No matter what you regard as the jewels of the San Francisco Bay Area, more and more people are seeing our home as merely the headquarters for fast-growing, world-changing and (at times) over-hyped technology companies. But the truth is that this city and its neighbors have so much more going on.
This list is just a small sampling of standout innovators based in the Bay Area who happen to be working on projects completely unrelated to websites and apps.
David Kinch (Chef, Manresa)
Ask a friend working in the food-service industry, and you’re bound to hear it: the Bay Area is undergoing a culinary renaissance. From street food to fine dining, right now there are few (if any) gaps in the area’s gastronomic offerings. There’s seafood at Commis in Oakland, poetic dining at Atelier Crenn in the Marina, Moroccan fare at Mourad and Aziza, and so much more.
The latest big star is David Kinch, whose Los Gatos restaurant Manresa was recently elevated by the 2016 San Francisco Michelin Guide from two stars (“excellent cuisine, worth a detour”) to three stars (“exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”). Serving up high-quality ingredients not just seasonally but daily, the veggie-centric restaurant collaborates closely with nearby Love Apple Farms, which uses biodynamic and organic techniques to grow over 300 different varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. Of course, this is fine dining, so save up. The tasting menu is $210, and the wine pairing is $180.
Alex Steffen (Planetary Futurist)
“Planetary futurist” may seem like a pretentious title, but it’s actually quite humble. It’s what you call someone studying the planet today and making predictions about how it will look tomorrow. It’s environmentalism to the core but goes beyond, requiring a complete rethinking of how humanity engages with the environment. And even though the world is patting itself on the back for the new Paris deal, which is really just an admission of a serious problem, we’re going to need more planetary futurists like Alex Steffen to guide us through the hazy, tough road ahead.
After serving as the executive editor of Worldchanging, Steffen has mostly gone solo and published a couple of acclaimed books (Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century and Carbon Zero: Imagining Cities That Can Save the Planet), given TED talks and advised businesses on how to succeed in a planet-first future. To the Bay Area, Steffen will be an invaluable thought leader for forging through our own local burdens, like the housing crisis already affecting millions of people.
Claire George (Lead Vocals, Heartwatch)
Formerly called the Tropics, Heartwatch is a San Francisco–based, five-piece band fronted by Claire George. With her smooth, sweeping and tender voice, she’s clearly the driving force behind the group’s alternative indie-rock sound. On the band’s newly released single, “Faultlines,” she pays homage to her home with a sentimental but vivid line: “Meet me in the middle of the Golden Gate, and our love will sink into the ocean.” Her band played Outside Lands last year; they’re doing Noise Pop in a couple of months; and they’ll be releasing a new mini-album. One of the problems with the Bay Area music scene is that it’s too male centered. For instance, the just-announced set list for Noise Pop’s music festival in February features five Bay Area bands out of 35 total. And only one of them has a woman in it — Heartwatch.
San Francisco once helped legendary female musicians like Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks and Grace Slick flourish. Here’s to hoping we can do it again.
Lance Winters (Master Distiller, St. George Spirits)
We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: St. George is the granddaddy of Bay Area craft distilleries.
Along with the culinary renaissance, the beautiful City by the Bay is also experiencing a notable surge in craft breweries and distilleries. It’s a great time for gourmets and tipplers alike! Besides the ascendancy of bitter IPAs, one of the biggest trends nationwide is a growing love of whiskey. The boom is so pronounced that Kentucky’s bourbon inventory topped 5.7 million barrels in warehouses this year, the highest level since 1975.
While St. George offers bourbon and a single malt whiskey, they’re probably most well known for their gins, inspired by the natural aromas and flavors of the Bay Area. And that’s why Lance Winters, who, in 2010, took over founder Jörg Rupf’s role as master distiller, is someone to keep an eye on. My bet is that once bourbon and rye stop being trendy, the mass of drinkers will move on to the other great spirit — gin.
Photo by Molly DeCoudreaux.
