Hi, I’m Zack!

I’m a freelance food & beverage writer living in San Francisco.

I also run a pop-up called Lil’ Eagle Burger. You can read Lil’ Eagle’s review in the San Francisco Chronicle here or check out its website here. My smashburger was named one of the Bay Area’s best dishes of 2021 by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Over in the world of Podcasts, I’ve appeared on Inside Mental Health to talk about where my pop-up and mental health struggles intersect, and on Extra Spicy, a podcast from food critic Soleil Ho and the San Francisco Chronicle food team.

Am I pitching you?

My published work is below, along with some personal essays. I’ve also collected some smaller fragments of writing here for you to get a sense of my voice.

Work

Hold my stein: Here's your guide to Oktoberfest 2022 around the Peninsula — The Six Fifty — September 8th, 2022

How a Polish immigrant built a vodka brand that’s supporting relief efforts in Ukraine — The Six Fifty — April 20th, 2022

Say cheers to San Francisco Beer Week at events throughout the Peninsula — The Six Fifthy — February 10th, 2022

Inside Fogbird, San Mateo’s newest cocktail lounge — The Six Fifty — January 13th, 2022

Hot drinks for cold weather: A guide to the SF Peninsula’s best toddies, teas and mole’d wine — The Six Fifty — December 9th, 2021, published in print in the Palo Alto Weekly on December 17th, 2021

Bitter? Sweet!! How to make the most of Negroni week on the Peninsula — The Six Fifty — September 16th, 2021

Cheez(steak) Whiz: A Philly transplant’s guide to the Peninsula’s best cheesesteaks — The Six Fifty - June 8th, 2021, published in print in the Palo Alto Weekly on June 11th, 2021

Craft cocktails without pretension? Bar Zola says they have the recipe. — The Six Fifty - May 25th, 2021, published in print in the Palo Alto Weekly on May 28th, 2021

Mix it up: 10 locally made cocktails for your post-quarantine comeback — The Six Fifty - April 26th, 2021

The Peninsula’s cure to cocktail conformity: Tiki Thursday at Timber & Salt. — The Six Fifty - January 19th, 2021

Beyond margaritas: How San Agus in Palo Alto is crafting a new Mexican cocktail experience. — The Six Fifty - December 4th, 2020, published in print in The Almanac and Palo Alto Weekly on December 18th, 2020

Personal Essays

I take you. — January 13th, 2022

Goodbye Bridgewater’s Pub. — April 15th, 2021

I’m scared of a world without my favorite restaurants . — December 25th, 2020