Soleil Ho will join the San Francisco Chronicle as its upcoming restaurant critic in January, reports the Chronicle. She will succeed Michael Bauer, The Chronicle’s distinguished critic of 30 years, after his retirement this year.
At 31, Ho, who is Vietnamese American, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in and outside of the kitchen. Ho is a trained chef, food journalist, and creator of numerous inclusive creative projects—including the co-host of Racist Sandwich, award-nominated podcast voicing off-the-cuff perspectives on social politics of food.
Because much of Ho’s food reporting and restaurant commentary explores at intersections of race, gender, and identity, her experience could forge a path to developing unconventional approaches to defining and reporting on the culinary remarkableness around the Bay Area. The Chronicle editor-in-chief Audrey Cooper said to Eater, “[Ho] was a clear choice: she has a fresh and modern approach to food journalism.”
The Washington Post also reports that Paolo Lucchesi, the senior editor of Lifestyle at The Chronicle said, during a phone interview with the Post, that the paper’s editors “wanted to see how we could push the genre forward.”
“We had so many great candidates, and I think she has this unparalleled combination. She’s a great writer, in and of itself,” Lucchesi said. “She’s a cultural critic already. She’s already changed food journalism in so many ways in America, and I’m excited to see how she will continue to.”
The Chronicle says about Ho, “she will lead The Chronicle into the next era of criticism, a conversation that will confront questions of ethics and social justice.” They add, “she will ensure that The Chronicle is the go-to place for Bay Area dining recommendations and reviews that enlighten, entertain and most of all, determine whether local restaurants are worth a diner’s time and money.”
“I know she will challenge our readers and our local industry, which in turn will help keep the Bay Area at the forefront of food culture and experiences,” Cooper added.
Ho says about the Chronicle, “I’m so honored to be the Bay Area’s full-time food critic and to be tasked with doing this diverse, complicated region’s foodways justice through my writing.” She adds, “This is a total dream for me.”
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