Not many cities would restore a bleary, old building to surpass its former glory and then dedicate it to organic & sustainable food. It’s so west coast. So California. So very San Francisco. Only the Bay Area, where America’s food revolution began, would make such a grand gesture to Mother Earth and its humble caretakers.
Before the Golden Gate & Bay Bridges were constructed, the Ferry Building was the point of all comings & goings in San Francisco. By the 50s, the Ferry Building had little use and lost much of its luster, by 1998 the city came up with a plan and hired a redevelopment team. Four labor-intensive years and about $100 million later, the renovation was complete, and the result is stunning!
Imperial Tea Court
The entire ground floor, inside and around the courtyard, is dedicated to 85 or so local farmers, 27 artisan food vendors, 6 specialty product shops and 9 organic/sustainable restaurants and cafes. And these artisans are the cream of the crop -- some of the best California has to offer. We’re talking stunning cakes, delectable pastries and artisan breads; the freshest seafood, meats, produce & flowers; a shop filled with every imaginable type of mushroom; a shop that sells wines to sip on-premise with snacks acquired from anywhere in the marketplace; a culinary antique shop (with an omelette pan from the 1800s!); cafes & eateries with simple, beautiful, authentic food to take home for dinner or enjoy outside while ferry watching. I’ve truly never seen anything quite like it.
Miette
In a country where it often seems easier to bulldoze anything lackluster and put up a shiny new Starbucks/Gap strip-mall rather than fix what we have, I applaud San Francisco for the Ferry Building Marketplace, and sincerely hope other cities will follow suit.
Far West Fungi
Acme Bread Company
Culinaire
Frog Hollow Farm
Boulette's Larder
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