Menu Stories Podcast

Episode 11 features Chef Sara Hauman, a young chef already making waves in San Francisco at Huxley Restaurant in the Tenderloin. Huxley opened less than a year ago, but Chef Sara, who most recently came from Bar Agricole, has already been recognized by Eater and the San Francisco Chronicle as a stand-out. Listen to the episode to discover why this San Diego area native has a strong influence in Spanish cuisine and, at just 28 years old, has already worked at some of the world’s top rated restaurants. Subscribe to the Menu Stories podcast on menustories.com. Music provided by Ben Sound.

Welcome to episode 10 of Menu Stories! Today's episode is a great fit because this summer marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of Pizzeria Delfina, one of the Bay Area's most popular pizzerias and part of the Delfina Restaurant Group. We meet Executive Chef Anthony Strong, who now oversees all 6 restaurants in the group (4 Pizzeria Delfina locations, Locanda, and the original Delfina), under chef-proprietor team Chef Craig Stoll and Annie Stoll. Subscribe to Menu Stories on menustories.com. Music provided by Ben Sound.

Lisa Fetterman, co-founder and CEO of Nomiku, shares how she and her husband and co-founder, Abe Fetterman, put everything on the line to get Nomiku, a device that makes it easy to prepare food with the sous vide technique, off the ground. Listen to the episode and discover what Fetterman has to say about food and sex, what it's like to put everything on the line to get your product off the ground, and how imaginative people can be with Nomiku, creating everything from the expected sous vide proteins to tie dye clothing to cannabis infused foods. Subscribe on menustories.com for more episodes. Music by Ben Sound.

Chef Proprieter Brenda Buenviaje of Brenda's French Soul Food in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood meets with Menu Stories host and editor, Rebecca Goberstein, in the podcast's 8th episode. Chef Brenda is a native of New Orleans and, after training in classical cooking techniques and being invited to cook at the James Beard House, decided to open her own restaurant in her new home of San Francisco with the flavors and style of the city where she grew up. Subscribe on menustories.com for more episodes. Music by Ben Sound.

The 7th episode of Menu Stories features Caleb Zigas, Executive Director of La Cocina, an incubator kitchen that helps low income women get their start as food entrepreneurs. Part of what La Cocina, based in San Francisco's Mission District, strives to achieve is maintaining cultural diversity among the city's small business owners - something Zigas passionately feels makes cities stronger and better for all its residents. Subscribe on menustories.com for more episodes. Music by Ben Sound.

In the 6th episode of Menu Stories, we meet Executive Chef Adam Keough, a celebrated chef who was raised in South Boston, trained under Michael Mina, and was integral in cementing Absinthe as one of San Francisco's most loved and acclaimed restaurants. Music provided by Ben Sound.

Husband and wife team, Chef Tim Archuleta and Erin Archuleta of ICHI Sushi + Ni Bar, meet with us in their newest restaurant, ICHI Kakiya, which opened just over a month ago. Tim and Erin are full of energy and we cover everything from the origins of sushi in Japan and how to eat it properly, how Tim wooed Erin with oysters (and karaoke skills), and how they've kept up with the dramatic pace with which the neighborhood where they live and work, Bernal Heights, has shifted in just a couple of years. Music provided by Ben Sound.

Meet Miguel Jara, owner of the legendary La Taqueria in San Francisco’s Mission District, as he sits down with Menu Stories host, Rebecca Goberstein. La Taqueria has been a local Mission favorite for over 40 years, since Jara opened it in 1973, not just because of the food, but because of the warmth and humor that Jara embodies. The magic of La Taqueria extends beyond Jara to the delicious food his taqueria serves, which earned national acclaim when ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight named La Taqueria as makers of the best burrito in America in 2014. Despite the attention, Jara remains humble, with an unbridled sense of humor. Music provided by Ben Sound and the sounds of La Taqueria.

Michael Feno's family has owned Lucca Ravioli Company since 1925. Michael’s Great Uncle Francesco Stangalini came to San Francisco in the 1920s to look for work and eventually bought the existing ravioli company that produced pasta at this location in the Italian suburb that became the Mission District. Ever since, Lucca Ravioli has remained a family owned business and Michael started working at the shop in 1966, at the age of 11. We learn about Italian cuisine, how Lucca sources their ingredients and remains authentic to current Italian flavors, and hear Michael tell us how the Mission has changed over the decades.Music by Ben Sound.

Chef Gonzalo Guzman of Nopalito, one of San Francisco's most beloved Mexican restaurants, meets with Rebecca Goberstein on Nopalito on 9th's beautiful garden patio. The day was sunny, the kitchen was preparing for lunch, and the birds were kind enough to provide some background music. Raised in what he calls a 'box' of a house in Veracruz, Mexico, Guzman prepared his first meal, a pot of beans, at the age of six. As you listen to Guzman share his story, it'll be impossible to ignore his work ethic, his humility, and his total dedication to excellent food that reflects the Mexico that Guzman is proud to hail from. He was only a teenager when he made the difficult move away from his family in Mexico to work in the United States. And work, he did. Guzman constantly held multiple jobs at one time, starting out as a dishwasher at age 15. Because of the pride he takes in everything he does, even washing dishes, Guzman kept moving up the ranks of the kitchen, eventually impressing chef Laurence Jossel, owner of Nopa, a classic San Francisco restaurant in the Panhandle. If you’re thinking Nopa and Nopalito sound related, that's because they are. You’ll find out why in this interview. Music provided by Ben Sound.