Menu Stories Podcast

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.

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.

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.

Gwyneth Borden, Executive Director of San Francisco's Golden Gate Restaurant Association, sits down with Rebecca Goberstein for the first episode of Menu Stories to discuss the importance of the restaurant community to San Francisco's culture and economy, something that any city can identify with. Gwyneth, who comes to the GGRA from the tech industry, also shares what makes the SF restaurant scene unique, compared with other major food cities, why the restaurant industry is the quintessential opportunity for immigrants to get their start in a new country, how the tech boom is impacting the SF restaurant scene, and why you should get involved with events the GGRA brings to San Francisco, like SF Restaurant Week and Eat Drink SF. 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.