Abundant harvest
The Progress, the Whale’s Tail, Mendocino, Rose Pizzeria, Sol Bakery, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Help Wanted
We’re newly on the search for an editorial assistant. It’s a fractional job requiring 5-10 hours per week, and includes organizing FOUND’s editorial calendar, communicating with contributors, updating FOUND’s website, and if you please, some writing. The position is remote, though the ideal candidate will be based in a FOUND city.
Speaking of, the wheels are turning on new FOUND cities. We’re looking for contributors based in Chicago, New Orleans, Hawaii, plus Sydney and Melbourne. These are very flexible freelance roles that don’t necessarily require a professional writing background — mostly passion about FOUND categories along with impeccable taste. Is that you, or a friend?
We need a paid social guru to manage a small spend.
If any of these opportunities excite you, drop us a line at found@itsfound.com and tell us a little bit about yourself.
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Peachy keen
ERIN MITTLESTAEDT • CEO • The FruitGuys
Neighborhood you live in: Nob Hill/Russian Hill
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m usually at our light-filled office in San Bruno after dropping my boys off at school. The FruitGuys delivers farm-fresh fruit and snacks to offices and schools nationwide, so I’ll often find myself standing in our break room, pulling a banana from the bunch on the table and choosing a snack from our mix. On Wednesdays, I typically visit with our local team and catch up on what’s happening in the office, keeping an eye on the time so I don’t miss a check-in call with one of our teams across the country.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today, I’m actually headed to Dallas, to visit one of our 11 locations and meet with a client. I was just reading a crop update from one of our farmers: There was a late-season cold snap in the Mid-Atlantic this week, and our Pennsylvania growers are watching their stone fruit (mainly peaches) to see how the crop may be affected. We watch the weather closely because it can have such a direct impact on our farmers, their produce, and ultimately our clients.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
My wife and I have reservations next week at Clementina, a new gluten-free restaurant in the Inner Richmond, and I’m really excited. I also recently went to The Progress, with drinks beforehand at The Social Study, an adorable small bar nearby. The Progress was fun and inventive. None of us were drinking that night, and we all had amazing mocktails along with creative and delicious food. The duck was fantastic.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I have two young boys, so a lot of our activities are outdoors and kid-friendly. We love meeting up with friends for playdates at all the great city parks and playgrounds. Most Saturdays, you can find us in the Presidio at the pond near the Letterman Digital Arts Center after swim class at the Letterman pool. The area around the pond is a hidden gem. The kids can play for hours, running around the rocks by the stream and through the grassy area, and when everyone gets hungry, Pizzeria Avellino is right there for lunch.
One of my other favorite spots is the meadow by the Whale’s Tail in Golden Gate Park, especially when the beer garden is open. There are places for grown-ups to sit and hang out, amazing trees to climb and open areas for the kids to play. Giants games on Sundays are also a unique experience because kids can run the bases after the game.
Any weekend getaways?
So many. We’re lucky in the Bay Area to have quick access to so many different places: Calistoga, Healdsburg, Inverness, Point Reyes. We went to Mendocino for a few days recently during spring break, and it was beautiful. This time of year, everything was so green. The towns of Mendocino and Fort Bragg are charming, and the coastline is stunning. There’s the most amazing coffee shop in Mendocino called The Waiting Room. It’s small, but they have an old-school record player, delicious coffee, and almond cake. You have to get the almond cake early before they sell out, and the best part is that it’s gluten-free. We had to convince our boys (who are picky eaters) that they could only have one slice!
What was your last great vacation?
Last summer, our family went to Italy to celebrate my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary. It was my first time in Venice, and even though it was hot and buggy, it was such a unique experience. One of my favorite parts of Venice was riding public transit: Instead of buses, there are boats, and it’s a great way to explore the city. For a unique and expansive view, take a boat over to Hotel Molino Stucky. It’s in Giudecca, so it feels a little separate from the main part of Venice. There’s a rooftop pool, although you need to be a hotel guest and make a reservation to use it. Even if you don’t go for the pool, you can still head up to enjoy the view and the bar.
WORK LINKS: In AI age, everyone is talking to their computers • How to fight AI FOBO • Todd Graves ignored business school advice to build Raising Cane’s • Is Arizona the new Silicon Valley?
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Upper crust
The Skinny: First opened in Berkeley in 2021, Rose Pizzeria is named after the flower garden in its back patio. It quickly earned a following for its distinctively thin and crispy pies, spicy and fermented toppings, and natural wine list. Wife-and-husband owners Alexis Rorabaugh and Gerad Gobel met while working at Bar Agricole, and also toiled together at Soho House in Chicago. Last month, they brought the pizza party to SF with a second location of Rose Pizzeria in the Inner Richmond.