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Soleil Ho

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Soleil Ho (born 1987 or 1988)[1] is an American chef, food writer, podcaster, and restaurant critic. Formerly co-host of the podcast The Racist Sandwich,[2]

Ho became the food critic at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2019, replacing Michael Bauer.[1] Ho left the position in 2023, becoming a part of the Chronicle's opinion desk.[3] Ho was awarded the James Beard Award for Criticism in 2022, and was nominated for the same award in 2020 and 2023.[4]

Early life and education

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Born into a Vietnamese-American family in rural Illinois, Ho was raised in New York City with their mother Francie, who worked in the fashion industry, and their sister.[5] They graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 2005.[6] Ho graduated from Grinnell College in 2009.[1]

Career

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As a chef, Ho has worked at restaurants in New Orleans, Minneapolis,[7] Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, where their mother owned a restaurant.[1]

Ho and journalist Zahir Janmohamed launched a podcast titled Racist Sandwich about under-reported issues in the food industry in 2016; one of their listeners, artist and writer Blue Delliquanti, collaborated with them on the 2017 graphic novel MEAL about "eating bugs, queer desire, and opening a restaurant".

In 2019, they replaced Michael Bauer, who retired after 32 years as the restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle.[7] Ho has joked that Bauer, their predecessor at the newspaper, held the job since they were "not even a fetus".[1] In their first year, they produced a new methodology for the Chronicle's listicles, prioritizing diversity, affordability and localness, detailing ADA compliance and plant-based options, using public transportation, and eliminating starred reviews.[5]

Literary works

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Ho is careful about the connotations of the words they select. A specific example is that they do not use the term "kaffir lime" because kaffir is a racial slur in South Africa. More generally, they do not think that "ethnic" food is a legitimate concept. Ho says "The imprecision of the word—and the assumption that it doesn’t apply equally to people and cuisines associated with Europe or white America—gives me such a headache."[8] They consider terms like "sustainable," "responsibly grown" and "farm-to-table" to be marketing buzzwords that are too often abused.[9] Ho is especially critical of gentrification in their writing, expressing concern that food writing can function as "the language of real estate marketing".[5]

Ho mentions poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib, food critic Ruth Reichl and newspaper critic-at-large Wesley Morris as among their influences. Ho says that they want to write about restaurants that "tell a story" which may focus on "race, gender, class or the culture of the Bay Area".[1]

Ho and journalist Zahir Janmohamed launched a podcast titled Racist Sandwich about under-reported issues in the food industry in 2016; one of their listeners, Blue Delliquanti, co-authored a graphic novel titled MEAL with them the next year. The book is described as a "graphic novel on culinary mentorship, queer romance, and eating insects".[5][7]

Concerned about their legacy in a high-profile position, Ho commented, "What if I screw up and no one ever hires a queer woman of color for a role like this again?"[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Judkis, Maura (March 8, 2019). "Soleil Ho is a young, queer woman of color who wants to redefine food criticism". Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Hung, Melissa (December 14, 2017). "'Racist Sandwich': This podcast wants you to think critically about race and food". NBC News.
  3. ^ Crowley, Chris (8 February 2023). "Why San Francisco's Top Restaurant Critic Is Resigning After Just Four Years". Grub Street. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Awards Search | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  5. ^ a b c d Kirts, Leo (19 July 2024). "Meet the Nonbinary Food Writer Reimagining Restaurant Criticism". Them. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  6. ^ Barry, Dan (2005-06-25). "For This Class, 'Remember When' Mingles With 'Never Forget'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  7. ^ a b c Carman, Tim (December 5, 2018). "San Francisco Chronicle hires writer and 'Racist Sandwich' podcast host Soleil Ho as its new restaurant critic". Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  8. ^ Oatman, Maddie (March 23, 2019). "Stop Calling It "Ethnic Food"—and More Tips on How to Talk About Eating". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Barmann, Jay (February 28, 2019). "New Chronicle Critic Soleil Ho Drops a Doozy of a Review of Chez Panisse, Calls It 'Stale'". SFist. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  10. ^ Rainey, Clint (February 4, 2019). "Meet Soleil Ho, America's Newest Restaurant Critic". Grubstreet. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
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