The Racist Sandwich Podcast

Latest Episodes:

E71: Nourishing the Soul (w/ Karla T. Vasquez) Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

Juan catches up with Karla T. Vasquez, a food justice advocate by day and a food historian by night, on a journey to preserve Salvadoran culture one recipe at a time with SalviSoul. When a Google search turns up just two existing cookbooks and just as few narratives, Vasquez says "documentation is power." Vasquez is currently researching and writing a Salvadoran cookbook, highlighting the stories of Salvadoran women. She and Juan talk about learning from her mother, the power of cookbooks to pass on stories and the obstacles she's faced trying to get her book published. But first, Stephanie and Juan discuss the state of subway policing and what that means for food vendors.

Produced by Juan Ramirez and Stephanie Kuo. Music by Brad Turner and Blue Dot Sessions. Photo by Marisa Sarto Photography.

E70: Avec Rien, On Peut Faire Quelque Chose (w/ Dany Hellz Kitchen) Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

This week, Racist Sandwich is going international. Juan interviews Dany, who's cooking up spectacular meals from inside his prison cell in France. He makes everything from Moroccan tagine to tiramisu with nothing more than a small induction burner and a few items from the prison commissary (and sometimes a little something extra smuggled in from the outside). They talk about Dany's passion for cooking, how his Instagram page went viral, the politics of prison life and his plans to start a career in food when he gets out. But first, Juan and Stephanie discuss the state of podcasting and check some jerks on the Internet.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez. Music by Brad Turner and Blue Dot Sessions.

E69: We're Back!!! Bringing Kale and Quinoa to Portland's Strip Clubs (w/ Nikeisah Newton) Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

Hello listeners! We're back after a long break, with more conversations about the intersection of food, race, gender and class,. in the first part of the episode, Stephanie and Juan (your new co-hosts) catch up, reflect on the podcast's successful past and discuss how they plan to move the project forward into a successful future.

In the second part of the episode, Juan speaks with Nikeisah Newton, a Portland, Oregon-based chef and owner of Meals 4 Heels — a food delivery company that caters specifically to sex workers. Portland, the strip club capital of America, lacks healthy late-night foods – so Newton created Meals 4 Heals to fill this void, and personally delivers healthy food options to sex workers working late nights.

Listen to extra audio from this interview by becoming a Patron of the podcast today!

EP68: This Is Not A Goodbye (w/ Soleil Ho & Zahir Janmohamed) Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

We have big news. Our beloved hosts are starting amazing new chapters in their lives: Soleil is settling in as food critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, and Zahir is now in his first year of fiction writing at the University of Michigan. What does that mean for Racist Sandwich? For now, we'll be taking some time off to reflect and to plan for the future of the podcast. We (co-producers Stephanie and Juan) are working hard to figure out how we can continue to bring you all more conversations about food, race, class and gender. Thank you for being a listener, a supporter and a friend. Stay tuned!

E67: Talking Toronto Food Justice (w/ Vanessa Ling Yu, Paul Taylor & Hywel Tuscano) Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

In the final installment of our Toronto series, producer TK Matunda sits down with three community organizers to unpack Toronto's food justice scene. This episode, we hear from Vanessa Ling Yu, Director of caterToronto; Paul Taylor, Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto; and Hywel Tuscano, Co-Operator of Nish Dish.

Produced by TK Matunda. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions. Photo by Vanessa Ling Yu.

E66: I'm Not Leaving (W/ Ruben Ramos, Karla Quiñones, Abner Roldán, and Tony Ayala) Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, Juan travels to Puerto Rico and interviews people affected by Hurricane Maria. He reminisces on his own encounters with hurricanes and how Hurricane Maria's destruction reminds him of these experiences. First, Juan visits the town of Utuado to meet with Ruben Ramos, owner of a coffee plantation. The Puerto Rican coffee industry suffered a devastation from the hurricane. Mr. Ramos was among the hardest hit. Then, in San Juan, in the Santurce District, Karla Quiñones and Abner Roldán—owners of Cafe Comunión—tell us how the shortage of Puerto Rican coffee due to Hurricane Maria is affecting its quality. Finally, Juan sits with Tony Ayala—co-owner of Aqui Se Puede bar— in Old San Juan. He recalls how his community came together during the days following the hurricane.

This episode is produced by Juan Ramirez. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions, AF the Naysayer, Bandurriator, and Ray Baretto.

LINKS DU JOUR

E65: Los Angeles is Brown (w/ Daniel Hernandez) Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

Happy new year, everybody! You know what they say…new year, new episode. New hosts? Producers Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez take over the mic this week to bring you this episode on the diversity of food media in Los Angeles. But first, in part one, Juan and Stephanie talk about big life changes in 2019. Then in part two, Juan sits down with Daniel Hernandez, editor of LA Taco, to talk about everything from the decimation of true local LA media, Latinx identity, immigration and how going to Mexico helped him realize what food means to him.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez. Music by Blue Dot Sessions and AF the Naysayer.

E64: Toronto Truths (w/ Foodies of Colour) Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

Producer TK Matunda sits down with four Foodies of Colour to unpack what's going on in Toronto's food scene.

The Panel:

Eden Hagos – Founder of Black Foodie

Ryan Hinkson – Curator behind Eat Famous

Andrew Do – Curator behind 6ixspots

Aisha Silim – Curator behind Salt & Saffron

Foodies of Colour is a Toronto-based network that brings together people of colour who are passionate about food. They are a community of bloggers, writers, photographers, and food enthusiasts — and every once in a while, they get together to roam the city on fantastic food tours, organize dinners at restaurants, and host guest speakers and chefs who have great stories to tell. Visit www.foodiesofcolour.com for more information on our 2019 event series.

Produced by TK Matunda. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E63: Eating our way through Toronto (w/ Suresh Doss) Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

Producer TK Matunda tours the Toronto suburb of Scarborough with food and drink writer Suresh Doss. They talk about Toronto's food scene, being seen by food media and the difference between the downtown core and the suburbs. And this is all while eating delicious food.

Produced by TK Matunda. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E62: Sugar, Spice and Bananas with Rice (w/ Hamdi Ahmed) Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

This episode is all about Somali food: sambusas, bananas with rice and...pineapple upside-down cake? In part one, Soleil sits down with Hamdi Ahmed to talk about a cookbook she co-wrote in high school. Soo Fariista (Come Sit Down) is a collection of family recipes and a portal to her childhood food memories. They discuss her favorite dishes, fusing Somali and American cuisine and how her cookbook is just one way Somalis are becoming more visible in Minnesota. In part two, we do something a little different. Racist Sandwich isn't a cooking show, but for one day, and one day only, Soleil cooks sambusas for us! It definitely *sounds* delicious.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer, Lee Rosevere and Blue Dot Sessions.

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