San Francisco, CA
Alaska Airlines Adds Taste Of San Francisco To Popular Route
Airplane food often has a pretty dicey reputation, as it’s known to not often be all that creative or high-concept…and doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being delicious. But over the years, airlines have tried to change all that by bringing on top sommeliers to revamp their wine list or celebrity chefs to upgrade their menu. Now, one airline is trying to do that in a pretty big way that is sure to get some attention.
Alaska Airlines has joined forces with a chef who has tons of star power – James Beard award-winning to Michelin-starred are among his credits – to add a serious punch of flavor to its first class menu on the airline’s popular San Francisco to New York City route.
Brandon Jew is a chef based in San Francisco, and is both owner and executive chef of Mister Jiu’s, a Chinese restaurant nestled in the heart of Chinatown inspired by the chef’s Cantonese heritage and local Bay Area ingredients and flavors. However, those who are on this flight route and who have not visited his Michelin-starred restaurant will now get a chance to experience some of his most famous dishes, from classic Chinese breakfast congee to slow-braised duck.
As airline food, even in the first class cabin, is often associated with dried out and over salted meats and carbs (not to mention sad variations on breakfast omelets), it’s worth noting that these dishes will also feature the same level of ingredients as those as Chef Jew’s restaurant. For example, the duck dish available on the lunch and dinner route will use poultry from Liberty Farms in Sonoma County, which is actually the same place the duck for Mister Jiu’s Peking Style Whole Roast Duck is sourced.
The revamped first class menu featuring Chef Jew’s dishes will be available beginning August 28, exclusively on routes between SFO and JFK, and feature a breakfast option of brown rice congee with soy cured eggs and braised pork belly that comes with turnip cake, pickled cauliflower, hoisin and a hot chili sauce. There’ll also be lunch and dinner choices that include a braised duck leg with sesame egg noodles and gai lan that comes with with wood ear mushrooms, tofu skin and cucumbers or roasted black cod that comes topped with ginger-scallion sauce and silken tofu and mapo sauce, paired with a quinoa and farro blend with roasted shiitake mushrooms.
“I’m so excited to partner with Alaska Airlines on their First Class flight menu, connecting my hometown of San Francisco with New York, a city where I’ve always dreamed of living in,” said Chef Brandon Jew in a press release. “Luxury begins with quality ingredients, which underscores our shared values. At Mister Jiu’s we are always evolving and defining Chinese American cuisine in the Bay Area while advocating for the global recognition of Chinese food — the partnership with Alaska Airlines elevates Chinese cuisine from coast to coast.”
Well, that’s certainly a way to start a trip off on the right foot.
San Francisco, CA
Daniel Lurie wants to pause city hiring — with some caveats
Newly inaugurated Mayor Daniel Lurie said Thursday he wants to freeze city hiring and new programs — though there are major exemptions and scant details on exactly what departments will be affected.
In light of a historic budget deficit reaching nearly $900 million, Lurie said the city would pause hiring for new positions, except those that are “historically challenging to staff and that directly support public safety and health.”
Additionally, Lurie told department heads to “realign programming and spending” with core priorities, according to a press release, including freezing new contracts and programs.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a list of questions from The Standard about which departments would be exempted from the hiring freeze or the criteria for halting programs and contracts.
San Francisco, CA
At SF Mayor Lurie’s Chinatown Party, Dancing, Fireworks and a Promise of Unity | KQED
“As we speak, the San Francisco Police Department and sheriff’s department are rapidly shifting resources and personnel to bring drug dealers to justice and clean up our streets,” Lurie said in his inaugural address Wednesday.
Chinese Americans have long played a critical role in San Francisco politics and the city’s identity as a bastion of progress and compassion, advocating for integrated schools, affordable housing and public safety, especially after the pandemic when anti-Asian hate crimes spiked.
It’s also a fast-growing electorate. The Asian population had the highest growth rate of any ethnicity in San Francisco from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census data. Chinese residents account for nearly 22% of the city’s population.
Lurie has already hired several staffers to help him bridge cultural divides, including Han Zhao, a political strategist for Lurie’s campaign who will be the director of public affairs; Paul Yep, a former San Francisco police commander who will be the director of public safety; and Kit Lam, who was the Asian American and Pacific Islander political director for Lurie’s campaign and who was previously an organizer of the school board recall in 2022. He will serve as a press liaison between the mayor’s office and AAPI communities.
Lurie, founder of the nonprofit Tipping Point and heir to the Levis Strauss clothing fortune, campaigned as a political outsider fed up with dysfunction and corruption in City Hall.
He has never held elected office before, but convinced voters that his background in nonprofit work would position him well to bring new ideas to City Hall. Campaign contributions soared past $62 million, topped by Lurie who raised roughly $16 million — about half of which was self-funded — making his run the most expensive in the city’s history.
At Wednesday’s night market, hundreds of residents packed the streets of Chinatown to eat and dance to electronic music by San Francisco-born electronic music producer, Zhu.
“I just got off of work over at Equinox and came because Zhu was performing, but I also came here to support our new Mayor Daniel Lurie,” said Mason Maes, who lives in Noe Valley. “It’s great to see all these residents get together.”
Elizabeth Wang, a Marina resident, came because she was hoping to learn more about Lurie and to have fun with friends.
“I’m just here for the vibes. I can’t say I know much about [Lurie] since he’s new to government,” Wang said. “But having a party here in Chinatown means a lot.”
Others at the event, who didn’t vote for Lurie and had skepticism about his wealthy background, said they’re waiting to see what type of change his administration will bring.
“We weren’t Daniel Lurie fans, but we love this city and hope it gets better,” said Tiny Harris, who was chasing her toddler around the market.
She said she voted for Aaron Peskin partly because he opposed sweeps of homeless encampments and supported housing and behavioral health solutions over law enforcement to address street homelessness.
“But out of all the mayoral candidates, we could have done worse, so I’m thankful for that,” Harris said.
San Francisco, CA
New San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie celebrates inauguration night in Chinatown with banquet and night market
Large turnout for new San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s inauguration night celebrations in Chinatown.
He thanks the Asian and AAPI communities for their support. San Franciscans, even one that said she didn’t vote for him, say they are excited and optimistic that he may bring change.
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