In 1971, Alice Waters and some friends opened a neighborhood bistro in Berkeley with the aim of serving meals with the food and atmosphere of a dinner party at home. Forty years later, the way the nation eats has been dramatically changed by Chez Panisse. As the restaurant marks its anniversary, Forum talks with local chefs and food writers about the impact Chez Panisse has had on the local and national food scene.
Michael Bauer, executive food and wine editor and restaurant critic for The San Francisco Chronicle and member of the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards Committee
Sustainable Meat and the Art of Butchery
In recent years, more chefs and consumers are demanding local, sustainable meats, driving some to raise and butcher their own livestock. KQED's Forum gets into the gristle with three butchers and talk all about meat, from what consumers should be asking at the counter to how to cook a whole pig in the backyard.
It's 4th of July weekend, and for a lot of Bay Area cooks that means heading outdoors and firing up the grill. Forum talks BBQ and grilling techniques, and compare notes on favorite foods prepared by fire.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
Amanda Gold, food writer for the San Francisco Chronicle
Chris Ying, editor in chief for Lucky Peach Quarterly, a new journal of food writing published by McSweeney's
Eric Markoff, chef at Anchor and Hope in San Francisco and developer of the BBQ program at Town Hall Restaurant
Customers shop for fresh vegetables at a farmers market on March 16, 2011 in San Francisco. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty
How can you be sure those cherries or plums from the farmers market are really local or organic? Last year, a TV station in Los Angeles found vendors making false claims -- including stalls selling produce bought from wholesalers. KQED's Forum discusses new proposals to increase enforcement, and find out how consumers can ensure they're getting the genuine artichoke.
UCSF professor Robert Lustig became an Internet video sensation when he spoke out about the evils of sugar in a post that went viral on YouTube. He was also recently featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story, "Is Sugar Toxic?" Lustig joins Forum in the studio to discuss sugar's role in diabetes, obesity and related diseases.
Guest:
Robert Lustig, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology and director of the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Program at the UCSF Medical Center
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.
A farmworker harvests lettuce near the border town of Calexico, California. Photo: Hector Mata/Getty
A new report by the United Farm Workers and food service company Bon Appetit Management asserts that health and safety protections for U.S. farmworkers are inadequate and rarely enforced. On Cesar Chavez Day, Forum got an update on conditions for farmworkers in California.
Shark fins sit on the floor of a Hong Kong warehouse, waiting to be sorted out and exported. Photo: Anne Cecile Guthmann
A new bill introduced by state Assembly members Paul Fong and Jared Huffman sinks its teeth into the sale and distribution of shark fins in California. Environmentalists say AB376 would help stop the torture and slaughter of endangered shark species. But state Senator Leland Yee and some members of the Chinese business community contend that sweeping legislation is too broad of an approach. They also see the law as an attack on Asian culture.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
Adam Keigwin, chief of staff for state Senator Leland Yee
John McCosker, senior scientist and chair of the Department of Aquatic Biology at the California Academy of Sciences
Paul Fong, assemblyman for California's 22nd District
Peter Knights, executive director of Wild Aid -- a non-profit organization committed to stopping the illegal wildlife trade
Many San Francisco restaurants often boast that the fish they serve is "sustainable." But a closer look suggests that might not be the case. Forum talks with restaurant owners and fish wholesalers about the challenges of catching, selling and serving "sustainable" fish -- and what it will take for your conscience to match what's on your plate.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
Craig Stoll, chef and owner of Delfina restaurant and pizzeria in San Francisco
Erik Vance, journalist and author of the San Francisco Magazine article, "The New School of Fish"
Kenny Belov, co-owner of Fish restaurant in Sausalito and the wholesale company 2xsea
Paul Johnson, founder and president of the Monterey Fish Market, a wholesale and retail fish market in the San Francisco Bay area
Chef and restaurateur Rene Verdon has died at his home in San Francisco. He was the chef for President John F. Kennedy, and, along with Julia Child, helped popularize French cooking in the United States. Verdon wrote five cookbooks and his San Francisco restaurant, Le Trianon, set high standards for French food.
Host Cy Musiker talks with chef Roland Passot, owner of La Folie about the mark Rene Verdon made on the American culinary scene.
Hunger in the Bay Area originally aired on KQED Radio's Forum 88.5FM Fri, Nov 26, 2010 -- 9:30 AM
In San Francisco, one of every five children is at risk of going hungry and the numbers are similar in other Bay Area counties. As the holiday season begins, food bank and soup kitchen operators are reporting a spike in the number of families that are seeking food. We talk with officials from several Bay Area food agencies about the need they're seeing and how people can help.
Many San Francisco restaurants often boast that the fish they serve is "sustainable." But a closer look suggests that might not be the case. 
