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.

Latest StoriesLatest Stories

Things to Do at Night in the Bay Area (That Don't Involve 'Grabbing a Drink')

Two men stand in front of a car outside a convenience store at night, devouring takeout cartons of soul food.

Some of the Bay Area’s Tastiest Soul Food Is Sold Out of a Convenience Store in Oakland

Still image of a drone video showing a night market festival from overhead.

Suhoor Fest Is the Bay Area’s Biggest Halal Food Festival 

A pale white and grey crescent moon hangs against a black background. There are craters and pock marks on the sliver of moon.

Ramadan 2025: Where to Find Iftar and Suhoor in the Bay Area

Ever Heard of a 'Frisco Biscuit'? Neither Had Many Maritime Historians

Illustration: Two Asian men in glasses devour a burger and fries.

Believe the Teens: Beep’s Is SF’s Best Spot for Late-Night Burgers and Shakes

book title on weathered browned paper

First Known Cookbook by a Black American Woman Is Back in Print

Two women prep vegetables in a restaurant kitchen.

A New Film Celebrates Edna Lewis, the ‘Mother of Soul Food’ Who Shaped How America Eats

Missing CDC Data Concerns Doctors as Influenza and Bird Flu Outbreaks Escalate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

Check, Please! Bay AreaCheck, Please! Bay Area

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

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

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

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

Check, Please! Bay Area Returns with Delicious New February Episodes You Can’t Miss!

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: ROOH, The Barn, Kusan Uyghur Cuisine

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Cicero's Pizza, Cafe Soleil, Tony's Seafood Restaurant

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: World Green Açaí Bowl & Juice, Dalida, Villa Corona

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: The Hideout Kitchen, Tostadas, Pixiu Mala Hongtang

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)

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

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"

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

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

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.

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

A baked apple cake with spatula removing a slice

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

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

Golden State PlateGolden State Plate

Bay Area Foodie Culture Goes Way Further Back Than California Cuisine

How Rice-A-Roni Became The San Francisco Treat

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

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

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

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

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

Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie

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

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