Zuni Café
| Zuni Café | |
|---|---|
 Zuni Café | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1979 |
| Owner(s) | Gilbert Pilgram |
| Head chef | Anne Alvero |
| Food type | California seasonal; French; Italian |
| Street address | 1658 Market Street |
| City | San Francisco, California |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 94102 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 37°46′25″N 122°25′17″W / 37.773656°N 122.421447°W |
| Website | www |
Zuni Café is a restaurant in San Francisco, California, named after the Zuni tribe of indigenous Pueblo peoples of Arizona and New Mexico.[1] It occupies a triangular building on Market Street at the corner of Rose Street.[2]
History
[edit]Zuni Café was established in 1979 by Billy West. In 1981 he hired Vince Calcagno as the manager, who became a business partner in 1987.[3] From its inception it was a gay gathering place.[4] Originally there was little money or space for cooking equipment: West grilled steaks illegally in the alley on a Weber grill. After a recommendatiion from Elizabeth David, Zuni Café became popular, and in 1984 Patricia Unterman wrote in a San Francisco Chronicle review: "The open kitchen at last has stoves, grills, counters, and refrigeration. ...There's enough money in the bank to support a good wine list."[4] West and Calcagno hired Judy Rodgers (formerly of Chez Panisse) as head chef in 1987.[3] Calcagno and Rodgers became co-owners; West died in July 1994.[4]
Originally a Southwest-themed café, Zuni Café expanded in the 1980s into the adjacent space that had been a cactus shop, and under Rodgers came to serve primarily Italian- and French-inspired cuisine.[2] With her at the helm, Zuni Café won the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: Pacific" in 2000, "Outstanding Restaurant" in 2003, and "Outstanding Chef" in 2004.[5] Rodgers published The Zuni Café Cookbook in 2002.[6]
Gilbert Pilgram, also formerly of Chez Panisse, became the co-owner when Calcagno retired in 2006.[1][2][7][8] Rodgers died on December 2, 2013.[6] Subsequently the head chef was Nate Norris, who was succeeded in October 2022 by Anne Alvero.[2] In 2018, the restaurant received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Service.[9]
On reopening in 2021 after the COVID-19 shutdown, Zuni Café replaced tips with a service charge for diners, applied to the pay of back-of-house workers as well as servers.[10][11] A San Francisco Chronicle review in 2024 noted that most long-term servers had chosen not to return because of the resulting reduction in their income, and that as a result service was now more uneven.[12]
With gay artist George "Bubba" Geiger, West made the original furniture for Zuni Café, using mesquite trunks and slabs of wood.[4] The restaurant has a piano and a changing exhibition of modern art, both instituted by West. West also added a Parisian-inspired copper bar; since there are no bar stools, Rodgers had a metal rod added for people to prop a foot on.[2] Rodgers also designed the brick oven, used for roasting chicken over wood.[13] The building underwent a seismic retrofit in 1991, when the interior was given exposed ceiling beams.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "History". Zuni.
- ^ a b c d e f Omar Mamoon (March 23, 2023). "It's a vibe: The oven. The piano. The bar. How Zuni Cafe built its timeless S.F. vibe". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b Michael Bauer (February 11, 2009). "1979: A classic year for San Francisco dining". SFGate (Between Meals blog). Archived from the original on February 14, 2009.
- ^ a b c d John Birdsall (June 1, 2021) [May 28, 2021]. "The Forgotten Queer Legacy of Billy West and Zuni Café". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024.
- ^ James Beard Foundation website. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- ^ a b Eric Asimov (December 3, 2013). "Judy Rodgers, Chef of Refined Simplicity, Dies at 57". The New York Times.
- ^ Michael Bauer (October 6, 2006). "A New Owner for Zuni Cafe". SFGate (Between Meals blog). Archived from the original on February 25, 2007.
- ^ Omar Mamoon (December 7, 2023). "Zuni Café turns 45 next year. Here's the San Francisco institution's story". San Francisco Standard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024.
- ^ Linda Zavoral (May 8, 2018). "James Beard winners: Grgich, Crenn, B. Patisserie, Zuni Cafe". The Mercury News. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ Janelle Bitker (May 10, 2021) [May 6, 2021]. "Legendary Zuni Cafe gets rid of tips, joining a wage-equity movement in Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ Sienna Barnes (June 24, 2021). "The Tip of the Iceberg". SF Weekly. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ MacKenzie Chung Fegan (March 18, 2024). "Does Zuni Café deserve its S.F. icon status? This is our new critic's verdict". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Michael Bauer (January 17, 2018). "Zuni and Poggio: Still good after all these years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- 1979 establishments in California
- Market Street (San Francisco)
- Restaurants in San Francisco
- French-American culture in San Francisco
- French restaurants in California
- Italian-American culture in San Francisco
- Italian restaurants in California
- Restaurants established in 1979
- James Beard Foundation Award winners