FoodFood

KQED Food is your home for stories about all of the Bay Area’s vibrant food cultures: the taco truck, omakase counter, grocery co-op and driveway pupusa stand. Our news stories, essays, shows and features document the food scene’s latest trends and changemakers—and help guide you to your next delicious meal.

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Illustration: two men sit in front of a table loaded with cakes, pastries and coffee.

A Yemeni Coffee Shop Keeps the Masses Well Caffeinated Until Midnight

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Exterior of bakery. The sign reads "Crixa Cakes."

Crixa Cakes Was My Favorite Bay Area Bakery. Now It's Closing

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Close up of a bowl of Taiwanese braised pork rice.

The West Coast’s Biggest Taiwanese Culture Festival Returns to Union Square

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From the Juke Joint to the Museum: A Celebration of Black Cocktail Innovators

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For One Vietnamese Family, This Soup Offers Comfort on the Fall of Saigon Anniversary

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Portrait of Asian man holding an old photograph in front of a sleek apartment building.

Viet Thanh Nguyen on Growing Up at His Parents’ Grocery Store in San José

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Illustration: two men slurp bowls of ramen inside a crowded restaurant.

This Union Square Ramen Shop Slings Pure Ocean Umami Until 3:30 a.m.

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Bright green za'atar spice blend being spread on a round of dough.

These Bay Area Chefs Are Preserving Palestinian Culture One Dish at a Time

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RFK Jr. Announced a Phase-Out of ‘Poisonous’ Food Dyes. Critics Say the Plan Lacks Teeth

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Beyond The MenuBeyond The Menu

Host of Beyond the Menu, Cecilia Philips is holding a giant paper mache pretzel pretending to eat it. The text on the image reads 'Who Invented Pretzels?'

How Pretzels Went From Human Sacrifice To Beer Gardens

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A young light-skinned black woman stands in the foreground holding a bottle of chamoy. In the background, a large bottle of chamoy sauce is squeezed onto half an orange.

It’s Mexican, Asian, a Candy, a Sauce…It’s Chamoy

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A young light-skinned black woman with long hair holds chile peppers in two outstretched hands. There is a bowl of spicy chile paste behind her.

This Fiery Hot Sauce Uses a Pepper Lost To History

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A plate with a piece of fried chicken sitting on top of a waffle next to the show's host, Cecilia Phillips

Chicken and Waffles: from Amish Country to Harlem

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A close-up of a metal serving dish with rocky road ice cream scoops topped with marshmallow fluff next to a woman holding a jar of mini marshmallows and almonds in each hand.

The Chilling History of Ice Cream

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A close-up of a bag with store-bought corn tortillas next to a woman tearing up a tortilla with her hands.

Your Corn Tortilla Sucks…Science Can Fix It

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A smiling woman holding a samosa is positioned against a backdrop that is a closeup of a bowl filled with crispy triangular samosas

Samosas aren’t from India…Wait, what?

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A close-up of a birria taco with cheese next to the show's host, Cecilia Phillips.

Your Birria Taco Is Ancient History—Here’s Why

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A smiling woman is standing in the kitchen in front of four different sweet buns that each have a flag from their country of origin next to them.

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

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Check, Please! Bay AreaCheck, Please! Bay Area

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Kahnfections, Twelvemonth, Pucquio

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Got Plate Lunch, Via del Corso, Curry Leaves Bistro

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Skillet'z Cafe, Peony Seafood, Le Papillon

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Ethel's Fancy, Cato's Ale House, Kiku Sushi

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Check, Please! Bay Area Returns for Its 20th Season!

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Gumbo Social, The Bungalow Kitchen, Pomet

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Bhan Mae Vane, Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, District

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Grossman's Noshery & Bar, Jackie's Place, Crescent Bistro

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Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Fikscue, The Pawnshop, Apple Fritter

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RecipesRecipes

An array of Rancho Gordo's bagged dry white beans line the background. A silver bowl with cooked shrimp and beans with parsley are in the foreground next to Josh Decolongon, a young bald Filipino man with facial hair and glasses

We Take on Rancho Gordo's Fussiest Heirloom Bean (with Apologies to Kelly Clarkson)

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A variety of lemon meringue pies are collaged alongside images of Josh Decolongon, a young bald Filipino man with glasses. Maya Angelou's cookbook is in the lower right corner of the image.

We Recreate Maya Angelou's Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

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Young bearded Filipino man wears a green Super Mario Brothers hat. On the left is a plastic skull covered in deli meat slices. Molinari Delicatessen sign in the background.

Creep Out Your Halloween Party Guests With These "Horrors d'oeuvres"

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A smiling woman is standing in the kitchen in front of four different sweet buns that each have a flag from their country of origin next to them.

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

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A big bowl of green pea soup with chives in the background. Jacques pepin stands in the foreground in a blue plaid shirt

Get Cozy with Jacques Pépin's Pea Pod Soup Recipe

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A triptych image with a close up of rocky road ice cream on the left, a tray of oatmeal cookies on the right, and a young bald Filipino man with glasses standing over a chocolate ice cream sandwich in the middle

We Recreated an It's-It Ice Cream Sandwich at Home — With an Oakland Twist.

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One poached egg, one hard boiled egg, one oueff mollet with brilliant yellow yolks on a plate. Jacques Pepin in foreground looking at the camera.

Jacques Pépin's Tips for Perfectly Cooked Eggs

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A baked apple cake with spatula removing a slice

Spiced Apple Upside Down Cake is a Gorgeous and Delicious Holiday Recipe

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Slice of savory tart with sweet potato, chard, and a jar of hot honey

This Sweet Potato Galette with Hot Honey is a Cozy Fall Treat

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Golden State PlateGolden State Plate

Bay Area Foodie Culture Goes Way Further Back Than California Cuisine

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How Rice-A-Roni Became The San Francisco Treat

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Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California

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Golden State Plate: Rocky Road Ice Cream's Bumpy History

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Golden State Plate – The Backstory Behind California-Born Food and Drinks

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Yes, Your 'Tropical' Mai Tai Was Invented Here in Oakland

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An Island Drink With California Roots: The Mai Tai Turns 75

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Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie

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Golden State Plate: Santa Maria Barbecue, It's Not Just Tri-Tip

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