Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this episode, Dale picks up where he left off in Part 1, with his college years in Santa Clara. After he graduated, he moved to LA where he worked in shipping. He had a few other jobs, mostly in data systems.

Dale was living in Scottsdale, Arizona, and his then-girlfriend/now wife was taking care of her father, who was ill, while also going to SF State. So, in 2010, Dale moved back to the Bay Area to help her out, and the couple has been living in Ingleside ever since.

He goes on to talk about discovering polo. All we'll say is that the story involves Argentina and boots. And if you wanna learn more about the sport, please listen in.

Dale ends his episode telling us about Heels Down, Fists Up, a Bay Area equestrian protest group that arose this summer after the murder of George Floyd.

Special thanks to Liz Beeson of Caring Cowgirl for connecting us with Dale and Sunny.

We recorded this podcast at Madonna Creek Ranch in September 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Dale Johnson is the descendent of Black cowboys.

In this podcast, Dale traces the history of his family, from New York state and a Black settlement in Texas called High Prairie to the Bay Area. His parents met at a park in the East Bay and Dale was born seven years later.

He grew up in "deep" East Oakland. He touches on some of the changes that he remembers, with industrial jobs being off-shored and drugs coming into previously prosperous, Black neighborhoods, comparing that to some of what has been happening in the so-called Rust Belt of the US and the different responses to each situation.

Special thanks to Liz Beeson of Caring Cowgirl for connecting us with Dale.

We recorded this podcast at Madonna Creek Ranch in September 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this podcast, Ricky Rat picks up where he left off in Part 1, with his return to San Francisco after college. He talks about a few jobs he had leading up to the pandemic, when he started taking his cartoon art back to the streets. Ricky ends this podcast by sharing his hopes for the future of San Francisco.

Special shoutout to Uncle Damien for connecting us with Ricky.

We recorded this podcast at Fly Bar on Divisadero in September 2020.

Photography by Michelle KIlfeather

There's a battle going on in the world of San Francisco street art.

In this episode, we get to know street artist Ricky Rat. Ricky's grandparents come from many different heritages. His parents moved to San Francisco, separately, in the '80s and met at a Halloween party in the Mission. Ricky spent some time with his dad (also a comic artist) in the Mission in the 1990s (fun fact—his dad took him to see Josiah Luis Alderete read poetry back in the day), but they moved up to Marin. In the podcast, Ricky shares what it was like to grow up there.

He went to UC Davis and graduated before returning to The City earlier this decade. Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Ricky will tell us how he took his cartoon art to the streets.

We recorded this podcast at Fly Bar in September 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this podcast, Michelle and Alex pick up where they left off in Part 1, discussing how the sale of 111 Minna that left them as co-owners went down. The original owner, Ei Ming, left Michelle in charge, and there was a lot of stuff she had to figure out how to do. A few years down the road, she brought Alex in to help, and soon enough, the two ended up buying the place from Ei Ming.

111 Minna Gallery is still closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions. But they're fundraising and hosting virtual events from time to time. Please follow them on Twitter and Instagram and check their website for more info.

This episode concludes our Small Business September promotions. That doesn't mean we'll stop introducing you to small business owners all over The City. And please, do your part to ensure that these businesses survive these strange times.

We recorded this podcast at 111 Minna in September 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Ready your SF bingo card: Michelle Delaney is a punk rock mom who runs an art gallery in The City.

In this podcast, we get to know Michelle and 111 Minna co-owner Alex Kivelstadt. The two talk about their lives leading up to the moment they purchased the art bar/cafe from its previous owner.

Check back Thursday for Part 2, when we'll hear the story of Michelle and Alex taking over 111 Minna, and what they've been doing with the place since shelter-in-place took effect in March this year.

Sadly, the gallery is still closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. But they're still fundraising and doing virtual shows from time to time. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram or check their website for details.

We recorded this podcast at 111 Minna Gallery in September 2020.

Steph (right) and her husband, Alan. Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Steph Miller got her first dog in New Orleans.

In this podcast, Steph picks up where she left off in Part 1. She returned home from New Orleans with her dog, Ruby, who joined two other dogs at Steph's parents' house. You could say that the pack ... got into some trouble. But luck related to Steph's adopting Ruby eventually led her to a career training and working with dogs.

She got a job at Mission Pet Hospital, and a vet there turned her on to a dog-training program at the SPCA. The rest is history.

Bernal Beast's shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. For info on their weekend puppy classes, follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

We recorded this podcast at Bernal Beast in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Steph Miller used to have dreams of playing professional baseball.

Her parents met out east, where they're from. But their families weren't so keen on their respective different backgrounds, so the young couple came to the West Coast. Steph's dad got a job in a San Francisco law firm while her mom taught French.

Steph talks about her childhood, and she and Jeff start to realize how much they have in common. She goes on to describe her life in Atherton in the 1980s, before tech really took over the Peninsula culture. She was a latchkey kid who played a lot of baseball.

She shares stories of her family dogs and going to Giants games at Candlestick Park. Then Steph ends this episode with a recount of her college days in New Orleans and eventual return to the Bay Area.

We're excited to announce the launch of the BFF.fm Podcast Network! Storied: SF joins a handful of shows as the network gets off the ground. Please visit BFF.fm/podcasts to learn more.

We recorded this podcast at Bernal Beast in Bernal Heights in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Del Seymour's arrival in San Francisco was one wild ride.

In this podcast, Del describes his literal first hours in The City. He touches on nearly two decades of drug addiction and sets the scene at a park in the Tenderloin where he was inspired to sober up a little more than a decade ago.

Around that time, he started Tenderloin Walking Tours, inspired in part by Del's time driving cabs in San Francisco. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they've shifted their focus to developing a virtual version of the tour, which they hope to have ready for folks soon. Please see the clip below.

Del also talks about launching Code Tenderloin, and lets us know ways to get involved.

He ends this episode with his love letter, not to San Francisco, but to the Tenderloin.

We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle KIlfeather

Del Seymour got interested in politics early in his life, in the 1960s in Chicago.

In this podcast, Del walks us through the early years of his life. He attended a Catholic school in Chicago and went to seminary to be a priest. But that didn't last long, and he soon became a medic in the military.

After that, he moved to Los Angeles to get away from the snow and cold weather. Within his first year, he became a firefighter/paramedic with LAFD, one of the first several dozen in a program that was new at the time.

When he became a single parent, his sister in Oakland helped with his kids, and Del soon moved up to the Bay Area to be with them.

Del ends this episode with a strange twist, at least for this podcast.

Please join us Thursday for Part 2, when Del will describe his move to San Francisco and what he's done here since then, especially in and around the Tenderloin.

This podcast was produced in partnership with an exciting new project that launches today. It's called Represent Collaborative, and it's a storytelling platform that covers issues of racial and social justice.

We recorded this episode on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this podcast, Yuka picks up where she left off in Part 1, with her and her husband Kris's arrival in San Francisco. She worked a number of bartending jobs in The City before the couple decided to open their own place in 2012.

She talks about lessons she learned at those bartending gigs and how, along with observations she had made of how her parents ran in their business back in Japan, she has worked hard to do things right at her own restaurant.

Yuka talks about shifting Cassava into what it is now, scaled back due to the pandemic. She ends the episode reflecting on what it is about San Francisco, and especially the Outer Richmond, that she loves.

Unfortunately, Cassava had to close temporarily, but they hope to reopen next week. They also hope to start taking reservations for their new parklet soon.

We recorded this podcast at Cassava in the Outer Richmond in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Yuka Ioroi's family name dates back to the 700s.

She grew up in Shizuoka prefecture in Japan with Mt. Fuji nearby. Her parents ran a business, and Yuka sees some of their ways of operating reflected in her own running of Cassava.

She moved to Los Angeles when she was 15. In the podcast, she describes some culture shock she experienced as well as a diversity she didn't see at home. After college, she worked an office job but got burnt out on that. From strip club bartending to waiting tables at a country club, she moved on to manager at a new restaurant. And that's where she met her future husband, Kris.

Yuka ends this episode talking about what brought the couple north to San Francisco in 2008.

Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Yuka will share the story of opening Cassava on Balboa.

Unfortunately, Cassava is closed temporarily. Please follow them on social media or check their website to learn about their reopening.

We recorded this podcast at Cassava in the Outer Richmond in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this podcast, Eskender picks up where he left off in Part 1. After working for Joyce Goldstein at Square One, he went to Campton Place, where he worked with and learned a lot from chef Daniel Humm. He started doing an underground restaurant in his home, and that became his full-time gig starting in 2005. It was the birth of Radio Africa Kitchen.

The owner of Velo Rogue suggested that Eskender bring his food to her cafe as a pop-up. On the heels of success there, he moved over to a coffee shop near his home in the Mission, and that eventually led to opening his own restaurant on Third Street.

Eskender ends the podcast describing both his food and his philosophy of food.

Radio Africa Kitchen is open for pickup every Tuesday from noon to 3 p.m. If you've never eaten there, please consider it. There's really nothing quite like it in The City or the Bay Area.

We recorded this podcast at Radio Africa in July 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

When he was a teenager, Eskender Aseged fled his home country on foot.

In this podcast, the Radio Africa owner shares the story of walking from Communist Ethiopia to Sudan in the early 1980s. He found work in Khartoum and learned English, and he and his brother eventually got refugee status from the U.S. They arrived in Newark, New Jersey in 1986, and Eskender soon moved to New York City, where he worked as a busboy at the UN building.

He first visited San Francisco in 1986, when he came out here with his girlfriend at the time. He fell in love with The City immediately, as it reminded him of his hometown of Gondar. His first San Francisco home was in Bernal Heights, but he started spending more and more time in the nearby Mission, mostly in coffee shops. He found work in various San Francisco restaurants, including Cafe Majestic, Jeremiah Tower's Stars, and Joyce Goldstein's Square One.

Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Eskender will take us on the journey of his own culinary adventures, leading up to the opening of Radio Africa on Third Street. The restaurant is open for pickup every Tuesday from noon to 3 p.m.

We recorded this podcast at Radio Africa in the Bayview in July 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

First it was punk rock. Then, dogs saved Pali Boucher's life.

In this podcast, Pali picks up where she left off in Part 1, with her return to San Francisco after a short time in LA. A teenager with bright red hair, she fell in with the SF punk scene, then in its very early days (see S2E36's Penelope Houston for more stories from this time!).

Pali describes a wild ride through addiction and eventually, getting sober. It was a rather circuitous route that led her back to dogs, but it happened, and out of that reconnection, Rocket Dog Rescue was born.

Like so many businesses these days, Rocket Dog could use your help. Please consider donating to this non-profit dog rescue today.

We recorded this podcast at Avedano's Meats in Bernal Heights in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Pali Boucher had what many would consider a wild childhood.

In this podcast, the Rocket Dog Rescue founder takes us on a colorful journey through her early years. Let's just say that her parents liked to party. Pali spent her first 10 years with her mom, moving all around the greater Bay Area (and even Mexico). After her mom died, she and her brother were separated when she went to live with her dad in Corte Madera. It was there that Pali started to realize her love of animals ... and especially, dogs.

She ends this episode talking about a short stint in LA, where she discovered punk rock and it saved her life.

Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Pali will talk about the nascent punk scene in San Francisco in the 1970s and starting her dog rescue non-profit.

We recorded this podcast at Avedano's Meats in Bernal Heights in August 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this episode, Tongo picks up where he left off in Part 1, describing the changes he saw in his hometown of San Francisco after spending a few years in New York. It was obvious that money had done its part to stifle, displace, and erase art and the working class.

He started teaching with SF YMCA's CARE program, which works with imprisoned youth in The City, but some shady goings on in the program spurred him to leave. He went to Jackson, Mississippi, to do some movement work for a couple years before returning once again to San Francisco in 2015. He began writing poetry while in Mississippi, and when he got back to the Bay Area, it took off after Chinaka Hodge asked him to read before her at City Lights.

To end the podcast, we asked Tongo to read one of his poems for us. Here's what he recited (not read):

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Poet Tongo Eisen-Martin was born into a revolutionary home.

Tongo's parents met in Chicago but moved to San Francisco soon after. He was born and raised in an apartment at 25th and Valencia, part of a communal environment that taught him to question and analyze institutions from a young age.

He got started with poetry in elementary school doing a rap for Jesse Jackson when Jackson ran for president in 1988 (Tongo was 8 at the time).

Tongo started seeing poetry all around The City and the Bay Area before heading to New York City for college, where he soon discovered Nuyorican Poets Cafe. He ended up working in arts-based education with imprisoned youth at Rikers Island before returning to San Francisco to teach chronically truant kids through a YMCA program.

Check back Thursday for Part 2, when Tongo will tell us more about his teaching career and his poetry. He'll also recite for us his poem "The Course of Meal." You don't wanna miss this.

​We recorded this podcast in San Francisco during quarantine on Zoom in July 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Mike Soracco has had the same job for 50 years.

In this podcast, Mike, who today owns Liguria Bakery in North Beach, takes us back to the founding of this neighborhood staple. Mike's grandfather came to the US in 1907 from near Genoa, Italy. He worked in bakeries in North Beach for a few years before opening his own at the location where Liguria operates to this day (that's 109 years, for those keeping track).

Mike describes the hard working environment he fell into when he started at the bakery as a teenager. Also, back then, the general public didn't know focaccia like we do today, and so Liguria was selling mostly to Italian-Americans in North Beach.

He ends the podcast talking about the adjustments they've made at Liguria during the COVID-19 pandemic.

​We recorded this podcast in Washington Square Park in July 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

The story of Dragonspunk Grows, the Black-owned organic farm in the Bayview, starts with the Chinese community.

In this episode, Isaiah, whom you got to know in Part 1, takes us on a tour of Florence Fang community garden. Isaiah's work at the garden inspired him to join forces with Faheem Carter, to carve out a large section of the existing land to establish Dragonspunk Grows. It started out with their wanting to grow food for themselves and their neighbors, due to the area's status as a food desert.

This June, Isaiah's fiancée, Danielle, suggested that they dedicate a row of vegetables to honor the life of George Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis cops in May.

As for the future of Dragonspunk Grows, Isaiah and Danielle see their part in this as more of a service than a specific plot of land. They hope to replicate the model in other gardens, starting in the Bayview. You can help them reach their goals by donating to their Go Fund Me today.

We recorded this podcast at Dragonspunk Grows in July 2020. Special thanks to Erin Lim of Bitch Talk Podcast for letting us know about Isaiah and the garden.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

NYC hip-hop artist turned SF city gardener? Why the hell not?

In this podcast, Dragonspunk Grows gardener Isaiah Powell charts the early stories of his life's journey. His family moved all over the East Coast when he was young. He went to four different high schools, then got into the University of Miami immediately as a 17-year-old. At such a young age, Isaiah didn't take college seriously and he soon dropped out.

He went back to New York City and started to pursue a career in hip-hop. After eventually graduating from Columbia University and getting and losing a number of jobs, a fellow Columbia student friend recommended that Isaiah move to California to work on a farm near Santa Cruz. Toward the end of his stay there, he met Danielle online. And when he returned to New York, the two moved in together.

They decided to move to the Bay Area after learning they could live in a house that Danielle's family owned. Danielle moved first, then Isaiah came out a few months later. He soon started volunteering at the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden, which was just down the hill from his home. And that work was the inspiration for what eventually became Dragonspunk Grows, which Isaiah will talk more about in Part 2 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, you can help support Isaiah's work on the garden by donating to their GoFundMe.

​We recorded this podcast at Dragonspunk Grows in the Bayview in July 2020. Special thanks to Erin Lim of Bitch Talk Podcast for letting us know about Isaiah and his farm.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this podcast, Josiah picks up where he left off in Part 1, sharing stories from his time with Molotov Mouths, the touring poetry collective from the 1990s. He pivots to talking about the gentrification he saw happening first-hand in the Mission in the late-'90s/early-2000s.

Josiah has been working at City Lights Books in North Beach for the last several years, and he talks about his job at this iconic San Francisco business (which is open during the pandemic).

He ends this podcast with a hella powerful poem about gentrification in the Mission. The words to that poem:

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Josiah Luis Alderete's poetry speaks for a people devastated by gentrification and colonization.

In this podcast, Josiah traces his life back to his parents' union at a club in North Beach roughly 50 years ago. He moved around the Bay Area a bit, from various spots in the Mission to Marin and back. He tells stories from the back room at Cafe Babar, including his first time to read poetry in front of people, and the connections he made as a result. Josiah reflects on how he finds representation and expression in poetry. He and other poets formed a group called Molotov Mouths that toured the country doing readings, which he'll talk more about in Part 2.

Josiah ends this podcast describing the world of artists in the Mission in the late-'80s and early-'90s and the influence that Bucky Sinister had on him.

To hear more from Josiah, including some of his poetry, check back Thursday for Part 2.

​We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in July 2020. Special thanks to Cassandra Dallett (this season's Ep. 1 storyteller) for introducing us to Josiah.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

In this podcast, Dave the Butcher picks up where he left off in Part 1. He started traveling to Europe every year, and eventually moved to Berlin. While living there, he traveled to Spain and then over to Morocco.

Dave came back to San Francisco and worked at Falletti Foods for a short time, then got a job as manager at Marina Meats in 2007, where he works to this day.

As butchery exploded, Dave started doing demo events at La Trappe in North Beach. Around that time, he got married again.

Dave talks about running his butchery during shelter-in-place and he ends with his love letter to San Francisco.

We recorded this podcast on Zoom during quarantine in San Francisco in May 2020.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Dave Budworth's great-grandfather, who trained in Allsace, had a butcher shop in San Francisco at Polk and Green more than a century ago.

In this episode, Dave the Butcher, as he's known, talks about growing up in Santa Rosa. His mom exposed him to culture, but also dog shows, which formed the backdrop of Dave's first impressions of San Francisco. Dave tells stories of a trip to Australia when he was a young man that contextualized his Western privilege.

He came ​back to The City and fell into butchery. He describes the old-school mentality of the trade that he learned from, and he ends the podcast reflecting on what that means.

​We recorded this podcast during quarantine in San Francisco in May 2020.