Extra Spicy

Organizer and sommelier Vinny Eng talks about working with SF New Deal, a nonprofit that has provided financial relief for restaurants by enlisting them to cook meals for people and organizations in need. Eng lays out how the program works, as well as how crucial this kind of aid can be for restaurants and communities suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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Pickle profferer and master fermenter Kelly McVicker geeks out about pickles: how time is an essential ingredient, and how an increased interest in the craft during the coronavirus pandemic is a sign that people are rethinking the place of pickles in our food system. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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The writer and television personality talks about her new show, Taste the Nation. Lakshmi, an award-winning author who previously hosted “Top Chef,” talks about using her show to broaden the definition of “American food” — as an antidote to xenophobia and ahistoric notions of who “Americans” are. | Get full Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod

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San Francisco Chronicle food writers and columnists Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips talk to fascinating food folks in the Bay Area and beyond about restaurant life, cookbooks and the devastating horror of ranch dressing. Their attempts to decipher the bizarro happenings of the food world will stimulate your mind and your appetite.

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