Bay Curious

Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, a KQED reporter, dives into the savory world of bacon-wrapped hot dogs and their cultural significance in the Bay Area. She shares the inspiring story of a Nicaraguan vendor overcoming adversity, shedding light on the challenges faced by street food sellers. The podcast also explores the unique Sonoran hot dog and its elaborate toppings, while discussing the nostalgia and community ties surrounding this iconic snack. Discover the resilience of vendors striving for recognition amidst a vibrant culinary landscape!

Gabriela Glueck, a producer with a keen eye for history, explores the fascinating transformation of Milpitas from a sleepy agricultural town to a bustling city. She highlights the key role of the Ford factory, which opened in 1955 and sparked significant social change. Listeners will hear personal anecdotes from former workers that illustrate the factory's impact on their lives. The discussion culminates in the nostalgic transition from the factory to the Great Mall, a major milestone for the community.

Katherine Monahan, a seasoned reporter, dives into the fascinating history of long-standing Bay Area businesses that trace their roots back to the Gold Rush. She unveils the iconic Levi Strauss & Company and its revolutionary impact on workwear, particularly the evolution of denim. The discussion also highlights Tadic Grill, a culinary gem serving delectable dishes since 1849, showcasing its cultural heritage. Listeners are invited to connect with this rich history while testing their Bay Area trivia knowledge for fun.

When it comes to private school enrollment, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Marin counties are all well above the state average. But why? In today's episode, we'll explore the many reasons San Francisco families choose to send their kids to private schools. It's a trend rooted in the history of desegregation that's been hard to reverse. Additional Resources: Why Is Private Schooling So Popular in the San Francisco Bay Area? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Join host Xorje Andrés Olivares and guests to explore what it means to live within a hyphenation. Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to have easy conversations about hard things: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. Hyphenación—where conversation and cultura meet!

As part of Youth Takeover Week at KQED The Bay and Bay Curious have teamed up to collaborate with four high school students who live in San Pablo, Fremont, Walnut Creek and San Jose. For several months, these teenagers — two juniors and two seniors — have shared what’s going on in their lives, what’s got them worried, what’s making them excited and what they're passionate about. Additional Resources Read the transcript for this episode Check out more from Youth Takeover Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Jessica Kariisa, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Mel Velasquez, Kyana Moghadam, Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Olivia Allen-Price will be taking a step back from the show for a few months to give birth to her second child. Bay Curious producer and editor Katrina Schwartz will be stepping into the host role while she's gone. The two are both parents of young children in the Bay Area, so for this bonus hand-off episode they discuss some of the ways living here has changed since becoming mothers, including the high cost of housing in San Francisco and San Mateo.Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode The Future Looks Bright For Fairyland, as It Seeks to Better Reflect Oakland's Cultural Rainbow Fairy Houses Enchant Point Richmond With Miniature Worlds of Whimsy Where To Take Kids in the Bay Area New Parent? Ideas For Exploring With a Little Kid Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsBay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

A lot of things in the South Bay, specifically around Cupertino and Mountain View, are named after somebody called Stevens. There’s Stevens Creek Boulevard, the Stevens Creek watershed, and Stevens Creek Reservoir, to name a few. Our question asker, Pete Smoot, wants to know: Who exactly was Stevens? Turns out we should really be asking: "Who was Stephens?" with a P-H! We've been misspelling the name of Elisha Stephens for decades. In this episode we learn more about the man behind the name, and his adventurous pioneer life in early California.Additional Resources: The South Bay Is All 'Stevens Creek' This and 'Stevens Creek' That. So Who Is This Stevens Anyway? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Gabriela Glueck, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Starting in the mid-1800s, salmon canneries were big business along the West Coast, stretching all the way up to Alaska. San Francisco played an outsized role in the industry — especially in providing the workers who did the tough, dirty, low-paid work in the canneries. We trace the salmon connections between San Francisco and Alaska and learn about the early workers who made the industry possible. Additional Resources: How Canned Salmon Became Big Business in Gold Rush San Francisco Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Bay Curious listener Tom Rauch grew up in Berkeley in the 1960s. Some of his most vivid memories from that time are of the old Berkeley dump. “It really was just this big, giant pit where you backed up your car, opened up your trunk and just shoveled whatever you had into this open pit,” he said. Fast forward to today, and the dump is long gone. In its place is César Chávez Park, a big grassy expanse with sweeping views of the entire San Francisco Bay. Rauch recently started to wonder about the old dump, and submitted some questions to Bay Curious. How did it go from a squalid mass of junk to a beautiful shoreline park where people go to walk their dogs, fly kites and have picnics? And what are some of the challenges of turning a big pile of trash into a recreational space? Reporter Dana Cronin takes us on the journey to find out.Additional Reading: The 'Trashy' History of Berkeley’s César Chávez Park Read the transcript of this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Dana Cronin. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.