The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards

This article is part of The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards, which celebrate the Bay Area’s small businesses and local residents who have hustled and shown creativity throughout 2020. See all the award winners here.

It’s an understatement to say that restaurants and bars have had to get creative this year to survive — showcasing the impressive ways they’ve made it work is the reason we launched The Bold Italic awards. That’s why no category may have been more competitive than our “Most Creative Outdoor Dining” award, meant to highlight the most unique open-air eating situations that have popped up over the months.

But the people have spoken, and our readers chose Off the Beaten Track at 16th and Capp as the winner. This weekly Friday night event has kept the Mission neighborhood smiling for months until the recent shutdown, all started by Paula Tejeda, owner of Chile Lindo — a small, beloved walk-up empanada shop on 16th Street.

Tejeda is known for her authentic, and extremely delicious, empanadas inspired by her Chilean roots. At the start of the pandemic, she didn’t waste time, almost immediately offering delivery — which she did herself — and not long after, approaching nearby Slate Bar to see if they’d want to team up for an event series that maintained safe Covid protocols.

This became a regular hang for locals, with 22 performances over five months, providing a reprieve for the neighborhood and an opportunity for local musicians whose typical venues have shut down.

The love we’ve seen for Chile Lindo and Slate Bar’s event has been overwhelming since we launched these awards. Reader notes have poured in. “It’s totally helped our jazz crowd appreciate something in 2020,” one TBI reader said in a nomination form. “It’s been refreshing, joyful, inspiring that in the midst of the craziness, Paula created a small oasis where we could connect with each other through music played by local artists, excellent local food, and enjoying being with each other again. Paula’s tenacity and determination, not giving up hope in the midst of very bizarre times has been incredibly inspiring.”

We agree. Congratulations to Chile Lindo and everyone involved with Off the Beaten Track!

We caught up with Tejeda to ask more about her business and Off the Beaten Track, which we hope will resume in the new year when San Francisco’s Covid case rate decreases. Read on for that interview and to see the other top creative outdoor dining spots in the city that were nominated for this award.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

TBI: How have you managed to stay afloat this year?
Tejeda:
Restaurant and bar owners in San Francisco have a lot of experience in staying afloat, as this industry has been very challenging since before Covid-19. One of the things that saved me is that I never had to shut down because Chile Lindo is a walk-up. I am also a very small operation with only one employee at this time. The third factor is my broad network through my newsletter and social media. The minute we went into shelter-in-place, in March, I offered an empanada special, $75 a dozen, plus delivery. I picked Wednesdays to deliver in the South Bay, Thursdays the East Bay, and Fridays the North Bay. I split the cost of delivery between the customers so that I would keep delivery costs as low as possible. I got up early, baked, packed, and delivered as far as San Jose, Sacramento, and Pleasanton, making stops along the way.

My next step was to talk to Patty West, the owner of Slate Bar, and offer my empanadas so that she could serve alcohol. Maruya, the sushi restaurant next door also joined. I created Off the Beaten Track at 16th and Capp, inviting musicians to play live. This event has brought our community together and thanks to the musicians, above all, it lifted our spirits during these challenging times.

How are you holding up now, heading into another month of shelter-in-place?
Off the Beaten Track at 16th and Capp, on Fridays, was the one day that I could count on for better sales. Now that is shut down. Foot traffic has disappeared and often my costs are higher than the day’s sales. However, I believe this latest shelter-in-place is an important measure that the city must take because I am well aware of the hardship nurses and doctors endure when there’s a surge of cases in their emergency rooms. Presently, I am focusing on applying for grants and loans that are very time consuming; we are all wearing so many hats to stay afloat that it’s easy to miss these opportunities for much needed financial support.

What are your hopes for 2021?
My hope is that there is greater awareness and appreciation of small businesses in general. The Small Business Association stipulates that a small business has 250 to 1,500 employees and up to $7 million in annual revenue. This stipulation is based on a comparison to corporations, thus sole proprietors, or micro-businesses like myself, are not even a category, yet we have to abide by the legal regulations that apply to everyone across the board. We are constantly told that we are the backbone of the economy, yet the last rollout of the PPP loans proved the lack of support directed towards us. Also, I hope that people start to recognize the valuable contributions made by the hospitality industry: how many other businesses it supports, how much restaurateurs value their team, and how much we add to the spirit of the city. On a personal level, I hope that providing a great product, fresh-baked empanadas and Chilean pastries, will continue to grow my customer base.

How can people help support your business?
The best and most direct way to support my business is by ordering empanadas and dulces chilenos (traditional Chilean cakes and alfajores). The second support I am looking for is a sponsor and/or grant that will finance the production of the music events so that musicians can get paid a stipend when they perform at my event. I think that every restaurant and bar that offers live outdoor music should be granted funds to pay the bands and musicians. Music attracts customers to your business and musicians need an income. They should not have to rely only on tips.

Other nominees for Most Creative Outdoor Dining in the Bay Area

1. Soma Garden

Soma Garden cropped up over the summer, a result of Temple Nightclub working with the San Francisco Entertainment Commission and the Shared Spaces program to debut a new, socially distanced way to dine and hear music outside. They’ve become known for brunch options, while “BEATS and EATS,” where Bay Area DJ’s spin beats and fare from local restaurants is served.

They’ve also featured musicians and comedians, overall providing an outdoor venue for performers in the city.

2. Gozu-Chan Highball Garden

GOZU is a high-end Japanese restaurant from chef Marc Zimmerman and partner Benjamin Jorgensen on the Embarcadero focused on wagyu. It opened in late 2019 only to suffer a fire a couple of months later. It reopened this year with a new outdoor experience fit for the Covid era: GOZU-Chan, a Japanese Highball Garden, a “baby” version of the indoor space.

The menu features skewers grilled on konro boxes over kishu binchotan (charcoal), along with Japanese highballs. They’ve also rolled out A-Five Meats Butcher pop-up and focused on takeout Bento Dinners (check out their New Year’s Eve one).

“My hope is that we’re able to operate at some capacity indoors by February,” says chef/owner Marc Zimmerman. “We’ve got an amazing and creative team here that is anxiously awaiting the return of the business.”

3. Palette

Palette in SoMa is known for Chef Peter J. Hemsley’s “Cal-Coastal” cooking style, showcasing fishmongers along the California Coast, paired with an art-meets-cuisine ethos with a gallery next door.

Readers nominated Palette for its newly constructed, redwood-planked outdoor terrace featuring a black-and-white mural from SF artist Nathan Richard Phelps and lush greenery surroundings.

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