THE CHRONICLE’S NEW INFLUENCE LIST FEATURES TWO FINE DINING CHEFS

Hot on the heels of Time magazine releasing its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world list, which included San Francisco chef Dominique Crenn, the San Francisco Chronicle has published a similar list. The paper’s San Francisco Influence List was released on Monday, April 22, and includes 20 people who “command pronounced influence” in the city right now. Pim Techamuanvivit, owner and chef at Kin Khao and Nari, and Brandon Jew, the mind behind Mister Jiu’s and Mamahuhu, are the two restaurateurs on the list. The list hails both chefs, citing Techamuanvivit as an influencer “before the term ‘influencer’ became fashionable,” and Jew as both “an educator and historian” in addition to chef.

Techamuanvivit runs restaurants in San Francisco’s Union Square and Japantown, as well as Bangkok restaurant Nahm — and each restaurant holds one Michelin star — and is well-known for repping downtown and taking shots at the issues she sees in the city via social media. Jew, for his part, reinvigorated Chinatown with not only Mister Jiu’s but companion bar Moongate Lounge, inspiring Asian American chefs as the only Chinese restaurant in the country to hold a Michelin star. Both Kin Khao and Mister Jiu’s opened in the mid-2010s, though Nari and Moongate Lounge opened in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Malasadas and phin coffee land at Santa Clara drive-thru

Three South Bay businesses have teamed up for a new outpost to feature their Pacific Island specialties. MoDo Hawaii, pop-up Nhà Cafe, and Campbell’s Snowtime Dessert Cafe linked up for the MoDo Hawaii Drive-Thru. The trio opened on Saturday, April 13 in the parking lot of the old Boston Market at 2006 El Camino Real in Santa Clara. Palo Alto Online reports the businesses all sell various items from their menus at the kiosk, including lilikoi malasadas from MoDo. The grand opening is set for May, and this project will last about a year.

Aptos restaurant closes after almost 40 years

Cafe Sparrow held it down at 8042 Soquel Drive for 38 years, but the restaurant will soon see its final days with a closure date set for Sunday, April 28. The Lookout reports co-owner and chef Donnie Suesens blamed rising inflation as the reason for closing. “Instead of burning money to operate the restaurant,” Suesens says, “we’re pulling the plug.”

Vietnamese coffee shop headed to Sacramento

After three months of popular pop-ups, Offbeat Coffee is opening a permanent location in the Land Park neighborhood. The Bee reports owners Vivian Tran and Thao Nguyen secured a lease at 600 Broadway, aiming for a summer debut. The 3,000-square-foot space will feature the pop-up’s signature drinks, such as the Saigon Cinnamon of condensed milk and, that’s right, cinnamon.

2024-04-23T16:52:54Z dg43tfdfdgfd