers in my family, my dad would drive me every Sunday to a commercial acting class for kids. He was a disciplinarian, and I remember car rides on the way to an audition for a musical. He would be like, “Okay, you got to make sure you hit that note.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Throughout your career, how have you dealt with the issue of representation? There aren’t many roles for Latinos. According to a 2021 UCLA report, Latinos appeared in only about 6 percent of roles, despite making up 19 percent of the population in the United States.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel honored to be a part of the change. Latinx is the new wave of representation. We’re seeing a lot more diversity in film and TV. When I was growing up, all I saw on TV was George Lopez and Cheech and Chong. On our show, we have two Latinos in the lead cast—Shakira Barrera and I. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I hope there’s a young man or woman who lives on the east side of San Jose and watches \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em> and sees me, brown skin, and says, “Oh, wow, I could do that, too. You work so hard, grinding at your career and then to finally get to a point where you can give back and effect some change. That’s the dream.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As I understand it, you’re still loyal to Bay Area sports teams. So if someone decided to make a biopic or TV show about an era for one of those teams, who would you want to play?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t know! I’d want to help produce. Maybe the passing of the torch from [Joe] Montana to Steve Young [both former 49ers quarterbacks]. Those are the 49ers’ glory days, man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Sprung’ premieres on Friday, Aug. 19, on the free streaming service Freevee. \u003ca href=\"https://press.amazonstudios.com/us/en/amazon-freevee-series/sprung/1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1031,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 24
},
"modified": 1705006491,
"excerpt": "The actor talks with Brian Watt about his South Bay roots, family expectations, and Latino representation. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The actor talks with Brian Watt about his South Bay roots, family expectations, and Latino representation. ",
"title": "Raised in San Jose, Phillip Garcia Stars in New Pandemic Comedy Series 'Sprung' | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Raised in San Jose, Phillip Garcia Stars in New Pandemic Comedy Series 'Sprung'",
"datePublished": "2022-08-15T11:20:02-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:54:51-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "phillip-garcia-san-jose-sprung",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/7a803c56-07a2-44f9-b7a5-aef700170292/audio.mp3",
"nprByline": "Brian Watt and Alexander Gonzalez",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "Yes",
"WpOldSlug": "raised-in-san-jose-philip-garcia-stars-in-new-pandemic-comedy-series-sprung",
"path": "/arts/13917506/phillip-garcia-san-jose-sprung",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Phillip Garcia landed a starring role in the new TV comedy \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em>, which premieres this Friday on Amazon subsidiary Freevee, he couldn’t wait to tell his grandma—and not just because he knew she’d be proud. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 34-year-old actor, who’s guest starred on crime dramas like \u003cem>Criminal Minds\u003c/em> and \u003cem>CSI: Vegas\u003c/em>, was excited about something else: “I could spare her not having to see me die on TV anymore,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11908377",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Garcia, originally from San Jose, says family is important to him—on and off screen. In \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em>, his character Rooster is released from prison due to COVID, and he ends up sheltering in place with a group of formerly incarcerated folks. Those include the show’s hero and Rooster’s former cellmate Jack (Garret Dillahunt), Rooster’s mom Barb (Martha Plimpton) and Gloria, Jack’s former prison girlfriend (Shakira Barrera).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The show, created by Greg Garcia (\u003cem>My Name Is Earl\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Raising Hope\u003c/em>), follows Jack as he navigates life outside prison and bands together with this new family, using their criminal expertise to do some good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It becomes this Robin Hood story, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor,” said Garcia, who got his start in musical theater.\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>KQED’s Brian Watt caught up with Garcia to talk about \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em>, his Bay Area roots and the possibility of a 49ers film.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.headshot.sq_.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man in headshot against a dark background\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13917624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.headshot.sq_.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.headshot.sq_-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phillip Garcia. \u003ccite>(Anderson Group)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BRIAN WATT: Was there ever a moment of trepidation about doing a show that basically laughs at the expense of the pandemic?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PHILLIP GARCIA: Without getting too political, Greg [Garcia] did a great job, not hitting you over the head with it. The story is truly about these characters going through something that we all went through. I think we need something like this right now. We need to poke fun at ourselves a little bit, and to say, “Hey, remember when we didn’t know whether we could touch our faces?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What is it about your character Rooster that you connect with?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially, I auditioned for the villain character, and all my friends, they all said, “Oh, Phillip is so sweet. He has such a positive outlook.” I think that’s Rooster. He’s the good guy, but he’s misunderstood at times. If there’s something that he could mess up along the way, oh, he’ll definitely mess it up: He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. And it’s funny because my mom, Barb, played by Martha Plimpton, I think the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, in terms of the IQ perspective. Greg did a good job, making Barb and Rooster the butt of every joke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re based in L.A. now, but you started in eastern San Jose, in Alum Rock. What was it like growing up there?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s predominantly Latino, more blue-collar people who are working everyday to try and make ends meet. You saw people struggling. My dad worked three jobs to try and support my brother and me. For me, to be the change, it’s a lot of weight. I just want to make my city proud. I want to make my family proud. I think about the way I grew up and the things I was surrounded by, and thank God for my family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917625\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A Latino man holds a flower in the middle of the street looking forlorn \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917625\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Garcia.rose_.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Phillip Garcia, seen in an episode of ‘Sprung.’ \u003ccite>(Freevee/Amazon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re right next to the tech sector. At one point did your dad ever look at you and say, “Hey, I hear there’s a bunch of tech jobs just right over there. If you get into tech, you know, there’s some real money to be made!”\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He wanted the best for his kids. He was a positive influence on me. When he figured out I wanted to be an actor, which happened maybe in the sixth grade, I played Mogwli in \u003cem>The Jungle Book\u003c/em>. Since there were no actors or singers in my family, my dad would drive me every Sunday to a commercial acting class for kids. He was a disciplinarian, and I remember car rides on the way to an audition for a musical. He would be like, “Okay, you got to make sure you hit that note.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Throughout your career, how have you dealt with the issue of representation? There aren’t many roles for Latinos. According to a 2021 UCLA report, Latinos appeared in only about 6 percent of roles, despite making up 19 percent of the population in the United States.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel honored to be a part of the change. Latinx is the new wave of representation. We’re seeing a lot more diversity in film and TV. When I was growing up, all I saw on TV was George Lopez and Cheech and Chong. On our show, we have two Latinos in the lead cast—Shakira Barrera and I. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I hope there’s a young man or woman who lives on the east side of San Jose and watches \u003cem>Sprung\u003c/em> and sees me, brown skin, and says, “Oh, wow, I could do that, too. You work so hard, grinding at your career and then to finally get to a point where you can give back and effect some change. That’s the dream.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As I understand it, you’re still loyal to Bay Area sports teams. So if someone decided to make a biopic or TV show about an era for one of those teams, who would you want to play?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t know! I’d want to help produce. Maybe the passing of the torch from [Joe] Montana to Steve Young [both former 49ers quarterbacks]. Those are the 49ers’ glory days, man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Sprung’ premieres on Friday, Aug. 19, on the free streaming service Freevee. \u003ca href=\"https://press.amazonstudios.com/us/en/amazon-freevee-series/sprung/1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13917506/phillip-garcia-san-jose-sprung",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_13917506"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_235",
"arts_990"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2210",
"arts_10278",
"arts_1084",
"arts_585",
"arts_2792"
],
"featImg": "arts_13917626",
"label": "arts"
},
"arts_13917346": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13917346",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13917346",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1660153142000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 140
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1660153142,
"format": "standard",
"title": "At San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Bird Still Lives",
"headTitle": "At San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Bird Still Lives | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker hadn’t even been buried yet when graffiti started appearing around New York City proclaiming “Bird Lives.” Like the ichthys symbol carved into walls by early Christians, the cryptic message spoke to the almost messianic power of Parker’s music and the eternal spirit of the central creative force behind the modern jazz movement known as bebop. Initially the handiwork of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/nyregion/ted-joans-74-jazzy-beat-poet-known-for-bird-lives-graffiti.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Beat poet Ted Joans\u003c/a>, the tag “Bird Lives” quickly became a watchword for the countless bebop disciples who continued to spread Parker’s gospel after his death in 1955 at the age of 34.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While aspects of Bird’s famously shambolic life off-stage may have led many young musicians down a treacherous path, Parker also embodied a Platonic ideal as a relentlessly curious artist who found something to feed his improvisational flights wherever he listened. Drawing sustenance from his blues-steeped upbringing in Kansas City, he forged a rhythmic and harmonic idiom that’s no less awe-inspiring today despite its wholesale absorption into jazz’s mainstream. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all pay homage to the Bird,” says New Orleans saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., speaking by video call from Berlin. Awarded the A.B. Spellman \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkBzAI4CZhQ&t=1s\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship\u003c/a> for Jazz Advocacy this year, Harrison returns to the Bay Area on Sunday, Aug. 14, for “Charlie Parker at 100,” a pandemic-delayed celebration of the centennial of Bird’s birth on Aug. 29, 1920. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-800x496.jpg\" alt=\"Two photos side by side of men in suits holding saxophones\" width=\"800\" height=\"496\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917381\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-800x496.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_.jpg 804w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Javon Jackson and Gary Bartz (L–R) perform a tribute to Charlie Parker at this year’s San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Jose Jazz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Assembled and led by tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, the all-star aggregation is one of the headlining events at the \u003ca href=\"https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/lineup\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">San Jose Jazz Summer Fest\u003c/a>, which runs Aug. 12–14 at outdoor stages and venues around downtown’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Encompassing blues and R&B, salsa and soul, various Latin American traditions, and of course an array of jazz styles, Summer Fest presents a deep roster of top acts, including Charlie Wilson, Durand Jones, Ledisi, Lee Fields, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For sheer improvisational wattage, “Charlie Parker at 100” lights up the jazz side of the roster, bringing together three of the music’s most prodigious altoists with Charles McPherson, 83, and Gary Bartz, 81, joining Harrison, a relatively young lion at 62. “Everybody is coming from Bird,” said Jackson, who noted his deep ties to his fellow saxophonists. “Charles grew up with my dad in Joplin, Missouri and he’s kind of like my uncle. We’ve got some arrangements that feature us in different configurations, and we’re going to celebrate the legacy of Bird, an incredible artist by every measure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parker’s footprint at Summer Fest extends far beyond the main stage on Sunday. With Kansas City-reared \u003ca href=\"https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/artists/bobby-watson-curtis-lundy-quartet-with-cyrus-chestnut-and-victor-jones\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bobby Watson\u003c/a>’s Saturday afternoon and evening sets paving the way for the “Parker at 100” triumvirate, San Jose Jazz has booked a majority of the alto saxophone’s half-dozen greatest practitioners. (Watson and Bartz played together on the 2020 album \u003cem>Bird at 100\u003c/em> (Smoke Sessions Records), and he could have easily been part of Sunday’s confab if he wasn’t co-leading an all-star quartet with bassist Curtis Lundy featuring pianist Cyrus Chestnut and drummer Victor Jones.) \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsycKtvHp7U\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Charles and Gary are my heroes,” said Watson, 68. “They’re both poets. Charles is bebop from head to toe, but it’s his own bebop. He’s a master chef and he’s created his own recipes. I try to see him and listen to him whenever I can. And Gary Bartz, he’s got his sound, which is what we’re all after.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrison describes McPherson and Bartz as mentors. It’s no coincidence that he and Bartz and Watson all had formative experiences in the hard bop crucible of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, an essential proving ground for rising young players for more than three decades. One of the rhythmic architects of bebop, the drummer was a dedicated evangelist when it came to spreading knowledge about the art form. “Blakey was able to tell you things that Bird told him, which was priceless,” Harrison said. “I don’t have to read a book. I got it straight from the horse’s mouth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No album better captures Blakey’s connection to Parker than the classic 1950 set recorded at the club named in the altoist’s honor, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZASRGepLjc\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">One Night In Birdland\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, featuring Blakey, bebop piano fountainhead Bud Powell, short-lived trumpet great Fats Navarro and bassist Curly Russell, which Harrison describes as “a treasure of priceless ideas. Just relentless invention. I liken it to doing quantum mechanics, but on the saxophone. Bird is playing fully formulated ideas. Every song and idea is a masterpiece, perfectly constructed. It’s one of the reasons I decided to include everything I heard in my lifetime in my music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAMWKcOtn0Y\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Harrison, who ascended to the Big Chief leadership role in the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians once held by his father, the key to understanding Parker isn’t found in his unprecedented virtuosity. It’s in the emotional depth of his playing and breadth of his vision. He credits Bird’s observation that “if you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn” with fundamentally shaping his mentality as an artist, “playing blues with the blues player, funk with the funk players, orchestral music with symphonies, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian music with the greatest from the tradition, and tribal music from New Orleans. I’ve been around people at the forefront, because Charlie Parker told me.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Beats celebrated Parker and his fellow bebop explorers for their passion and improvisational in-the-moment ethos, but the praise was often couched as if Black artists somehow embodied pure and instinctual expression, rather than intellectual discipline. It’s a racial trope that surfaces again and again when it comes to jazz, but Harrison is hardly the only jazz master who imbibed the studious imperative of Bird’s legacy. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coming up on the Detroit jazz scene in the wake of bebop, McPherson was shaped by his early exposure to Parker’s pervasive influence. Like Harrison, he embraced Bird’s insight that engagement with all manner of creative pursuits feeds an improviser’s consciousness. He only met the polymathic modern jazz patriarch briefly as a teenager, but McPherson learned about his expansive intellectual purview from fellow Detroiters like vocalist Sheila Jordan, still going strong at 93, and the late pianist Barry Harris.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-800x582.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a suit holds an alto saxophone against yellow and orange lighting\" width=\"800\" height=\"582\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-800x582.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-1020x742.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-160x116.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-768x559.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-1536x1118.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles McPherson. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Jose Jazz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Sheila said Bird was very much aware of modern classical music and modern painting, Chagall and Miro,” said McPherson, a longtime San Diego resident. “He would tell them, there’s a connection between all the arts and you’re supposed to know these things too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When McPherson describes his musical upbringing, he makes it clear that curiosity about the world was considered part and parcel of a jazz musician’s creative life. He vividly recalls a time when he showed his decidedly mediocre report card to Harris, who let him know that his artistic ambition couldn’t be separated from intellectual discipline. “He said that if you really want to play this music well, you can’t be average, and that just hit home,” McPherson said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the first time somebody I admired was saying that, and it changed my whole life. The little group I hung out with, in order to be hip, you also needed to know about Bertrand Russell, Nietzsche, Spinoza. Bird could sit down and talk about quantum mechanics. Our notion of hip was a broad thing, and Bird’s the guy who started to make it that way.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discussions with heavyweights like Harrison, Watson, Bartz and McPherson aren’t dorm-room bong sessions. San Diego-raised pianist Rob Schneiderman, who spent two decades as a top New York accompanist for jazz giants like Chet Baker, J.J. Johnson, and James Moody, credits his early-career conversations with McPherson about Einstein’s theory of spacetime with setting him on a path that eventually led to a PhD in mathematics from UC Berkeley. He’s now a professor of mathematics at City University of New York’s Lehman College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Bartz says all music is the same,” Harrison said. “We all play the same notes and rhythms, but different versions of it. I was realizing that we often think of music in a two-dimensional way, getting from Point A to Point B. But when I look at the quantum aspect, I could see that I could make music four-dimensionally using the idea that the entity making the move from Point A to B can go through every permutation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a century after his birth, Bird is still word, and bebop is the music of the future. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Gary Bartz, Charles McPherson, Javon Jackson and Donald Harrison Jr. perform on Sunday, Aug. 14, at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ca href=\"https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1614,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 22
},
"modified": 1705006513,
"excerpt": "On Aug. 14, alto all-stars Gary Bartz, Charles McPherson, Javon Jackson and Donald Harrison Jr. honor Charlie Parker in a saxophone summit.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "On Aug. 14, alto all-stars Gary Bartz, Charles McPherson, Javon Jackson and Donald Harrison Jr. honor Charlie Parker in a saxophone summit.",
"title": "At San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Bird Still Lives | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "At San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Bird Still Lives",
"datePublished": "2022-08-10T10:39:02-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:55:13-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "san-jose-jazz-charlie-parker-gary-bartz-charles-mcpherson",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"WpOldSlug": "at-san-jose-jazz-summer-fest-bird-still-lives",
"path": "/arts/13917346/san-jose-jazz-charlie-parker-gary-bartz-charles-mcpherson",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker hadn’t even been buried yet when graffiti started appearing around New York City proclaiming “Bird Lives.” Like the ichthys symbol carved into walls by early Christians, the cryptic message spoke to the almost messianic power of Parker’s music and the eternal spirit of the central creative force behind the modern jazz movement known as bebop. Initially the handiwork of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/nyregion/ted-joans-74-jazzy-beat-poet-known-for-bird-lives-graffiti.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Beat poet Ted Joans\u003c/a>, the tag “Bird Lives” quickly became a watchword for the countless bebop disciples who continued to spread Parker’s gospel after his death in 1955 at the age of 34.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While aspects of Bird’s famously shambolic life off-stage may have led many young musicians down a treacherous path, Parker also embodied a Platonic ideal as a relentlessly curious artist who found something to feed his improvisational flights wherever he listened. Drawing sustenance from his blues-steeped upbringing in Kansas City, he forged a rhythmic and harmonic idiom that’s no less awe-inspiring today despite its wholesale absorption into jazz’s mainstream. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all pay homage to the Bird,” says New Orleans saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., speaking by video call from Berlin. Awarded the A.B. Spellman \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkBzAI4CZhQ&t=1s\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship\u003c/a> for Jazz Advocacy this year, Harrison returns to the Bay Area on Sunday, Aug. 14, for “Charlie Parker at 100,” a pandemic-delayed celebration of the centennial of Bird’s birth on Aug. 29, 1920. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-800x496.jpg\" alt=\"Two photos side by side of men in suits holding saxophones\" width=\"800\" height=\"496\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917381\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-800x496.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Javon.Bartz_.jpg 804w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Javon Jackson and Gary Bartz (L–R) perform a tribute to Charlie Parker at this year’s San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Jose Jazz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Assembled and led by tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, the all-star aggregation is one of the headlining events at the \u003ca href=\"https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/lineup\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">San Jose Jazz Summer Fest\u003c/a>, which runs Aug. 12–14 at outdoor stages and venues around downtown’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Encompassing blues and R&B, salsa and soul, various Latin American traditions, and of course an array of jazz styles, Summer Fest presents a deep roster of top acts, including Charlie Wilson, Durand Jones, Ledisi, Lee Fields, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For sheer improvisational wattage, “Charlie Parker at 100” lights up the jazz side of the roster, bringing together three of the music’s most prodigious altoists with Charles McPherson, 83, and Gary Bartz, 81, joining Harrison, a relatively young lion at 62. “Everybody is coming from Bird,” said Jackson, who noted his deep ties to his fellow saxophonists. “Charles grew up with my dad in Joplin, Missouri and he’s kind of like my uncle. We’ve got some arrangements that feature us in different configurations, and we’re going to celebrate the legacy of Bird, an incredible artist by every measure.”\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>Parker’s footprint at Summer Fest extends far beyond the main stage on Sunday. With Kansas City-reared \u003ca href=\"https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/artists/bobby-watson-curtis-lundy-quartet-with-cyrus-chestnut-and-victor-jones\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bobby Watson\u003c/a>’s Saturday afternoon and evening sets paving the way for the “Parker at 100” triumvirate, San Jose Jazz has booked a majority of the alto saxophone’s half-dozen greatest practitioners. (Watson and Bartz played together on the 2020 album \u003cem>Bird at 100\u003c/em> (Smoke Sessions Records), and he could have easily been part of Sunday’s confab if he wasn’t co-leading an all-star quartet with bassist Curtis Lundy featuring pianist Cyrus Chestnut and drummer Victor Jones.) \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/gsycKtvHp7U'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/gsycKtvHp7U'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“Charles and Gary are my heroes,” said Watson, 68. “They’re both poets. Charles is bebop from head to toe, but it’s his own bebop. He’s a master chef and he’s created his own recipes. I try to see him and listen to him whenever I can. And Gary Bartz, he’s got his sound, which is what we’re all after.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrison describes McPherson and Bartz as mentors. It’s no coincidence that he and Bartz and Watson all had formative experiences in the hard bop crucible of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, an essential proving ground for rising young players for more than three decades. One of the rhythmic architects of bebop, the drummer was a dedicated evangelist when it came to spreading knowledge about the art form. “Blakey was able to tell you things that Bird told him, which was priceless,” Harrison said. “I don’t have to read a book. I got it straight from the horse’s mouth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No album better captures Blakey’s connection to Parker than the classic 1950 set recorded at the club named in the altoist’s honor, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZASRGepLjc\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">One Night In Birdland\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, featuring Blakey, bebop piano fountainhead Bud Powell, short-lived trumpet great Fats Navarro and bassist Curly Russell, which Harrison describes as “a treasure of priceless ideas. Just relentless invention. I liken it to doing quantum mechanics, but on the saxophone. Bird is playing fully formulated ideas. Every song and idea is a masterpiece, perfectly constructed. It’s one of the reasons I decided to include everything I heard in my lifetime in my music.”\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/kAMWKcOtn0Y'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/kAMWKcOtn0Y'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>For Harrison, who ascended to the Big Chief leadership role in the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians once held by his father, the key to understanding Parker isn’t found in his unprecedented virtuosity. It’s in the emotional depth of his playing and breadth of his vision. He credits Bird’s observation that “if you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn” with fundamentally shaping his mentality as an artist, “playing blues with the blues player, funk with the funk players, orchestral music with symphonies, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian music with the greatest from the tradition, and tribal music from New Orleans. I’ve been around people at the forefront, because Charlie Parker told me.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Beats celebrated Parker and his fellow bebop explorers for their passion and improvisational in-the-moment ethos, but the praise was often couched as if Black artists somehow embodied pure and instinctual expression, rather than intellectual discipline. It’s a racial trope that surfaces again and again when it comes to jazz, but Harrison is hardly the only jazz master who imbibed the studious imperative of Bird’s legacy. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coming up on the Detroit jazz scene in the wake of bebop, McPherson was shaped by his early exposure to Parker’s pervasive influence. Like Harrison, he embraced Bird’s insight that engagement with all manner of creative pursuits feeds an improviser’s consciousness. He only met the polymathic modern jazz patriarch briefly as a teenager, but McPherson learned about his expansive intellectual purview from fellow Detroiters like vocalist Sheila Jordan, still going strong at 93, and the late pianist Barry Harris.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13917383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-800x582.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a suit holds an alto saxophone against yellow and orange lighting\" width=\"800\" height=\"582\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13917383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-800x582.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-1020x742.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-160x116.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-768x559.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1-1536x1118.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/CharlesMcPherson1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles McPherson. \u003ccite>(Courtesy San Jose Jazz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Sheila said Bird was very much aware of modern classical music and modern painting, Chagall and Miro,” said McPherson, a longtime San Diego resident. “He would tell them, there’s a connection between all the arts and you’re supposed to know these things too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When McPherson describes his musical upbringing, he makes it clear that curiosity about the world was considered part and parcel of a jazz musician’s creative life. He vividly recalls a time when he showed his decidedly mediocre report card to Harris, who let him know that his artistic ambition couldn’t be separated from intellectual discipline. “He said that if you really want to play this music well, you can’t be average, and that just hit home,” McPherson said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the first time somebody I admired was saying that, and it changed my whole life. The little group I hung out with, in order to be hip, you also needed to know about Bertrand Russell, Nietzsche, Spinoza. Bird could sit down and talk about quantum mechanics. Our notion of hip was a broad thing, and Bird’s the guy who started to make it that way.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discussions with heavyweights like Harrison, Watson, Bartz and McPherson aren’t dorm-room bong sessions. San Diego-raised pianist Rob Schneiderman, who spent two decades as a top New York accompanist for jazz giants like Chet Baker, J.J. Johnson, and James Moody, credits his early-career conversations with McPherson about Einstein’s theory of spacetime with setting him on a path that eventually led to a PhD in mathematics from UC Berkeley. He’s now a professor of mathematics at City University of New York’s Lehman College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Bartz says all music is the same,” Harrison said. “We all play the same notes and rhythms, but different versions of it. I was realizing that we often think of music in a two-dimensional way, getting from Point A to Point B. But when I look at the quantum aspect, I could see that I could make music four-dimensionally using the idea that the entity making the move from Point A to B can go through every permutation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a century after his birth, Bird is still word, and bebop is the music of the future. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" 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>\u003cem>Gary Bartz, Charles McPherson, Javon Jackson and Donald Harrison Jr. perform on Sunday, Aug. 14, at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. \u003ca href=\"https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13917346/san-jose-jazz-charlie-parker-gary-bartz-charles-mcpherson",
"authors": [
"86"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_69"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1420",
"arts_1694",
"arts_1084",
"arts_2078"
],
"featImg": "arts_13917382",
"label": "arts_140"
},
"arts_13916627": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13916627",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13916627",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1658865127000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1658865127,
"format": "standard",
"title": "San Jose’s Star 99 Blossom from Their D.I.Y. Punk Beginnings",
"headTitle": "San Jose’s Star 99 Blossom from Their D.I.Y. Punk Beginnings | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to Pass the Aux, where KQED Arts & Culture brings you our favorite new tracks by Bay Area artists. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/pass-the-aux\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check out past entries and submit a song for future coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before performing together in backyards, sheds and basements, the members of San Jose band \u003ca href=\"https://star99.bandcamp.com/album/star-99\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Star 99\u003c/a> spent their younger years exploring the South Bay’s small but sturdy indie punk scene. Saoirse Alesandro, Jeremy Romero, Thomas Romero and Chris Gough attended shows, danced and headbanged together to the loud, energetic songs of their favorite bands Shinobu and Algernon Cadwallader.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, years later, they make their own music—emerging into the punk archive they grew up admiring. On July 10, they released their latest project \u003cem>STAR 99\u003c/em>, featuring three songs titled “Born to Run,” “Vegas” and “Wyoming.”\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=911153190/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>Upon first listen, Star 99’s songs start and end in a flurry, reading like jumbled diary entries set to blaring instrumentals that swell to satisfying resolutions. “All of the lyrics are from my journal,” Saoirse, the band’s lead vocalist confirms, describing the song making process as an “exorcism.” She pulls from her most personal thoughts and, with her bandmates, tinkers with them to various chord progressions until something clicks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like much of the band’s discography, “Vegas” builds on the melodic qualities of ’90s pop punk and indie rock, with fast and hard drums, a deep, hypnotic bassline, cranked-up guitar riffs and angsty lyrics that transport listeners to their teenage years. [aside postid='arts_13916282']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And beautiful as ever, you’re the smell of the air in December / And everything got fucked up but school starts again in September / And no one’s allowed into my room,” Alesandro sings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While this single retains some of the playfulness of Star 99’s 2021 debut EP \u003cem>My Year in Lists\u003c/em>, “Born to Run” experiments with slower melodies that emphasize the wistful tenderness of past relationships: “T-shirts huddled in corners in warehouse rooms / Pick through a pile and find it soon / Reno’s got casinos and I’ve got you / The morning when we’re waking up / The coffee grows cold in the cup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alesandro attributes this newfound slowness in their songs to the growing comfort between the bandmates as they learn how to work together musically. While their first EP was about travel, uncertainty and movement, Star 99’s evolving security in playing with each other led to more reflections on stillness and connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now, I feel like we can butt heads and still love each other,” says Saoirse. “And, I think how much we love each other kind of comes through, which is fun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The band’s love for punk extends to the greater local scene, as they hope to continue playing shows accessible to all ages. Once free-spirited teen punks themselves, they aim to nurture newer generations of people with love for the music that raised them.\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>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CgQhIoDLqoc/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Star 99 begins touring this August\u003c/a>, with shows in Corvallis, Seattle, Portland, Fresno and Los Angeles. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 534,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=911153190/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/"
],
"paragraphCount": 15
},
"modified": 1705006570,
"excerpt": "The trio’s new project is tender yet cathartic, with cranked-up guitar riffs and journal entry-like lyrics.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The trio’s new project is tender yet cathartic, with cranked-up guitar riffs and journal entry-like lyrics.",
"title": "San Jose’s Star 99 Blossom from Their D.I.Y. Punk Beginnings | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "San Jose’s Star 99 Blossom from Their D.I.Y. Punk Beginnings",
"datePublished": "2022-07-26T12:52:07-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T12:56:10-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "san-joses-star-99-blossom-from-their-d-i-y-punk-beginnings",
"status": "publish",
"templateType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/arts/13916627/san-joses-star-99-blossom-from-their-d-i-y-punk-beginnings",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to Pass the Aux, where KQED Arts & Culture brings you our favorite new tracks by Bay Area artists. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/pass-the-aux\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check out past entries and submit a song for future coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before performing together in backyards, sheds and basements, the members of San Jose band \u003ca href=\"https://star99.bandcamp.com/album/star-99\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Star 99\u003c/a> spent their younger years exploring the South Bay’s small but sturdy indie punk scene. Saoirse Alesandro, Jeremy Romero, Thomas Romero and Chris Gough attended shows, danced and headbanged together to the loud, energetic songs of their favorite bands Shinobu and Algernon Cadwallader.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, years later, they make their own music—emerging into the punk archive they grew up admiring. On July 10, they released their latest project \u003cem>STAR 99\u003c/em>, featuring three songs titled “Born to Run,” “Vegas” and “Wyoming.”\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=911153190/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>Upon first listen, Star 99’s songs start and end in a flurry, reading like jumbled diary entries set to blaring instrumentals that swell to satisfying resolutions. “All of the lyrics are from my journal,” Saoirse, the band’s lead vocalist confirms, describing the song making process as an “exorcism.” She pulls from her most personal thoughts and, with her bandmates, tinkers with them to various chord progressions until something clicks.\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>Like much of the band’s discography, “Vegas” builds on the melodic qualities of ’90s pop punk and indie rock, with fast and hard drums, a deep, hypnotic bassline, cranked-up guitar riffs and angsty lyrics that transport listeners to their teenage years. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13916282",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And beautiful as ever, you’re the smell of the air in December / And everything got fucked up but school starts again in September / And no one’s allowed into my room,” Alesandro sings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While this single retains some of the playfulness of Star 99’s 2021 debut EP \u003cem>My Year in Lists\u003c/em>, “Born to Run” experiments with slower melodies that emphasize the wistful tenderness of past relationships: “T-shirts huddled in corners in warehouse rooms / Pick through a pile and find it soon / Reno’s got casinos and I’ve got you / The morning when we’re waking up / The coffee grows cold in the cup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alesandro attributes this newfound slowness in their songs to the growing comfort between the bandmates as they learn how to work together musically. While their first EP was about travel, uncertainty and movement, Star 99’s evolving security in playing with each other led to more reflections on stillness and connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now, I feel like we can butt heads and still love each other,” says Saoirse. “And, I think how much we love each other kind of comes through, which is fun.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The band’s love for punk extends to the greater local scene, as they hope to continue playing shows accessible to all ages. Once free-spirited teen punks themselves, they aim to nurture newer generations of people with love for the music that raised them.\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>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CgQhIoDLqoc/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Star 99 begins touring this August\u003c/a>, with shows in Corvallis, Seattle, Portland, Fresno and Los Angeles. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13916627/san-joses-star-99-blossom-from-their-d-i-y-punk-beginnings",
"authors": [
"11813"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_69"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_13240",
"arts_913",
"arts_1084"
],
"featImg": "arts_13916629",
"label": "arts"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"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": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/arts?tag=san-jose": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 96,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 185,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"arts_13926491",
"arts_13926618",
"arts_13926203",
"arts_13925233",
"arts_13923743",
"arts_13922186",
"arts_13920483",
"arts_13919506",
"arts_13917611",
"arts_13917506",
"arts_13917346",
"arts_13916627"
],
"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_san-jose": {
"isLoading": true
},
"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"
},
"source_arts_13926618": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13926618",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "/food/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13926203": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13926203",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13925233": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13925233",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13922186": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13922186",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "One Beautiful Thing From 2022",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13920483": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13920483",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/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_76": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_76",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "76",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Fashion/Design",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Fashion/Design Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 77,
"slug": "design",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/design"
},
"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_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_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_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_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_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"
},
"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_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_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_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_21732": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21732",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21732",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "japanese food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "japanese food Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21744,
"slug": "japanese-food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/japanese-food"
},
"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_20006": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_20006",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "20006",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Tommy Cleary",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Tommy Cleary Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20018,
"slug": "tommy-cleary",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/tommy-cleary"
},
"arts_7005": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_7005",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "7005",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Indigenous",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Indigenous Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 7017,
"slug": "indigenous",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/indigenous"
},
"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_19757": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_19757",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "19757",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "nixtamalization",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "nixtamalization Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19769,
"slug": "nixtamalization",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/nixtamalization"
},
"arts_2303": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2303",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2303",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Commentary",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Commentary Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2315,
"slug": "commentary",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/commentary"
},
"arts_2767": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2767",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2767",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "commentary",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "commentary Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2779,
"slug": "commentary",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/commentary"
},
"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_831": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_831",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "831",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Hip Hop",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"socialTitle": "Fresh Off the Streets: Get Amped by the Bay's Hottest Hip-Hop Stories",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Discover rising stars, hidden gems, and live events that'll keep your head nodding. Find your next favorite local hip hop artist right here.",
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index",
"title": "Fresh Off the Streets: Get Amped by the Bay's Hottest Hip-Hop Stories",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 849,
"slug": "hip-hop",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/hip-hop"
},
"arts_19127": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_19127",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "19127",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "One Beautiful Thing",
"slug": "one-beautiful-thing",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "One Beautiful Thing | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 19139,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/one-beautiful-thing"
},
"arts_4355": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4355",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4355",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "rbl posse",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "rbl posse Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4367,
"slug": "rbl-posse",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/rbl-posse"
},
"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_3800": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3800",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3800",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "vallejo",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "vallejo Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3812,
"slug": "vallejo",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/vallejo"
},
"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_22352": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22352",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Immigration",
"slug": "immigration",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Immigration | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22364,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/immigration"
},
"arts_2370": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2370",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2370",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "daca",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "daca Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2382,
"slug": "daca",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/daca"
},
"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_1773": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1773",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1773",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "immigration",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "immigration Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1785,
"slug": "immigration",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/immigration"
},
"arts_3001": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3001",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3001",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "silicon valley",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "silicon valley Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3013,
"slug": "silicon-valley",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/silicon-valley"
},
"arts_13238": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_13238",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13238",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Sports",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Sports Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 13250,
"slug": "sports",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/sports"
},
"arts_1442": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1442",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1442",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "skateboarding",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "skateboarding Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1454,
"slug": "skateboarding",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/skateboarding"
},
"arts_2475": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2475",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2475",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "South Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "South Bay Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2487,
"slug": "south-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/south-bay"
},
"arts_14954": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14954",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14954",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Sunnyvale",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Sunnyvale Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14966,
"slug": "sunnyvale",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sunnyvale"
},
"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_1331": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1331",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1331",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "bay area",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "bay area Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1343,
"slug": "bay-area",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/bay-area"
},
"arts_1420": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1420",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1420",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "jazz",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "jazz Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1432,
"slug": "jazz",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/jazz"
},
"arts_1143": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1143",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1143",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 692,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/oakland"
},
"arts_2078": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2078",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2078",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "san jose jazz",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "san jose jazz Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2090,
"slug": "san-jose-jazz",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/san-jose-jazz"
},
"arts_235": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_235",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "235",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 236,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/news"
},
"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_2210": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2210",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2210",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Amazon",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Amazon Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2222,
"slug": "amazon",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/amazon"
},
"arts_2792": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2792",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2792",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "tv",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "tv Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2804,
"slug": "tv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/tv"
},
"arts_1694": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1694",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1694",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "music festivals",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "music festivals Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1706,
"slug": "music-festivals",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/music-festivals"
},
"arts_13240": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_13240",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13240",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Pass the Aux",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"socialTitle": "Bay Area Beats: Discover New Music with KQED's Pass the Aux",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Discover rising stars, genre-bending gems, and local legends recommended by our music experts. Tune in, crank it up, and find your next musical obsession.",
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "index",
"title": "Bay Area Beats: Discover New Music with KQED's Pass the Aux",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 13252,
"slug": "pass-the-aux",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/pass-the-aux"
},
"arts_913": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_913",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "913",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "punk",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "punk Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 931,
"slug": "punk",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/punk"
}
},
"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
}
}
