74 episodes

Join host Soleil Ho as they attempt to decipher the bizarro happenings of the food world alongside a mix of fascinating folks. They dismantle diet culture and angry chefs, cover the restaurant apocalypse and pandemic pivots, and dish out advice you didn't know you needed. Extra Spicy will stimulate your mind and your appetite.

Extra Spicy San Francisco Chronicle

    • Arts
    • 4.1 • 225 Ratings

Join host Soleil Ho as they attempt to decipher the bizarro happenings of the food world alongside a mix of fascinating folks. They dismantle diet culture and angry chefs, cover the restaurant apocalypse and pandemic pivots, and dish out advice you didn't know you needed. Extra Spicy will stimulate your mind and your appetite.

    Eat MSG with Me: With Goop Power, Comes Goop Responsibility

    Eat MSG with Me: With Goop Power, Comes Goop Responsibility

    Jenny Yang is waiting on an RSVP from the “Goop” goddess and L.A. queen of clean eating, Gwenyth Paltrow. Why? To have a fact-based conversation about MSG. A seasoning and flavor enhancement, monosodium glutamate has a bad rap stemming from racist and xenophobic rhetoric. On the Season 3 finale of the Extra Spicy podcast, Yang talks to Extra Spicy host and Chronicle food critic Soleil Ho about the world of wellness, who decides what is “clean” in “clean eating,” plus the importance of cultural representation.
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    • 29 min
    Can a Bake Sale Fight Racism?

    Can a Bake Sale Fight Racism?

    In early 2020, Paola Velez was inspired to bring Bakers Against Racism to life. It's an organization she co-founded with chef Rob Rubba, to fundraise for causes they care about, like their latest fundraiser in support of Ukraine during the Russian invasion. They've also baked for Black artists and Haitian refugees, raising over $2.5 million in the process. Host Soleil Ho speaks with Velez about how she got started in the industry and her goal to remain a "good person" throughout her career. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod
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    • 31 min
    The Seattle Chef Building a Platform for Secret Cookies

    The Seattle Chef Building a Platform for Secret Cookies

    Chef and newly minted tech entrepreneur Eric Rivera has done everything in the food world from running his own restaurant, to cooking 12-course tastings in people's homes, to publishing e-books and selling Puerto Rican seasonings online. Rivera speaks with host Soleil Ho about his latest project, Beet, which is a foray into the tech industry. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod
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    • 30 min
    Introducing Fixing Our City

    Introducing Fixing Our City

    New Chronicle podcast: Host Laura Wenus and producer Cintia Lopez are on a quest to find out why one of the wealthiest and best-educated cities in America, one where most people belong to the same political party and subscribe to the same basic values, has so many intractable problems. And more importantly: Can they be fixed? Join us as we find out, one San Francisco story at a time. Coming June 21 from the San Francisco Chronicle’s SFNext project. Follow Fixing Our City on your favorite app.
    Got a tip, question, comment? Email us at sfnext@sfchronicle.com
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    • 1 min
    Optimism Warning: Diversifying the Coffee Industry Might Be Working

    Optimism Warning: Diversifying the Coffee Industry Might Be Working

    High-pressure, super-structured coffee competitions consist of baristas making coffee for a panel of judges who scrutinize everything from how many times a cup is tapped to the color of someone's pants. These events prompt the question: who determines what is "professional" and who can access this field? On this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho speaks to Veronica Grimm, founder of Glitter Cat Barista, a non-profit organization reimagining the coffee industry by providing support, resources, and mentorship for marginalized hospitality professionals. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod
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    • 29 min
    Hella Good Mold: Shared Cultures' Creative Koji

    Hella Good Mold: Shared Cultures' Creative Koji

    On this episode of the Extra Spicy podcast, host and restaurant critic Soleil Ho speaks to Shared Cultures founders Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo about their use of local, seasonal ingredients in products like miso and soy sauce. Koji is the star microbe popping up at restaurants all over the Bay Area, made by artisans who have taken up traditional fermentation methods with deep roots in Japan, Korea and China. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod
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    • 25 min

Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5
225 Ratings

225 Ratings

illumita ,

Representation matters

Thank you for this honest show. As an Asian American, I find the content interesting, hilarious and validating.

superdandelion ,

I love Spicy!

Soleil Ho is so smart and funny and kind, and I love the questions she asks her guests. So glad she’s sharing her knowledge of food, and it makes me appreciate living in the Bay Area!

veridia ,

My favorite podcast!

Love Soleil’s (and Justin’s, previously — miss your voice!) scope, breadth, humor, and emotion in each episode. Makes me proud to live in the Bay Area and hear from so many different and local stories. I look forward to this podcast every week, thanks so much for creating it!

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