Hibiku Kotoba

Food writer and journalist Soleil Ho joins Kathleen on this episode of Hibiku Kotoba. Coming to the Bay Area in 2019, Soleil was the restaurant and food critic of SF Chronicle during the pandemic and is a co-founder of the worker-owned independent news outlet, Coyote Media Collective. They share their story on how they became a food writer after working in the restaurant industry for a decade, on what it's like writing a cookbook (plus a great snippet of what kind of cookbook Soleil would like to write), and why independent journalism is and will always be important.

You can find Soleil's work at soleilho.com and at coyotemedia.org. They can also be found on Instagram and Bluesky at @soleilho.

Listen and follow Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube channel.

What is Hibiku Kotoba?

Hibiku Kotoba is a brand new podcast series we are launching this Fall! With a new podcast we hope to outreach through a new medium to an ever growing community. When translated, Hibiku Kotoba means “Resonating Words” and we hope that this podcast will reach you, family and friends and spark conversations that will bring ideas and people together from all backgrounds.

Kathleen Wong – a former J-Sei staff – will be the host and producer of the show. She will be interviewing local AANHPI leaders, creatives, innovators and more, and will cover topics from art to health and culture to advocacy. Along the way, she hopes to gain insights and perspective from the people she interviews and share new things along the way. Join us on this brand new adventure!

J-Sei is a Japanese-American, multi-generational and multi-cultural organization with its roots in Nikkei values and culture located in the East Bay. Visit the website: https://j-sei.org/