In this episode, we hear the morning keynote address at the La Cocina food conference delivered by Reem Assil, the founder of Reem’s Bakery and the newly opened restaurant Dyafa. Reem speaks about the targeting of civilians in Gaza and how she uses food as a way to push back against the Israeli occupation and its attempted erasure of Palestinian lives. We also hear from one of Reem’s employees about how the design and decor of Reem’s bakery reflects their mission and philosophy.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.
We have another special bonus episode to mark the start of Ramadan! Zahir travels to Dearborn, Mich., to sit down with Khaled Beydoun, a law professor and author of the newly released book, “American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear.” Khaled shares his insights about growing up in Dearborn, how being a Muslim in America has changed for him, and why the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameer in Dearborn is so seminal.
Produced by Zahir Janmohamed and Stephanie Kuo. Music by Ehab Tawfik, Youssou N'Dour and Blue Dot Sessions.
We're thrilled to have one of Soleil's food icons on the podcast this week! Francis Lam, host of The Splendid Table and food writer extraordinaire, joins Soleil for a conversation about telling the food stories that aren't "glamorous." They also talk about media gatekeepers, food as an entree into more difficult issues and how to be better allies. But before all that grand philosophizing, Zahir and Soleil celebrate the podcast's second birthday AND important James Beard Award wins for the POC food community.
A couple of announcements:
Applications are now open for the 2019 Vilcek Creative Promise Prizes in Culinary Arts until June 11. Learn more about the prizes and eligibility requirements here.
There's just a little under a week left to raise money for the "Family Style Zine: An AAPI Food Anthology" on Indiegogo. The creators hope to connect their audience to the diverse histories of AAPI food through writing and beautiful artwork. Check it out and consider donating!
Produced by Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.
Surprise! We have a special bonus episode for you after several requests to unpack the “Yellow Fever” debacle on Twitter. Writer and restaurateur Dakota Kim joins Soleil for this discussion about the Asian fusion restaurant in Long Beach, Calif. whose name has sparked a lot of controversy. It’s gotten us all wondering, “What the f*** were they thinking?” Soleil and Dakota try to answer that question and talk about respect for cultural identity, the sexualization and fetishization of Asian women, and whether the restaurant owner being a Korean-American woman changes anything.
Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.