Whenever I walk down the aisles at Safeway or Target and witness non-Black people buying Aunt Jemima products, Uncle Ben’s rice or even the occasional box of Cream of Wheat — brands that have long had African American faces as logos — I think about shopping with my grandfather as a kid. Each time he bought one of these containers, he would shake his head before putting it in his cart.I now understand why.My grandfather, who is in his mid-80s, knew something it would take me about two decades to figure out: Just because these brands had Black faces on the boxes didn’t mean they were being...…Whenever I walk down the aisles at Safeway or Target and witness non-Black people buying Aunt Jemima products, Uncle Ben’s rice or even the occasional box of Cream of Wheat — brands that have long had African American faces as logos — I think about shopping with my grandfather as a kid. Each time he bought one of these containers, he would shake his head before putting it in his cart.I now understand why.My grandfather, who is in his mid-80s, knew something it would take me about two decades to figure out: Just because these brands had Black faces on the boxes didn’t mean they were being...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIn a bit of much-needed good news for San Francisco burrito-lovers, the iconic Mission District restaurant La Taqueria is set to reopen on May 27 for takeout, more than two months after the business closed its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.According to Miguel Jara, who has owned the San Francisco taqueria alongside his immediate family since 1972, the original plan was to pay his employees for the remainder of the year and keep the location closed, for safety reasons. But, he said, over the last few weeks more of his...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateIn a bit of much-needed good news for San Francisco burrito-lovers, the iconic Mission District restaurant La Taqueria is set to reopen on May 27 for takeout, more than two months after the business closed its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.According to Miguel Jara, who has owned the San Francisco taqueria alongside his immediate family since 1972, the original plan was to pay his employees for the remainder of the year and keep the location closed, for safety reasons. But, he said, over the last few weeks more of his...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateOn this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, Simileoluwa Adebajo, owner of San Francisco’s Eko Kitchen, speaks with hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips after her restaurant burned down in a major fire. She remains positive she can rebuild and has in support of her business as well as several others that lost property in the fire. She also talks about performative support for Black-owned restaurants by white folks amid the surging Black Lives Matter movement.Listen to the episode by clicking on the player above, and scroll down to...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateOn this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, Simileoluwa Adebajo, owner of San Francisco’s Eko Kitchen, speaks with hosts Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips after her restaurant burned down in a major fire. She remains positive she can rebuild and has in support of her business as well as several others that lost property in the fire. She also talks about performative support for Black-owned restaurants by white folks amid the surging Black Lives Matter movement.Listen to the episode by clicking on the player above, and scroll down to...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, co-host talks to San Francisco and professional companion Adahlia Cole about the ways in which sex work intersects with the food industry. Cole also talks about her pandemic-era work documenting the myriad side hustles that laid-off or underemployed restaurant workers have taken on in recent months to supplement their incomes.Plus: Justin Phillips and Soleil Ho tackle some listener questions about foie gras and the things they miss about restaurants.Listen to the episode by clicking on the player above, and scroll down to read a...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, co-host talks to San Francisco and professional companion Adahlia Cole about the ways in which sex work intersects with the food industry. Cole also talks about her pandemic-era work documenting the myriad side hustles that laid-off or underemployed restaurant workers have taken on in recent months to supplement their incomes.Plus: Justin Phillips and Soleil Ho tackle some listener questions about foie gras and the things they miss about restaurants.Listen to the episode by clicking on the player above, and scroll down to read a...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWhile San Mateo County on California’s coronavirus watch list, beauty salons, houses of worship and other indoor businesses are trying to hang onto a small sense of normalcy, despite a potential countywide shutdown looming.As of Saturday, San Mateo remained the only Bay Area county not on the state’s watch list of places struggling to contain the coronavirus spread. But that could change soon, which would cause the automatic closure of many indoor businesses, as well as“Having a second closure is going to hurt. If the governor...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWhile San Mateo County on California’s coronavirus watch list, beauty salons, houses of worship and other indoor businesses are trying to hang onto a small sense of normalcy, despite a potential countywide shutdown looming.As of Saturday, San Mateo remained the only Bay Area county not on the state’s watch list of places struggling to contain the coronavirus spread. But that could change soon, which would cause the automatic closure of many indoor businesses, as well as“Having a second closure is going to hurt. If the governor...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateOn this episode of Extra Spicy, co-host talks with Daniel M. Lavery about potatoes for dessert, imaginary restaurant ideas and the persistence of the dinner table as the place where family tensions come to a head. Lavery is a writer and advice columnist who has produced satirical writing on the rhetoric of beans, breasts and "Columbo" in his newsletter, .Plus: In this week’s Dear Spicy, and dole out their own advice about making it as professional food writer on the Dear Spicy segment of the podcast.Here is a full transcript...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateOn this episode of Extra Spicy, co-host talks with Daniel M. Lavery about potatoes for dessert, imaginary restaurant ideas and the persistence of the dinner table as the place where family tensions come to a head. Lavery is a writer and advice columnist who has produced satirical writing on the rhetoric of beans, breasts and "Columbo" in his newsletter, .Plus: In this week’s Dear Spicy, and dole out their own advice about making it as professional food writer on the Dear Spicy segment of the podcast.Here is a full transcript...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateUPDATE: San Francisco’s iconic finally opens in North BeachSalvador “Don Chava” Lopez, who was known in San Francisco for founding both the El Farolito restaurant chain and a premier soccer club of the same name in the San Francisco Soccer Football League, died Jan. 5.Lopez’s son, Santiago, confirmed the news of his death and described his father as “someone who loved San Francisco, and always considered it home.” Lopez was 70 years old.“We’re just happy he was able to create everything here in a city that he truly, truly loved,”...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateUPDATE: San Francisco’s iconic finally opens in North BeachSalvador “Don Chava” Lopez, who was known in San Francisco for founding both the El Farolito restaurant chain and a premier soccer club of the same name in the San Francisco Soccer Football League, died Jan. 5.Lopez’s son, Santiago, confirmed the news of his death and described his father as “someone who loved San Francisco, and always considered it home.” Lopez was 70 years old.“We’re just happy he was able to create everything here in a city that he truly, truly loved,”...WW…

Bay Area households will finally get fresh Dungeness crab this month.The between local crab fleets and wholesale buyers have ended, San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association President John Barnett confirmed to The Chronicle via text message Friday afternoon. He expects local crab fleets to begin setting up gear Monday and whole cooked crab to be available to locals by next Friday.The negotiations have been centered around local crab fleets getting roughly $3 per pound for their hauls. Barnett declined to give a specific number, but said the agreed upon price is in the “high $2 range.”Since...…Bay Area households will finally get fresh Dungeness crab this month.The between local crab fleets and wholesale buyers have ended, San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association President John Barnett confirmed to The Chronicle via text message Friday afternoon. He expects local crab fleets to begin setting up gear Monday and whole cooked crab to be available to locals by next Friday.The negotiations have been centered around local crab fleets getting roughly $3 per pound for their hauls. Barnett declined to give a specific number, but said the agreed upon price is in the “high $2 range.”Since...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBeleaguered San Francisco restaurants are struggling with a recent citywide rise in burglaries, including a slew of brazen break-ins at popular restaurants between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. It’s a situation many restaurant owners say is exacerbating anSan Francisco Police Department data shows burglaries in the city climbed from The data does not specifically show how many restaurants have been affected, but the rise in burglaries is reflected in the stories being told by business owners in interviews and on social...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBeleaguered San Francisco restaurants are struggling with a recent citywide rise in burglaries, including a slew of brazen break-ins at popular restaurants between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. It’s a situation many restaurant owners say is exacerbating anSan Francisco Police Department data shows burglaries in the city climbed from The data does not specifically show how many restaurants have been affected, but the rise in burglaries is reflected in the stories being told by business owners in interviews and on social...WW…

An endless number of things ran through Oakland native Tony Evans’ mind when he felt his body tiring during a long day of canvassing in Reno, Nevada the week before the 2020 presidential election.The 66-year-old thought about his three daughters and 10 grandchildren. He thought about losing his job as a bartender at the due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He thought about being Black in America, about police brutality, and most of all, about how he wanted President Donald Trump out of office.In the week leading up to the 2020 election, Evans was among 75 newly laid-off Bay Area food industry...…An endless number of things ran through Oakland native Tony Evans’ mind when he felt his body tiring during a long day of canvassing in Reno, Nevada the week before the 2020 presidential election.The 66-year-old thought about his three daughters and 10 grandchildren. He thought about losing his job as a bartender at the due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He thought about being Black in America, about police brutality, and most of all, about how he wanted President Donald Trump out of office.In the week leading up to the 2020 election, Evans was among 75 newly laid-off Bay Area food industry...WW…