Past Featured Episodes
Kathy Fang is a renowned Contemporary Chef, On-Air Personality, and a San Francisco native. Kathy’s passion for cooking began as a child in her family’s popular SF restaurant House of Nanking, where her father taught her how to cook. As an adult, Kathy and her father opened Fang Restaurant with Kahty herself as Chef.
The History of Fashion and Design series begins with a tribute to Wilkes Bashford, the iconic name in San Francisco fashion. With his first store in Union Square in 1966, Wilkes Bashford became SF’s top trend-setter. He introduced young European designers like Brunello Cucinelli and Brioni, and was the very first in the city to carry popular names like Ralph Lauren and Alexander Julian.
Smells of fresh bread filled the air as we interviewed Dan Giraudo, owner and CEO of Boudin Sourdough in San Francisco. This bakery has produced sourdough from the same starter used by Isidore Boudine back in 1849
Governor Gavin Newsom is the 40th Governor for the State of California. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Newsom has dedicated his career to bettering our city and state. He started as an entrepreneur, learning to navigate the world through business. When his talents were noticed by then Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Newsom was appointed to the Parking and Traffic Commission.
Stan Flouride (alias cum art-name of Kevin Kearny) is the unofficial historian of one of the city’s most eccentric neighborhoods, the Haight Ashbury. Stan gives historical walking tours that cover everything from the 1870’s to today, with great focus on its role as a pivotal location for the cultural revolutions of the 1960’s.
Raised in San Francisco's Fillmore District by her grandmother, Mayor Breed saw firsthand how redevelopment brought great challenges to the people in her community. She began her public service career as Executive Director of the Fillmore's African American Arts and Culture Complex. Since then, after rising through the ranks to become Mayor, she hasn't forgotten her roots in the Fillmore.
Justice Harry Low was the first Asian-American Judge in California. He served as Municipal Judge under Governor Edmond G. "Pat" Brown, as Superior Court Judge under Governor Ronald Reagan, as a Judge in the 1st District Court of Appeals under Governor Jerry Brown, and as Insurance Commissioner under Governor Gray Davis.
Justice Harry Low was the first Asian-American Judge in California. He served as Municipal Judge under Governor Edmond G. "Pat" Brown, as Superior Court Judge under Governor Ronald Reagan, as a Judge in the 1st District Court of Appeals under Governor Jerry Brown, and as Insurance Commissioner under Governor Gray Davis.
Michael Baines is a developer and contractor for low-income housing and founded his own company, BGI Group Inc. Even more, his company is the largest employer of formerly incarcerated people in the Bay Area. Cathy Davis is the Executive Director of Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services, a nonprofit that provides services to disadvantaged seniors in San Francisco. She likewise runs the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, founded by
Politician, social worker, and champion of liberalism in San Francisco, former Mayor Art Agnos has left a lasting mark on our city’s offices and landscape. Through his 1988-1992 term, he worked to break up nepotism in the Fire and Police Departments, paving the way for our city’s second African American Police Chief and female Fire Chief.
Season 2 episode 17: Jonathan Moscone and YBCA
Jonathan Moscone is a champion of arts and activism. A long-time theater director and current Chief Producer at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), he has devoted his career to interweaving arts organizations with civic life and community in an impactful way. With his Civic Engagement practice at YBCA, Moscone has created youth fellowships, artist residencies in the City’s public schools, programs to help artists lead financially sustainable lives, and ballot measures to restore city funding to arts and homeless family services. He also serves on numerous community boards, such as the Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard Project, the Homeless Prenatal Program, and leads the San Francisco Grants for the Arts advisory panel.
Moscone’s gratifying career would not be complete without his extensive experience in theater production. Before his time at YBCA, Jonathan was the Artistic Director of the California Shakespeare Theater in Berkeley and Orinda for 16 years. He works throughout the Bay Area as a freelance director, putting on shows like The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby for CalShakes in 2005, Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park for the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in 2011, and Candida (2011), for which he won the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award as Best Director of the year. In 2009, Moscone received the inaugural Zelda Fichandler Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation for his transformative work in theater. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the ACT’s Masters of Fine Arts Program.
All successes aside, Jonathan Moscone is one of the kindest people one has the privilege of meeting. He is smart, funny, and genuinely himself in any setting. His down to earth temperament has not only made him an affable director, but a beloved leader in his community. Artists contribute so much to a community’s vitality, and through YBCA, Moscone is utilizing his talents and passions to lead the way in Bay Area arts activism.
For more information about Jonathan Moscone, please visit: https://ybca.org/person/jonathan-moscone/
Meet Jonathan Moscone!
Season 2 Episode:13 Jo Schuman Silver
Jo Schuman Silver was the producer, director, and writer of the legendary Beach Blanket Babylon.
A gem of the city's culture, Beach Blanket Babylon was the world's longest-running musical revue in live theater history, and was started by Jo’s late husband, Steve Silver, in 1974. Beach Blanket Babylon was often described to be “as San Francisco as it gets,” with elaborate costumes and extravagant hats featuring city landmarks such as mechanical cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Transamerica Pyramid. Audiences were entertained with original comedy sketches and political satire. In the San Francisco-style, no subject was off limits, but everything was performed in good faith and good taste.
After taking over the company for her late husband Steve in 1995, Jo not only maintained the company’s high standard of performing art, but created new sketches to stay up to date with current events, all while using her husband’s original drawings for sets and costumes. In this way, Jo kept her husband’s legacy alive while allowing it to change and grow. Jo closed Beach Blanket Babylon on New Year's Eve 2020, not because of lack of funds, but because it was time. It had a prosperous run at Club Fugazi for 45 years. We were thrilled to get to speak with Jo about her and Steve Silver’s work and the legacy of the show. We hope you enjoy it as well.
For more information about Beach Blanket Babylon and Jo Schuman Silver, please visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_Blanket_Babylon;
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/theater/jo-schuman-silver-wants-beach-blanket-babylon-vision-to-live-on-after-show-closes
Meet Jo Schuman Silver!
Carl Nolte & The Waterfront
This week’s guest is a walking encyclopedia for the history of San Francisco, with expertise that extends far before humans ever inhabited this area. Carl Nolte–– a 4th generation San Franciscian–– has served as both a writer and editor for the San Francisco Chronicle for 60 years. He has a weekly column called Native Son. Though he mostly scribes stories of the city and the western coast, he has also reported on larger events, such as SS Jeremiah O’Brien when it Sailed to Europe for the D-Day Anniversary, the Persian Gulf War, and the Invasion of Iraq (the latter two of which he also served as a war correspondent.)
Nolte has likewise received many accolades, including the President’s Medal for Public Service by the California Maritime Academy (2011), the Maritime Heritage Award by the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association (2010), and the Award of Merit by the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society (2012). In 2016, Nolte received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Carl describes himself as a storyteller more than a historian and journalist, as he writes with such conviction and creativity. In return, we at Beyond the Fog Radio describe him as charming, intelligent, highly articulate, and hilarious. We are so pleased to have him share his knowledge of San Francisco and history of the Bay Area with us this week.
Meet Carl Nolte!
John was kind enough to let us interview him this week to talk about San Francisco’s Waterfront, and how fitting, as he was just recently appointed to the San Francisco Port Commission! Mr. Burton was the Chairman for the Democratic Party for 8 years, as well as a twice-elected State Assemblyman for the State of California. He was also a United States Congressman and a Senator for the State of California.
This week we bring you our conversation with Rob Zaborny, long time San Francisco resident, and celebrated chef. Originally from New York, Rob moved to San Francisco in 1980 and never looked back. Although he has a great love of traveling all over the world, he especially loves to call the Bay Area home.
Many people, tourists and San Franciscans alike, think of Chinatown as restaurants and knickknacks, and don’t recognize Chinatown for the culturally rich, deeply historical, and close knit community it is. It is a neighborhood as resilient as its people, both of which have faced turmoil and struggle in their histories.
The Honorable Willie Lewis Brown Jr. is the first Black and, to date, the longest running Speaker of the California State Assembly. He also was the first Black man to be Mayor of San Francisco, and has left a lasting mark on the city. Known nationally not only as a politician but also for his many groundbreaking bills, authored while he was Speaker, and for the sweeping changes that were made in San Francisco under his watch.
The Western Addition, better known as The Fillmore, is one of the most vibrant and unique neighborhoods in San Francisco. Historically, it has been one of the three predominantly African American San Francisco neighborhoods, and from the 1950s to the 1970s it was known nationally as The Harlem of the West. The Fillmore lived up to this moniker, as was reflected in the music, food, and culture, unique to the vibrant neighborhood and her inhabitants. Third Baptist Church has been, and still remains, the hub of The Fillmore, and Reverend Amos C. Brown is its esteemed and beloved reverend. He is also a lifelong Civil Right leader, and President of the San Francisco Chapter of the NAACP. Reverend Brown sat down with us in September 2020 to tell us all about The Fillmore, and his life there.
Meet Rev. Brown!
John’s Grill has been an essential San Francisco restaurant since it opened in 1908. John Konstin spoke to us about his neighborhood, Union Square, and his restaurant, John’s Grill, which has been in his family since the 1960s.
Our third interview is with Ellen Schumer. She is the City Hall Historian and Head Docent. Ellen spoke to us about the History of San Francisco City Hall. We cannot wait to share this unique look inside San Francisco’s city hall.
Meet Ellen Schumer!
Beyond The Fog Radio is a podcast that explores the history, art, and culture of the San Francisco Bay Area through conversations with some of the Bay’s most interesting residents.
Stories by the Bay:
Who better to tell the history of the City by the Bay than the people who live and work here? We will explore San Francisco neighborhood by neighborhood, and we can’t wait to bring you along!
Meet our co-hosts:
Susan E. Brown a native San Franciscan, documentary filmmaker and the producer for BTFR. Jae Yee is another native San Franciscan, and owns companies Swerv Studios and J Bodyworks, in addition to being our wonderful sound engineer. Michaela Joy O’ Shea is a photographer and our final lovely host of BTFR. We will explore everything San Francisco has to offer: from food, dance, politics, music, history, and literature, to civil rights, and social justice.
Join us every Wednesday for Beyond The Fog Radio!