Soleil Ho

Last updated

Soleil Ho (born 1987or1988) [1] is an American chef, food writer, podcaster, and restaurant critic. Formerly co-host of the podcast The Racist Sandwich , [2]

Contents

Ho became the food critic at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2019, replacing Michael Bauer. [1] Ho left the position in 2023, becoming a part of the Chronicle's opinion desk. [3] Ho was awarded the James Beard Award for Criticism in 2022, and was nominated for the same award in 2020 and 2023. [4]

Early life and education

Born into a Vietnamese-American family in rural Illinois, Ho was raised in New York City with their mother Francie, who worked in the fashion industry, and their sister. [5] They graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 2005. [6] Ho graduated from Grinnell College in 2009. [1]

Career

As a chef, Ho has worked at restaurants in New Orleans, Minneapolis, [7] Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, where their mother owned a restaurant. [1]

Ho and journalist Zahir Janmohamed launched a podcast titled Racist Sandwich about under-reported issues in the food industry in 2016; one of their listeners, artist and writer Blue Delliquanti, collaborated with them on the 2017 graphic novel MEAL about "eating bugs, queer desire, and opening a restaurant".

In 2019, they replaced Michael Bauer, who retired after 32 years as the restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. [7] Ho has joked that Bauer, their predecessor at the newspaper, held the job since they were "not even a fetus". [1] In their first year, they produced a new methodology for the Chronicle's listicles, prioritizing diversity, affordability and localness, detailing ADA compliance and plant-based options, using public transportation, and eliminating starred reviews. [5]

Literary works

Ho is careful about the connotations of the words they select. A specific example is that they do not use the term "kaffir lime" because kaffir is a racial slur in South Africa. More generally, they do not think that "ethnic" food is a legitimate concept. Ho says "The imprecision of the word—and the assumption that it doesn’t apply equally to people and cuisines associated with Europe or white America—gives me such a headache." [8] They consider terms like "sustainable," "responsibly grown" and "farm-to-table" to be marketing buzzwords that are too often abused. [9] Ho is especially critical of gentrification in their writing, expressing concern that food writing can function as "the language of real estate marketing". [5]

Ho mentions poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib, food critic Ruth Reichl and newspaper critic-at-large Wesley Morris as among their influences. Ho says that they want to write about restaurants that "tell a story" which may focus on "race, gender, class or the culture of the Bay Area". [1]

Ho and journalist Zahir Janmohamed launched a podcast titled Racist Sandwich about under-reported issues in the food industry in 2016; one of their listeners, Blue Delliquanti, co-authored a graphic novel titled MEAL with them the next year. The book is described as a "graphic novel on culinary mentorship, queer romance, and eating insects". [5] [7]

Concerned about their legacy in a high-profile position, Ho commented, "What if I screw up and no one ever hires a queer woman of color for a role like this again?" [10]

Related Research Articles

Benu is the first restaurant in San Francisco to have received Three Michelin Stars. Located in the SoMa district, Benu was opened in 2010 by chef Corey Lee, the former Chef de Cuisine at the French Laundry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Florence</span> American chef (born 1971)

Tyler Florence is an American chef and television host of several Food Network shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metreon</span> Shopping mall

The Metreon is a shopping center located in downtown San Francisco, California, United States at the corner of 4th Street and Mission Street. It is a four-story 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) building built over the corner of the underground Moscone Center convention center. Metreon opened on June 16, 1999, as the first of a proposed chain of Sony "urban entertainment centers", aggregating dining, games, music, exhibitions, shopping, and movies. Sony intended the ambitious US$85 million project to be a theme park and gallery for Sony products, and to reinforce a sophisticated image for the Sony brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Severson</span> American journalist

Kim Marie Severson is a reporter for The New York Times. She won a Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2018 as part of The New York Times coverage of sexual harassment and abuse and is a four-time James Beard award–winner for food writing. Severson has published multiple cookbooks and a cooking themed memoir.

San Francisco is an American monthly magazine devoted to the people, culture, food, politics, and arts of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published monthly by Modern Luxury publications.

A food critic, food writer, or restaurant critic is a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tartine</span> American bakery chain

Tartine is a small, US-based bakery chain. As of February 2022, it operates three locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, five in Los Angeles, and six in Seoul Capital Area, South Korea. Its original bakery opened in 2002 in San Francisco's Mission District, at 600 Guerrero Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Oseland</span> American writer, editor and television personality

James Oseland is an American writer, editor and television personality. He is the author and editor-in-chief of World Food, an acclaimed book series from Ten Speed Press. He served as editor-in-chief of the U.S. food magazine Saveur from 2006 to 2014. His memoir and cookbook Cradle of Flavor was named one of the best books of 2006 by the New York Times, Time Asia, and Good Morning America, among others. He has edited an array of bestselling and award-winning anthologies and cookbooks, notably Saveur: The New Comfort Food, A Fork In the Road, and Saveur: The New Classics. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Gourmet, Vogue, and dozens of other media outlets. He was a judge from 2009 to 2013 on the Bravo television series Top Chef Masters.

Anthony Eric Myint is an American restaurateur, chef, activist, author and food consultant based in the Mission in San Francisco, California. He is a founder of Mission Chinese Food, "The Perennial", Mission Street Food, Mission Cantina, "Mission Burger", "Lt. Waffle", and "Commonwealth Restaurant". He is a pioneer in the environmental and charitable restaurant movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas McNaughton</span> American chef, restaurateur and cookbook writer

Thomas McNaughton is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He is the chef and owner of Flour + Water, Penny Roma, Flour + Water Pasta Shop, and Flour + Water Pizzeria in San Francisco, California.

A16 is an Italian restaurant in California. There are two locations: the original location in San Francisco and a second location in Oakland. The restaurant's cuisine focuses on the Italian region of Campania. In 2014, the restaurant was named to the Top 100 Restaurants in San Francisco list by Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Quince is a restaurant in the Jackson Square neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Opened in 2003 by chef Michael Tusk and his wife, Lindsay, in Pacific Heights, the restaurant has been located in Jackson Square since 2009. A sister restaurant, Cotogna, opened next door in 2011.

<i>The Racist Sandwich</i> American culinary podcast

Racist Sandwich is an American food podcast hosted by Stephanie Kuo and Juan Diego Ramírez. The podcast was originally hosted by San Francisco Chronicle Food Critic Soleil Ho and journalist Zahir Janmohamed. The podcast focuses on race, gender and class within the food industry in the United States and abroad. The podcast debuted in May 2016 and airs bi-weekly on Wednesday. The podcast was nominated for a 2019 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swan Oyster Depot</span> Restaurant in California, United States

Swan Oyster Depot is a seafood eatery and cultural landmark located in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It opened there in 1903 and except for a brief hiatus and rebuilding period following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it has been running continuously in the same venue since that time. This makes it one of the longest continuous businesses and dining establishments in the United States. Swan's menu has remained largely unchanged throughout its history, and it has had exactly the same 18 wooden stools and marble counter that were installed for the post-earthquake reopening in 1912.

State Bird Provisions is a San Francisco restaurant founded by chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.

Corey Lee is a Korean-American chef and restaurateur based in San Francisco. In 2014, his flagship restaurant, Benu, became the first in San Francisco to receive three Stars from the Michelin Guide, making Lee the first Korean chef to garner that accolade. In 2019, Benu made its debut on The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Lee is also a two-time James Beard Award winner and a goodwill ambassador to Seoul.

Californios is a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco, California, serving Mexican cuisine. Its head chef is Val M. Cantu, one of the restaurant's co-owners. Californios earned its first Michelin star in 2015 and its second in 2017, becoming the first US restaurant serving Mexican cuisine to earn two Michelin stars. Its original Mission District location closed in 2020. The restaurant relocated to the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood in early 2021.

Rose Pistola was an Italian restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. Specializing in cuisine from the Ligurian region of Italy, it opened in 1996, by Reed Hearon, a Texas-born chef, and received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant the following year.

Cathy Erway is a food blogger, cookbook author, and freelance food author.

Jonathan Kauffman is an American food writer who has written for Bon Appétit, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Hazlitt, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco (magazine), Eater, Men's Health, Wine & Spirits, and Lucky Peach.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Judkis, Maura (March 8, 2019). "Soleil Ho is a young, queer woman of color who wants to redefine food criticism". Washington Post . Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ Hung, Melissa (December 14, 2017). "'Racist Sandwich': This podcast wants you to think critically about race and food". NBC News.
  3. ↑ Crowley, Chris (8 February 2023). "Why San Francisco's Top Restaurant Critic Is Resigning After Just Four Years". Grub Street. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Awards Search | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kirts, Leo (19 July 2024). "Meet the Nonbinary Food Writer Reimagining Restaurant Criticism". Them. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  6. ↑ Barry, Dan (2005-06-25). "For This Class, 'Remember When' Mingles With 'Never Forget'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  7. 1 2 3 Carman, Tim (December 5, 2018). "San Francisco Chronicle hires writer and 'Racist Sandwich' podcast host Soleil Ho as its new restaurant critic". Washington Post . Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  8. ↑ Oatman, Maddie (March 23, 2019). "Stop Calling It "Ethnic Food"—and More Tips on How to Talk About Eating". Mother Jones . Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ Barmann, Jay (February 28, 2019). "New Chronicle Critic Soleil Ho Drops a Doozy of a Review of Chez Panisse, Calls It 'Stale'". SFist . Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Rainey, Clint (February 4, 2019). "Meet Soleil Ho, America's Newest Restaurant Critic". Grubstreet . Retrieved May 12, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.