San Francisco’s Mission District is a foodie paradise, a world of tastes unto itself and a crossroad, where food meets politics and tech elites meet immigrant families who have been Mission-dwellers for years. Multi-ethnic and multi-lingual, noisy, colorful, and aromatic, it’s the perfect place to live and work if you want to write about food, traditions, and culinary justice. A Mission resident since 1999, this is my backyard, a sprawling shopping mall of foods, spices, and flavor. In it, I am constantly discovering new gems, like a fruit from Mexico that’s only available for a week just before Christmas (tejocotes) or a restaurant that converts its menu and name one night a week to support and celebrate free-range, sustainably sourced hogs (Regalito becomes Pigalito on Tuesdays). Join me on a journey to where food is more than a passion, it’s a destination.
Andrea Lawson Gray, a culinary content creator, copywriter for culinary platforms and a private chef. Based in San Francisco, she is the mother of 3 amazing, tril-lingual, multi-cultural kids; her award-winning food history and cookbook, Celebraciones Mexicanas: History, Traditions and Recipes is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other on-line booksellers.
my Mission: Tastes of SF 