S.F. Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan wins James Beard Award
The James Beard Foundation has named San Francisco Chronicle Restaurant Critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan the winner of this year's Emerging Voice award.
The annual James Beard Awards are among the most prestigious in the food world, recognizing the best chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors and food journalists in the United States. The Emerging Voice award recognizes work of 'immediate impact and lasting significance' by an individual who is relatively new to food journalism.
'It's an honor to be recognized by the journalism awards subcommittee,' Fegan said. 'My first year as a restaurant critic has been the definition of a learning experience, and I'm eternally grateful for the support of my editors at the Chronicle, associate restaurant critic Cesar Hernandez and my predecessor Soleil Ho.'
This is not Fegan's first honor this year. The Society of Features Journalism recognized her in its annual Excellence-in-Features Awards with third place in Food Criticism for her review of Tadich Grill and an honorable mention for Food Writing Portfolio.
In addition to writing restaurant reviews, Fegan also authors the free Bite Curious newsletter. She and Hernandez collaborated on the return of the Top 100 restaurants list this year.
The San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfchronicle.com) is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by Hearst in 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. Follow us on X at @SFChronicle.
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San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Metallica at Levi's Stadium: What to know before the Bay Area concerts
Fresh off record-breaking shows and even a registered seismic event, Metallica is bringing its globe-spanning M72 World Tour back home to the Bay Area. Expect massive crowds, a signature in-the-round stage and a setlist spanning four decades when Metallica takes over Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Friday, June 20 and Sunday, June 22. Everything you need to know — set times, parking, what to bring and what to leave at home — is covered in the Chronicle's FAQ. How to get to Levi's Stadium? Public transportation is highly recommended. VTA light rail and buses connect much of Santa Clara County. Caltrain riders can transfer to VTA at Mountain View, and BART riders can connect at Milpitas. Capitol Corridor and Altamont Corridor Express trains also serve fans from farther out. Rideshare drop-offs are available near the stadium. Bike valet is also available. Is there parking at the venue or nearby? Parking is available on-site, shared with California's Great America amusement park, as well as in nearby private lots along Great America Parkway. Advance parking passes via Ticketmaster are strongly advised to guarantee entry. What to expect Metallica will perform two entirely different setlists across the two nights. The opening acts for Friday are Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills, while Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies kick the night off on Sunday. Levi's Stadium has an 11 p.m. curfew on Fridays and Saturdays for up to five non-NFL events per year. Weeknight and Sunday curfew is 10 p.m., but the venue secured a waiver from the city to extend this Sunday's show until 11 p.m. Expect Metallica's performance to run until curfew — and be prepared in case the band runs over that time. Where to eat before, during or after the show Dining options near the stadium are limited, but nearby Mercado Shopping Center offers good alternatives. Among the eateries are Tomatina, Pho Hoa Noodle Soup & Janzen Tea, In-N-Out Burger, Panda Express and Subway. Other options in the vicinity include Pedro's Restaurant & Cantina (3935 Freedom Circle), El Torito (2950 Lakeside Drive) and Birk's (3955 Freedom Circle), Puesto (2752 Augustine Drive #110) and Il Fornaio (2752 Augustine Drive #120). Inside Levi's, there are about two dozen cashless concession stands featuring local favorites like Super Duper Burgers, Slice House Pizza and Starbird. Reverse ATMs are available to convert cash to a card. After the concert, late-night fast food is your best bet, but expect lines — and maybe even a spontaneous 'Enter Sandman' singalong while you wait. What is the capacity at Levi's Stadium? Levi's Stadium holds 68,500 people, with room for more than 75,000 during special events. The lower bowl alone seats about 45,000, and there are more than 8,500 club seats and 165 suites. What is the bag policy? There are no lockers or designated areas to check your bag at Levi's Stadium, so carry only what you need. Visitors are permitted to bring in approved clear bags not exceeding a size of 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. Approved bags include backpacks, fanny packs, purses or 1-gallon clear plastic Ziploc-type bags. Small clutch bags, approximately the size of an adult hand (4½ inches by 6½ inches), are also allowed. What items are prohibited inside the venue? Leave confetti, glow sticks, signs, banners, light-up costumes and selfie sticks at home. Phone charging cases and small power banks are allowed, though charging stations are available at guest services. Is tailgating allowed? Tailgating is not permitted, and non-ticket holders are not allowed to gather in parking lots or surrounding areas. There are no external viewing areas provided. What to expect from the weather Expect mild, sunny conditions for the shows, with highs in the low-to-mid 70s and overnight lows around 50 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday may be slightly warmer, near 78 degrees. With little to no rain and only light marine cloud activity expected, fans should enjoy ideal conditions for an outdoor concert. Just don't forget the sunblock. Metallica Takeover events The Metallica experience goes beyond the stage, with a week of fan-focused activities around the Bay Area: M72 Pop-Up Shop (June 19-22) 55 Holger Way, San Jose Shop exclusive merch, including a limited vinyl edition of 72 Seasons, screen-printed posters, skateboards and new collaborations. Open 10 a.m.–7 p.m. (Sunday until 6 p.m.). One item per customer, per day. Special Events on June 21, unless noted: 'Metallica Saved My Life' film sneak peek: 7 p.m. AMC Mercado 20, 3111 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara. 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Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
Vintage photos show how people lived, partied, and protested during the 'Summer of Love'
Held in January 1967, San Francisco's Human Be-In event was a precursor to the Summer of Love. The Human Be-In event took place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967, and is considered a key moment that led to the Summer of Love. Featuring counterculture figures including psychologist and psychedelic-drug advocate Timothy Leary and writer Allen Ginsberg, the event drew as many as 30,000 attendees, who gathered to meet like-minded young people, play music, dance, recite poetry, and in many cases trip out on psychedelics. It would inspire later iterations, such as the Colorado Human Be-In in July 1967. The movement began in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. By spring break in 1967, young people began to flock to the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. From dropout high school and college students to runaway minors, they began to fill the streets in what became a never-ending gathering. The Summer of Love was defined by a strong ideological movement. While masses would gather at music events and bond over their shared love for rock bands, the most significant part of the summer was the political movement that spread across the country and drew young people to the West Coast. With some members of a historically large generation — the baby boomers — entering their teenage years in 1967, the youth movement rapidly gained momentum. The hippie culture that erupted in the Haight-Ashbury district held an anti-war stance and preached about peace and love as a new way of life. They stood against consumerism and were distrusting of the government, setting up free shops and clinics within the district. Some of the largest gatherings happened at music festivals headlined by acts like the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix. At some of the summer's most populous events, like the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival and the Monterey Pop Festivals, up to 60,000 people gathered to hear acts like the Who, Otis Redding, the Grateful Dead, the Mamas & the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin play live. With thousands of hippies traveling from other states for the music festivals, California became the center of one of the largest cultural exoduses in American history. PBS reported that it was "the largest migration of young people in the history of America." That summer, The Beatles released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," a soundtrack of the scene. Encapsulating the spirit of the times, which was influenced by the growing popularity of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin, The Beatles released their eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." The album was released on May 26, 1967, ahead of the Summer of Love. With lyrics speaking of peace, love, and surrealism, it resonated with the growing hippie communities in the US and Europe. Use of psychedelic drugs was widespread and a significant element of the movement. Discovered in 1943, the synthetic psychedelic drug LSD became a defining element of the Summer of Love. Psychologist Timothy Leary was an advocate for psychedelic drug use and research. His speeches, which encouraged young people to "turn on, tune in, drop out," became a mantra through which the hippie youth shaped their spiritual experimentation, aided by the drugs. Protesters often faced police resistance. Mass protests across the country, whether it was spreading the hippie ideals of peace and love, or rejecting racial injustice, popped up in major cities like New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. Local authorities were overwhelmed by the thousands of young people migrating to San Francisco. On March 24, 1967, a headline ran in the San Francisco Chronicle announcing the mayor's "war on hippies." Despite the authorities' opposition to the movement happening in the Haight-Ashbury, the hippies ultimately outnumbered them. Meanwhile, in Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, people were protesting racial injustice. While the hippie youths gathered in California, the greater Civil Rights Movement continued spreading in the Northeastern states, where thousands protested the racism that persisted after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The riots peaked during what became known as the " long hot summer of 1967" in cities including Detroit and Newark, over issues including police brutality and racial injustice. The riots, which went on for days at a time, often saw the involvement of the US National Guard and Army troops, which heightened tensions. On July 24, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act to help suppress riots in Detroit. Hippies and draft dodgers began seeking refuge in communes separate from the rest of society. Seeking to escape the authority of the US government and the structure of life they saw as damaging to society, many hippies — among them, Vietnam draft dodgers — moved to rural communes, where they could live outside commercialism. Preaching self-reliance, these communes aimed to "return to the land." The "back-to-the-land" movement in 1967 focused on a detachment from power structures rather than revolting against them. Self-reliance through independent farming led to the rise of organic food, vegetarianism, and holistic medicine, as reported by But not everyone's commitment to the movement endured, and by fall, some began to return home. The far-reaching impact of the "Summer of Love" was partly due to mass media representation of the movement, including a Time cover dedicated to the hippies. Over the course of the summer, the movement achieved dominance in the music charts, with songs like "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie spreading the idea of a cultural movement promoting love taking place in San Francisco. By the peak of the summer, Haight-Ashbury had become a hot spot not only for young people seeking to connect with like-minded souls but also for tourists wanting to witness the crowds that had taken over the city. However, as the summer came to an end and the new school year started, young people began leaving, with some returning to their work or studies. The "Summer of Love" ended with a symbolic funeral. On October 6, 1967, a mock funeral was held in the Haight-Ashbury district. The deceased? "Hippie, devoted son of Mass Media," read flyers around the city. The event was meant to give an official end to the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco that had become plagued by addiction, per the University of California San Francisco. "We wanted to signal that this was the end of it, to stay where you are, bring the revolution to where you live and don't come here because it's over and done with," Mary Kasper, who organized the event, told PBS, as reported by the Saturday Evening Post.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
It opened. It closed. It opened. Here's what to finally try at this hotly anticipated Wine Country café
Each week, critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan shares some of her favorite recent bites, the dishes and snacks and baked goods that didn't find their way into a full review. Want the list a few days earlier? Sign up for her free newsletter, Bite Curious. After an unexpected permitting hiccup that forced a temporary closure, Under-study in St. Helena is back open. The museum café-bakery-marketplace still doesn't have its seating sorted out, but until then visitors can eat their expertly laminated danishes and sweet and sour pig ears on the adjacent patio at sister restaurant Press. You should definitely get both, and be sure to tack on the heirloom tomato ($14) as well. On the menu, it's described as coming with 'preserved plum, toasted sourdough,' but this is no toast. Expect instead an intensely flavorful sculptural salad with precariously stacked tomato and plum segments, tweezered herbs and lacy sourdough crisps. Under-study. 595 St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena. Dafna Kory, the pectin whisperer behind East Bay company INNA Jam, will be shuttering her company in September after preserving the best of summer's figs, berries and stone fruit. INNA is best known for its jams and chutneys, but I recently took home a bottle of its Albion strawberry shrub ($16.95), a vibrant drinking vinegar that can be mixed with seltzer (and the spirit of your choice, if you're inclined). I'll be stocking up on a few more bottles while I still can. You can find INNA products at various local retailers including Bi-Rite Markets and Epicurean Trader locations and, of course, online. Respect the palate cleanser! Whether it's bites of pickled ginger at a sushi counter or sips of Pink Champ, a tart soda specifically developed to reset your taste buds between licks of ice cream, professional eaters need moments of brightness and pause. My favorite course at San Francisco's two-Michelin-star Birdsong was a palate cleanser (part of a $325 tasting menu), but also so much more. Its melange of fresh flavors (ginger, chamomile, lemon) and textures (shaved ice, marmalade, tapioca, sorbet), together with the zing of Meyer lemon zested tableside, slapped me in the face like Cher in 'Moonstruck,' prepping me for the final dessert courses ahead.
