Food | KPBS Public Media

Food

Saving The Story Of Grits, A Dish Born Of Poverty Now On Fine-Dining Menus

Kristen Hartke

Interest in grits is rising because of heirloom corn varieties and the backing of master chefs. But the Southern staple has deep roots that wind through economics, race, politics — and nostalgia.
'Debatable' List Of '100 Most Jewish' Foods Leaves Plenty Of Room For Kibbitzing

Deena Prichep

As families around the country fill their freezers with matzo balls and gefilte fish in preparation for the coming Passover Seder, a new book asks: What does it mean for a food to be Jewish?
Chef's Memoir Tackles What It's Like To Be Young, Gifted And Black In Fine Dining

Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Maria Godoy

Kwame Onwuachi's new memoir, Notes From A Young Black Chef, isn't just about his rise from poverty to celebrated restaurateur. It's also a meditation on being a black man in a rarefied world.
International

Artisanal Food Shop Helps Kosovo War-Rape Survivors Earn Income — And Heal

Valerie Plesch

Victims are still stigmatized; many keep their trauma a secret. A new shop offers survivors an income stream, sometimes for the first time in their lives, by selling their homemade traditional foods.
National

How Bob's Red Mill company became a gluten-free giant ahead of its time

Tove Danovich

For people with celiac disease, gluten-free options were very limited until relatively recently. But the 90-year-old founder of this Oregon-based business has had his eye on that market for a while.
International

Amid The Unrest In Kashmir, Dal Lake's Floating Produce Market Is A Lifeline

Jeff Koehler

Kashmir Valley, a place of stunning beauty, has been engulfed by violence for decades. While curfews often grind the rest of life to a halt, one market, sourced from giant floating gardens, is exempt.
Health

'Cultured': A Look At How Foods Can Help The Microbes Inside Us Thrive

Jonathan Lambert

The foods we put in our bodies affect the kinds of bacteria that live and flourish there. A new book explores this collaboration — and the cultures whose dishes maximize the relationship.
Economy

In Garlic Capital, Tariffs And Immigration Crackdown Have Mixed Impacts

Jasmine Garsd

Gilroy, Calif., is known as the garlic capital of the world. Two Trump administration policies — one on trade, the other on immigration — are affecting the town in starkly different ways.
Living

Vietnamese Community In City Heights Gets Little Saigon Sign Off Interstate 15

Matt Hoffman

Soon it will be even easier for people to find the Little Saigon Cultural and Commercial District.
KPBS Midday Edition

Leaving MREs Behind, Veterans Build Community Through Learning To Cook

Sarah Harris / The American Homefront Project

A cooking program in upstate New York helps veterans find camaraderie in the kitchen.