Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez dove head-first into a career in journalism in his hometown of San Francisco. In this podcast, the young veteran reporter takes us through the later days of his time in City College's journalism program. After a brief stint at SF State, Joe got hired to write for the SF Bay Guardian, and rode it out until that weekly folded. He soon found work as a reporter and opinion columnist at the Examiner, a job he held until just last month. These days, he's a producer/reporter for KQED News. If you missed Part 1, please go back to hear all about Joe's parents and his upbringing in Cow Hollow. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020.
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Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez grew up in Cow Hollow, and he'd like you to know what that means. In this podcast, the prolific San Francisco journalist tells the story of how his parents met (it involves his mom and uncle hitchhiking from Los Angeles to San Francisco). He talks about the neighborhood where he grew up and all the misconceptions that surround it. An influential neighbor he had back then led him to become a writer for his middle school newspaper. Joe ends the podcast sharing stories from his time making documentary videos in high school, and how, in a roundabout way, that led him back to journalism at City College. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
In this podcast, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen picks up where she left off in Part 1, talking about her work at La Raza Centro Legal in the Mission. She goes on a verbal tour of places in the Mission she hung out (hello, margaritas at Latin American Club!). She applied for and got a job as a legislative aide to then-D9 Supervisor David Campos. Fast-forward to 2016, when she was tapped to run to replace Campos. She shares stories from a bittersweet Election Night that November, working with former Mayor Ed Lee, and what she hopes to accomplish if she wins reelection this year. We recorded this podcast in Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April and May 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
In this podcast, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen tells the story of how her parents, one from Israel, one from Milwaukee, met in Los Angeles, where she grew up. She went to college at UC San Diego and engaged in activism on the state level, fighting props 187 and 209. After graduation, she wanted to learn Spanish, and she spent a couple of years in Barcelona. She came back to the states to go to law school at UC Berkeley, where, after a couple of summers doing various legal work, she had a realization that landed her in the Mission District in San Francisco. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April and May 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
In this podcast, JoEllen goes into detail about her various roles at Blue Bottle, including a brief stint in New York City. When she returned to San Francisco in 2012, she started formulating a business plan. With the support of her bosses at Blue Bottle, that plan ended up being Pinhole Coffee, which opened in Bernal Heights in 2014. Pinhole is open with reduced hours and a smaller menu during shelter-in-place. Check their website or follow them on social media for more info. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Remember when cafés had couches? In this podcast, Pinhole Coffee owner JoEllen Depakakibo walks us through her life growing up just outside of Chicago. She ended up going to college at DePaul and moving to Chicago, which lead to her first jobs in coffee shops. Check back Thursday for Part 2, when JoEllen will tell us all about her gig at Blue Bottle and then her eventual departure to open Pinhole up on Cortland in Bernal Heights. Pinhole is open specific days and hours during shelter-in-place. Check their website or social media for details. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Businesses often have contingency plans, but few if any could've prepared for COVID-19. In this podcast, Ray Bair tells the story of how he came to own Cheese Plus, a beloved Russian Hill specialty food store that is open during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place. Leaving the job at Whole Foods that he had for nearly two decades, the store was a natural if difficult transition. In recent days, Ray, his wife, and some friends created the Six Foot Social Club as a way to raise money for small businesses. Ray ends the podcast talking about his hopes and fears for small businesses once the lockdown is lifted. If you missed Part 1, when Ray told stories from his early days in Kansas, Dallas, and Austin, please go back and listen. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020.
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
From Kansas farms to Austin bands, Cheese Plus owner Ray Bair's life experiences span quite a broad spectrum. In this podcast, Ray takes us back to the early '70s, when he'd spend summers on his grandparents' farm in Kansas. He'd return for the school year to his hometown of Dallas, where he spent his high-school days and stuck around a few years after graduating. A job lured him to Austin, where he later found work at the nascent Whole Foods Market. That eventually helped him land in the Bay Area several years later. Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Ray will talk about his time with Whole Foods around here and his eventually coming to own Cheese Plus (one of our favorite stores in San Francisco!). He'll also reflect on what the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown portends for small businesses like his. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020. 
Photography by Michelle Kilfeather
Living in San Francisco was never a foregone conclusion for Robin Galante. But growing up on the Peninsula, the city always held a certain allure for her. In this podcast, Robin talks about her life in the city. These days, in addition to doing original art for Nocturne podcast, she's been making paintings of the Balboa Theatre and other Outer Richmond businesses and donating proceeds from the sale of that art to businesses in the area affected by the coronavirus shelter-in-place. We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020. 
Photos by Michelle Kilfeather
Growing up, Robin Galante felt she didn't fit in with kids in her neighborhood, and so she turned to her imagination at an early age. In this podcast, Robin, who grew up on the Peninsula in Los Altos, talks about her life there. Owing partly to her mom's creativity, she engaged in visual arts and never looked back. As a young girl and again as a teenager, she visited San Francisco and formed impressions of the big city up the way. She eventually moved here when she decided to attend SF State. We recorded this episode on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in April 2020. |
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