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Sara Deseran’s “Off Menu”
In this episode of Hot Gossip, we’re joined by Sara Deseran, longtime food writer, Editor at The San Francisco Standard, and former restaurateur behind the beloved Tacolicious group, for a conversation that sits at the tender intersection of food, storytelling, and staying power.
We explore what it means to devote yourself to an industry that is as beautiful as it is brutal, and the tension between the romanticism of restaurants and the stark realities behind the scenes. Sara shares what she’s learned from decades inside both the media and hospitality worlds, and why, despite everything, she’s still here.
From the power of a well-set dining room to the weight of being a cultural gatekeeper, this episode is about truth-telling in an industry that often resists it. We talk about the stories that don’t get told, the damage of “best of” lists, and the quieter, more lasting kind of influence that happens when a space, or a voice, makes you feel at home.
Timestamps
00:00 – Why we make this show: on devotion, generosity, and obsession
03:15 – Café Jacqueline: a single soufflé, a whole philosophy
08:10 – How media has evolved, and what it’s costing us
14:25 – Storytelling in the age of iPhones, algorithms, and burnout1
9:05 – Sara’s journey: from magazine mastheads to taco counters
25:50 – The Bon Appétit “mea culpa” and what writing from the inside looks like
32:30 – What we lose when we forget that restaurants are human endeavors
38:05 – Food writing vs. food reality: nuance, empathy, and the missing middle
46:00 – Can love and livelihood co-exist in hospitality?
51:30 – The danger of ranking joy: a critique of “Top 100” lists
59:45 – Substack, saturation, and writing when no one’s watching
1:06:30 – What a restaurant that feels like home actually gives us
1:09:00 – Why hospitality might be the last place left for real human connection
Links & Mentions
Connect with Sara Deseran
Website: https://www.saradeseran.com/Editor: sfstandard.com
Mea culpa, Bon Appétit: Dear Restaurant Owners
Connect with ROY Hospitality
Website: https://www.thisisroy.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospitablyroy/
Connect with Hannah Collins Tate
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-collins-tate-b64981103/Hannah’s Substack: hannahcollinstate.substack.com
Connect with Jacob Cross
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-cross-61028012/
View all episodes
By ROYIn this episode of Hot Gossip, we’re joined by Sara Deseran, longtime food writer, Editor at The San Francisco Standard, and former restaurateur behind the beloved Tacolicious group, for a conversation that sits at the tender intersection of food, storytelling, and staying power.
We explore what it means to devote yourself to an industry that is as beautiful as it is brutal, and the tension between the romanticism of restaurants and the stark realities behind the scenes. Sara shares what she’s learned from decades inside both the media and hospitality worlds, and why, despite everything, she’s still here.
From the power of a well-set dining room to the weight of being a cultural gatekeeper, this episode is about truth-telling in an industry that often resists it. We talk about the stories that don’t get told, the damage of “best of” lists, and the quieter, more lasting kind of influence that happens when a space, or a voice, makes you feel at home.
Timestamps
00:00 – Why we make this show: on devotion, generosity, and obsession
03:15 – Café Jacqueline: a single soufflé, a whole philosophy
08:10 – How media has evolved, and what it’s costing us
14:25 – Storytelling in the age of iPhones, algorithms, and burnout1
9:05 – Sara’s journey: from magazine mastheads to taco counters
25:50 – The Bon Appétit “mea culpa” and what writing from the inside looks like
32:30 – What we lose when we forget that restaurants are human endeavors
38:05 – Food writing vs. food reality: nuance, empathy, and the missing middle
46:00 – Can love and livelihood co-exist in hospitality?
51:30 – The danger of ranking joy: a critique of “Top 100” lists
59:45 – Substack, saturation, and writing when no one’s watching
1:06:30 – What a restaurant that feels like home actually gives us
1:09:00 – Why hospitality might be the last place left for real human connection
Links & Mentions
Connect with Sara Deseran
Website: https://www.saradeseran.com/Editor: sfstandard.com
Mea culpa, Bon Appétit: Dear Restaurant Owners
Connect with ROY Hospitality
Website: https://www.thisisroy.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hospitablyroy/
Connect with Hannah Collins Tate
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-collins-tate-b64981103/Hannah’s Substack: hannahcollinstate.substack.com
Connect with Jacob Cross
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-cross-61028012/