KQED
KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California.
Featured Writers
Amy Mayer
Reporter, producer, writer, editorA teary-eyed farmer recalls his family's struggle to hold onto the farm in the 1980s. A biologist, disguised to hide her humanity, provides nutrition to an abandoned …
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Steven J. Birenbaum
Communications strategist. Writer, editor and storyteller, with multiple bylines in The New York Times. Regular on-air contributor to KQED Radio San Francisco.
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Latest Articles
This San José Food Truck Is One of the Only Dominican Food Spots in the Bay | KQED
A half-mile stretch on the outskirts of south downtown San José has become a hotbed for food trucks from across Latin America. In the past two years, new trucks have launched specializing in corn cachapas from Venezuela, tender nacatamales from Nicaragua, and, as of last May, the slow-cooked stews and …
This San José Pop-Up Bakery Sells 18 Different Varieties of Egg Tarts | KQED
You might imagine that most egg tarts are relatively indistinguishable, with their pastry cups and plain, sunglow-colored custard filling. You wouldn’t necessarily expect the treats to get remixed into dozens of different flavors. That hasn’t stopped A&M Pâtisserie. The San José–based bakery pop-up sells a whopping eighteen different egg tart …
A New San José Food Stall Specializes in Vietnamese Rice Cake Omelettes | KQED
Located at the intersection of Tully and King roads, the Lion Plaza shopping center is in many ways San José’s original Little Saigon — a hub for homesick Vietnamese Americans since the mid-’80s, though it’s since been eclipsed by trendier malls like Grand Century and Vietnam Town. But in the …
Storm Forecasted to Hit the Bay Area Early Next Week as Typhoon Halong Hits Japan | KQED
The Bay Area can expect an unusually turbulent storm for this time of year, but exactly how much rain will land early next week is still unclear. The storm is expected to follow a powerful typhoon that hit the western Pacific on Thursday morning, reaching high speeds and forcing some …
Federal Cuts Left Seasonal Employees at Yosemite Unpaid for Weeks | KQED
I spoke to KQED's The California Report podcast about my reporting on seasonal workers at Yosemite going unpaid for weeks.
The Cherries on Top | KQED
Steven Birenbaum reflects on a cherished memory with his daughters as they age into adulthood.
San Jose’s New Late-Night Hot Spot Serves Smoky, Charcoal-Grilled Arepas | KQED
On a recent Saturday night, I was food-truck-hopping in East San Jose when the aroma of charcoal lured me to a small food stand on Alum Rock — a Colombian arepa joint called Salpikitos, it turned out. I felt like I had stumbled into a family’s backyard barbecue. There was …
100 Days, 2 Americas: Assessing the Impact of Trump’s Policies on California and Texas | KQED
An NPR special featuring journalists in California and Texas talking about how President Trump's first 100 days have affected the states' residents and economies.
This Malaysian Bento Box Restaurant Is One Family’s Legacy in San Jose
I was driving by a strip mall in South San Jose when a window portrait of a cartoon chicken in a Hawaiian shirt and Comme des Garçons shoes caught my eye. What I assumed would be a fried chicken spot turned out to be a Malaysian restaurant, a rarity in …
A Tiny Takeout Window Sells Some of the Tastiest Pies in San Jose
A small red building in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood is a laboratory for unbridled culinary experimentation. At Sweetdragon Baking Company, nut brittles are filled with potato chips, pies are loaded with Japanese curry, and sweet-and-savory bacon cookies are spiked with Jack Daniels. A mural in front of the building …
Straight to Voicemail | KQED
After my father died, a wise friend advised me to preserve any voicemails I had from him. The first thing you will forget, he said, is the sound of his voice.
‘I’m Heartbroken’: California Scientists Left Adrift by Mass Federal Layoffs at NOAA | KQED
Welch said their work flowed into each other. The physical scientist developed forecasts and ocean models for changing ocean temperatures. Welch applied that data, relating it to animals, and turned it into tools for fisheries managers. Koller summarized the work and presented it to the general public. Koller was fired …
This San Jose Seafood Truck Serves One of the Spiciest Dishes in the Bay Area
Mariscos El Aguachiles 8 is a seafood trailer wrapped in a giant, chile-red octopus tucked away in a small, bustling Mexican neighborhood a few minutes from Downtown San Jose. Its main attraction? Aguachile served in 12 heat levels — ranging from tickle-in-the-back-of-your-throat to capsaicin-induced hysteria — that might be the …
An Indonesian Coffee Pop-up Brings Pandan Lattes to San Jose | KQED
Indonesian coffee shops are sprouting up in the Bay Area, introducing local caffeine hounds to aromatic, uniquely tropical drinks. The newest addition to the scene is Hijau, a coffee pop-up in San Jose known for crafting lattes with flavors like pineapple, coconut, lemongrass and ginger. South Bay residents Lisa Maria …
A South Bay Pop-Up Is Reinventing the Doughnut
The contents of a pink doughnut box are usually pretty predictable — chocolate- or sprinkle-covered rings that offer a bit of sweetness and chewiness to get you through your morning. But at Eizel’s Bakery, a pop-up in the South Bay, some of the doughnuts are glazed with crackly caramelized sugar …
Marin County Eyes a Future of All-Electric Buildings to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions | KQED
Marin County supervisors approved a countywide road map on Tuesday to reach its goal of an all-electric future.
A Game to Relish | KQED
A tennis lover, Steven Birenbaum was skeptical of the pickleball craze. He decided not to knock it until he tried it.
San Jose Gets a Guatemalan Food Truck | KQED
Food trucks tend to focus on meals that can be enjoyed on the go, so when I came across Shaddai, a new Guatemalan food truck in San Jose, I was shocked to see cooks walking steaming-hot bowls of pepián de gallina and caldo de res over to eager diners. More …
West Contra Costa School District to Appoint Interim Leader After Superintendent Announces Retirement | KQED
The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday evening voted unanimously to appoint Kim Moses as interim superintendent. Moses, who is currently the associate superintendent of business services for the district, will officially take on the role of interim superintendent in December, following the retirement of …
This San Jose Restaurant Has Been Feeding Portuguese Immigrants for Nearly 80 Years
In the heart of San Jose’s Little Portugal, a grocery store the size of a 7-Eleven features a wall of Ports and Vinho Verdes, stacks of garlicky linguiça and cases of imported cheese. But Bacalhau Grill isn’t just a specialty food market. If you peek over the shelves, you’ll see …
This San Jose Tortilleria Makes the Best Sonoran Flour Tortillas in the South Bay
In the United States, many Mexican food enthusiasts don’t consider flour tortillas to be as “authentic” as corn tortillas, arguing that they’re not a real part of the cuisine. And it’s true that the mass-produced flour tortillas you find in a Crunchwrap Supreme or packaged at the grocery store tend …
'There Is Such Optimism': Activists, Workers Welcome Deal Ending Boycott of Amy's Kitchen Products
Activists and Amy’s Kitchen workers welcomed the end of a boycott of the Petaluma-based organic food company over labor violations and unsafe working conditions and expressed optimism about the path ahead. Boycott leaders from the food justice nonprofit Food Empowerment Project announced the end of the two-year boycott on Wednesday …
Tio's Tacos, a 30-Year Journey of Authentic Mexican Cuisine and Recycled Art
“I saw an opportunity in the garbage, in recycling,” Sanchez said. “I don’t have money to buy materials, but I have bottles. I have cans. I have what the restaurant throws away.” Sanchez’s love for his hometown of Sahuayo, in the Mexican state of Michoacánis, is reflected in many of …
Salvadoran American Voters in San Francisco Divided Over Tough-on-Crime Approach
Salvadorans are the second-largest Latino population in San Francisco, and with concerns about rising crime throughout the city, the idea of voting for a more law-and-order-leaning candidate is a political force in the community. Bukele’s popularity, however, has also moved progressives in the area to mobilize against the Salvadoran president’s …
San Jose’s Most Creative Paleta Cart Is Leveling Up the Mexican Ice Pop
On a hot summer day, the sound of a paleta cart’s bells usually signals the arrival of bright red paletas de fresa, ice cream sandwiches and gumball-eyed Spider-Man popsicles. But the ice pops inside Paleta Planeta’s galaxy-wrapped cart in San Jose are different. While the cart does sell some traditional …
Old Men and the Three | KQED
"We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing."
Empanadas Are the Star of This San Jose Cafe's Vast Mexican American Menu | KQED
Cheff Che Cafe & Bar is one of those restaurants that seems to have a hundred miscellaneous dishes on the menu. It slings classic American brunch fare, homestyle Mexican breakfast and amalgamations of the two, like a fajitas Benedict and omelets smothered in mole. It serves burgers, hard tacos, crepes …
This San Jose Brewery Turns Mushrooms Into Beer, Leftover Bread Into Miso
At Fox Tale Fermentation Project, cashews are blended into vegan queso, sourdough bread gets transformed into miso and whole oysters are brewed into beer. As its name suggests, the downtown San Jose brewery is known for its experimental approach to its beers, which are made by fermenting special ingredients like …