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Rocky Rivera

KQED Contributor

Rocky Rivera is a journalist, emcee, author and activist from San Francisco. She has released four albums through her label, Beatrock Music, and a ten-volume mixtape series with DJ Roza. She released her first book in 2021, entitled Snakeskin: Essays by Rocky Rivera. Her latest album dropped in September 2024 and is called "Long Kiss Goodnight" with emcee/producer Otayo Dubb. She currently writes the Frisco Foodies column as a love letter to her hometown.

@rockyrivera

By Rocky RiveraBy Rocky Rivera

A woman holds up her cellphone to film a young man shucking oysters on the beach.

How I Fell in Love With the Oyster, One of the Bay Area’s Great Multicultural Treats

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Two women sit at a large round table inside a Chinese restaurant, a spread of chicken wings and other dishes in front of them.

Why My Nail Tech Is My Favorite Bay Area Foodie

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A woman in a black headwrap prepares Filipino food inside a restaurant kitchen.

The Best Filipino Restaurant in the Bay Area Isn’t a Restaurant at All

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A young man and woman pose for a photo inside a clothing store while holding a oversized Timberland work boot.

The Downtown San Francisco I Loved Was a Holiday Wonderland

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An older woman in a pink shirt looks at a music stand and holds a guitar. The text "8 over 80" and "Vangie Buell" is overlaid

After a Lifetime of Music and Activism, Vangie Buell’s Not Done Inspiring Others

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The Old-School San Francisco Sandwich That Stole My Heart

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How a Small, Mighty Independent Magazine Propelled the Hyphy Movement

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A woman prepares to toss a crab net over the edge of a pier at night.

As a Filipino American, Dungeness Crab Was Part of My OG San Francisco Childhood

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A woman looking up at the camera and smiling with delight as she tends to a pot on the stove.

A Food Altar for My Mom, Who Taught Me to Love to Eat

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