The Mount Tam watershed is one of Marin’s most valuable resources, and our uses of it are limited in order to protect it.

Hiking, biking, and horseback riding are permitted with some constraints, but what about electric bikes? In September 2019, Marin County supervisors approved a new policy that allows the use of e-bikes on certain multi-use paths and roads, including the popular Mill Valley/Sausalito path, the Corte Madera Creek path and the Pacheco path, according to the Marin Independent Journal. It also allows e-bikes on paved roads and parking lots in county parks. The rule change does not affect the ban on e-bike use on Marin County Open Space District land and on unpaved trails in county parks.

Marin Municipal Water District officials are currently reviewing e-bike use on Its lands, and Crystal Yezman, MMWD's facilities and watershed manager, will discuss the district’s evaluation process regarding this additional recreational activity on the mountain at an Outdoor Art Club event on March 5 at 1pm. One West Blithedale. Free. MORE INFO.

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As part of our EMV Films series highlighting some of the myriad creative businesses, organizations and people in Mill Valley, we're spotlighting the Mill Valley Lumber Yard and the array of innovative retail shops, restaurants, makers and creators at this gorgeously restored historic property dating back to 1892. We'll be highlighting more businesses, nonprofits and arts organizations throughout 2020!

Mill Valley Lumber Yard owners Matt and Jan Mathews don't need to spend much time touting the beauty and inimitability of what they've created. There's no shortage of patrons and friends who happily do it for them. In the video below, MVLY regular Stephen Hohenrieder says it all: "I just found myself wanting to be here."

In the years since MVLY opened, it's become a multi-faceted community gathering space and retail and foodie destination. Its spaces span an array of uses, including the much-lauded Watershed Restaurant from Ged Robertson and Kyle Swain, Chelsea Hutchison’s BOL Superfood Cafe, Flour Craft Bakery from Heather Hardcastle and Rick Perko, Stacy King's Lulu Design Jewelry, Louise Dockstader's Once Around, Mad Dogs & Englishman, an innovative, creative bicycle shop from Jennifer Blevins and Martin Watson, longtime MVLY stalwarts in with Molly de Vries' Ambatalia and Gayle Nicoletti’s Bloomingayles, as well as Serena Armstrong’s FarmHouseUrban, Suzy Ekman’s Makers Market, Amy Lowery’s The Edit, Brit Morin's Makeshop and Paige Mycoskie's Aviator Nation.

MVLY extends far beyond traditional food and retail, as Makers Market's monthly Outdoor Market events invite dozens of independent creators to showcase their wares alongside live music, kids' crafts and activities and much more. And one of the hidden gems of the property is the second floor, where some of Mill Valley's most talented artists (like Victoria Mimiaga) and entrepreneurs ply their trades.

Quite simply, Matt and Jan Mathews have made one of the largest imprints on Mill Valley when it comes to community vitality in the 30 years since they moved to town. The couple steered their proposed preservation and revitalization of the inimitable Mill Valley Lumber Yard property built by lumber magnate Robert Dollar in 1892 through a lengthy, robust approval process, and subsequently set about making it a buzzworthy destination for both residents and visitors.

Watch the film below. ​Video by Summertime Films, commissioned by the Mill Valley Chamber. Thanks to Norm Hunter and his team. Many more films to come showcasing the boundless innovation, community vitality and entrepreneurial spirit of Mill Valley.

Here are some of the previous videos from our Enjoy Mill Valley Film Series:

Health & Wellness

Mill Valley's Foundational, Historic Businesses

Inspired Chefs

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Mt. Tam United Methodist Church is launching a parent-centric gathering around wellness and continuing its popular summer Peace Camp.

Tricia Wiig, the church's Children, Youth and Families Minister, says the six-week Parent Wellness Circle will help participants gain insights into their own wellness and focus on areas where they want to grow and make changes as a parent. "Need some support? Or inspiration? Or just want to gather with a group to remember you're not alone? says Wiig.

Parent Wellness Circle participants gather with a facilitator to: 1) Assess their own wellness 2) Discuss important parenting lessons 3) Support each other as they work on next steps 4) Share the joys and challenges of being a parent and 5) Build community.

Sessions take place in the church lounge Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9pm, Feb. 25-Mar. 31. Cost is $15 for the entire 6 sessions. All faiths or none are welcome. RSVP to triciawiig@mtumc.org.

The church has set its "Peace Camp" for kids for the week of June 22-26, 9am-3pm, with extended care (8:30-5:30). Ages 5-12. Cost is $197 per child and $25 for extended care per family, with a request of three hours of parent volunteer time. Campers will be immersed in peacemaking activities as experienced through story telling, spiritual practices, arts and crafts, cooperative outdoor games, yoga, music, and more. 

"Our mission is to equip and empower children to be peacemakers in the world," Wiig says. "All faiths and spiritual traditions (or none) are welcome to learn, grow and play with us!"

​The 411: Mt. Tam United Methodist Church is at 410 Sycamore Ave. ​Email triciawiig@gmail.com for questions or to request a registration form. MORE INFO.

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Picture this: the Marin Headlands, home to some of the most spectacular hiking, running and cycling trails in California, as well as a haven for nature lovers and much more, is instead home to 30,000 people living in 50 apartment towers on a 21,000-acre site, alongside single-family homes, low-rise apartments and townhouses.

Sound horrendous? You have a gang of "Rebels With a Cause," as an award-winning documentary by local filmmakers Nancy Kelly and Kenji Yamamoto calls them, to thank for the pristine land north of the Golden Gate Bridge. On Wednesday, March 4, the Mill Valley Historical Society hosts a First Wednesday panel discussion on that battle featuring Huey Johnson, Doug Ferguson, Dr. Martin Griffin and more at the Mill Valley Library. A screening of the film precedes the discussion on March 3, but registration for that event has been closed.

The 411: ​On Wednesday, March 4 from 7-9pm, the Mill Valley Historical Society hosts a First Wednesday panel discussion on the battle over Marincello featuring Huey Johnson, Doug Ferguson, Dr. Martin Griffin and more at the Mill Valley Library. A screening of the film precedes the discussion on March 3, but the registration limit for that event has been closed.

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Mill Valley residents longing for the days of Beth’s Community Kitchen, the scrumptious downtown bakery from Beth Setrakian that relocated to Bolinas in 2015, look like they’re in for a delicious treat. 

Karen Fong, who shares with Setrakian a lifelong love of baking from childhood and a desire to become deeply engaged with the 94941 community, is opening Mill Valley Baking Co. at 17 East Blithedale Ave. this summer.

In unanimously approving Fong’s application to open in the former Noci space, the Planning Commission lauded the arrival of a bakery in town and gave Fong the green light to open as early as 5:30am to match the hours of other pastry- and coffee-serving shops like Equator and Peet’s. 

“I am very excited to see this go in because it looks fantastic,” said Commissioner Greg Hildebrand. “I’m very much looking forward to this.” 

Despite commission approval, Fong is still in the midst of the permitting process as she awaits sign-off from the County of Marin’s Environmental Health Services division and then final permits from the city. 
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While much work is ahead of her, Fong teased a menu that includes: 

Croissants (Butter, Chocolate, Almond), Bear Claw, Morning Bun, Fruit/Cheese Danish, Bagels (Plain, Sesame, Poppy Seed and more flavors upon request), Breads (English Muffin, French Sweet Baguette, Rye, Bread, Honey Wheat Bread, Focaccia), Scones (Cranberry, Orange, Blueberry Lemon, Strawberries & Cream), Biscuits (Buttermilk Bacon Cheddar, Cheddar Thyme), Muffins (Banana, Blueberry Lemon, Chocolate Almond), Cookies (Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Snickerdoodle) Biscotti, as well as Espresso & Drip Coffee Water and Juices.

But while that was more than enough to get your attention, Fong’s journey to this moment is riveting.

“I’ve baked all my life,” she says, pointing to her father Sunny Fong’s decades-long work as a line cook in Berkeley. “He taught all four of us kids how to cook. He went to work at 2am, so when he got off, he was exhausted, so he’d come home and put us to work for him, giving us instructions. We were basically his kitchen help – he had his own assembly line at home. One marinated meats, the other cooked over the stove or meat into the oven and manned the timer, another set the table, and the last washed dishes.”

Before Fong headed down the baking-as-profession path, she graduated with a computer science degree and became a software engineer and later a project manager at none other than Apple Inc., where she remained for more than 13 years. She took time off for maternity leave and later resigned as her husband battled cancer, and eventually decided that the time was right to go to San Francisco Cooking School, focusing on baking both sweet and savory.

Fong says she picked up a “middle of the night work ethic” from her father, often baking brownies and cupcakes as a helpful tool “to push the engineers to meet their deadlines,” she says with a laugh.  - “Baking has always been my thing.”

Fong, who lives in San Francisco, has worked at A16 in San Francisco on both the savory and dessert side and later realized baking was still where she found the most comfort and ease. She then moved on to be a baker at Cavallo Point Lodge. In her time baking in the middle of the night at Cavallo, she decided that the next place she baked at would be working for herself. 

“Cavallo has been my training ground,” she says.

Fong had been looking for a space in San Francisco and elsewhere for more than a year when a friend suggested a Mill Valley visit. They happened upon the former Noci space and Fong knew it was a great fit.
​
“I’m really excited to open and working hard to get through the process,” Fong says.

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From soccer, baseball, lacrosse and football teams playing on sports fields and residents of all ages using the community center pool and fitness center to community gathering points like Downtown Plaza and the community gardens, the presence of parks and recreation in Mill Valley is ubiquitous.

With that in mind, the Mill Valley Friends of Parks and Recreation works with the city to ensure that Mill Valley’s fields, recreation programs and facilities continue to be a first-class experience. Over the past year-plus, the organization has helped fund projects like the Skate Park renovation, improvements at the Mill Valley Golf Course, landscaping outside the Community Center, the Community Garden annex, the Dog Park Agility Course, a scholarship matching program and more sports field renovations.

At a multi-faceted fundraiser on Feb. 6, the group was at it again, raising more than $180,000, with 100 percent of proceeds dedicated to Parks and Recreation projects, including $60,000 for a Fund-A-Need for three projects: scholarships for Mill Valley Recreation programs, a Bicycle Pump Track and Community Coffee, a coffee cart kiosk from Integrated Community Services (ICS) in the Community Center lobby, set to debut later this year, which will provide paid, on-the-job training for individuals with disabilities to equip them with the skills needed for bright careers. The coffee cart is supported by Equator Coffees and Mill Valley Recreation.

The benefit featured food from local restaurants and performances by the MVMS Bluegrass Band and Johnny and June Forever.

The 411: Mill Valley Friends of Parks and Recreation's annual fundraiser raised more than $180,000, with 100 percent pf proceeds dedicated to Parks and Recreation projects. MORE INFO.

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Award-winning composer, producer, educator and musician Richard Howell brings his multi-generational jazz ensemble Sudden Changes, which has roots in revival meetings that summon positive energy and compassion for coexistence through the frequency of love, to the Throckmorton Theatre on Feb. 22.

Howell, who has worked and recorded with legends such as Etta James, Chaka Khan, and Maurice White, as well as with new voices of jazz such as Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, has performed with pop, soul, and jazz music industry icons on stages across the globe, from the Zellerbach Hall to the Royal Albert Hall. 

Sudden Changes features a number of acclaimed musicians alongside Howell, including pianist Glen Pearson, who currently performs with the Count Basie Orchestra, along with bassist David Ewell, trumpeter Rafa Postel, drummer Ele Salif and master percussionist David Frazier.

Howell calls his music “Bridge Music," as it "celebrates diversity as it bridges, unites and merges the experience of all listeners.  I define it as Bridge Music."

The 411: Richard Howell & Sudden Changes performs at the Throckmorton Theatre on Feb. 22. 8pm. MORE INFO & TIX.

Want to get more involved in your community but sure exactly where to start?

There's a free event that's perfectly suited for you.

The 7th Annual Mill Valley Volunteer Day, where a plethora of fantastic organizations will be on hand to help you navigate the volunteer opportunities that exist in the 94941, from schools, government and sports to the arts and the environment, is set for Saturday, April 25 from 10am-2pm on the Depot Plaza downtown. 

The event kicks off with a litter pick-up outing at 9am starting at Whole Foods Market on Miller Avenue.

The brainchild of longtime local volunteer and Clean Mill Valley co-founder Joan Murray, Volunteer Day gathers Mill Valley-based nonprofits "that want to create community awareness of their organizations and introduce residents to volunteer opportunities in their organizations," Murray says.

And back by popular demand, the Milo Foundation will return for a dog adoption drive. There will also be live music throughout the event.

"Volunteer Day is a great opportunity to connect with fellow community-based organizations, showcase your organization's work in the community, as well as recruit new volunteers," says Clean Mill Valley co-founder Joan Murray, who founded the event.

In past years, more than 30 organizations have participated in the event. Along with local nonprofits, the City of Mill Valley will have a large presence with representatives from police, fire, the library, and the recreation departments.

The 411: The 7th Annual Mill Valley Volunteer Day is set for Saturday, April 25, 10am–2pm in the Downtown Plaza. 

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While plenty of horrifying examples of #MeToo moments have been exposed in recent years, the movement has also shed light on the subject's complexities, particularly those in which the accused is a loved one. 

In the Marin Theatre Company's ongoing quest to tell stories "that feel more of the moment and feel more urgent in terms of their storytelling," as MTC Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis recently told the Marin Independent Journal, the organization's upcoming production, Love, dives deeply into those complexities. Written by playwright Kate Cortesi, a current Huntington Playwriting Fellow and recent Playwrights Horizons Commission awarded, Love runs March 5-29.

When Penelope is approached about joining a group of women making harassment allegations against her former boss, she finds herself at an uncomfortable crossroads—the man accused was a former lover and remains a dear friend. As the women’s stories unfold, Penelope questions what happened to her, what she enabled, and her very identity. Love examines what accountability looks like when an abuser of power is one of our favorite men, and poses a radical question: Can we place love at the center of these reckonings?

"I wrote this play because there is a conversation around sex and power that I believe people want to have that we're not having, not in public anyway, Cortesi says. "Do we want dark truth to come to light? Yes. Do we want justice for abuses? Yes. Do we want to acknowledge and correct the exploits of patriarchy? Absolutely. AND we also want to delve into the relationships where this reckoning is complicated, murky, and colored by, among other things, love. I believe love belongs at the center of these reckonings, right next to justice and truth."

New York-based director Mike Donahue helms the production, which features newcomers Clea Alsip (Penelope), Rebecca Schweitzer (Vanessa), R. Ward Duffy (Otis), Bobak Cyrus Bakhtiari (Jaime) Mari Vial-Golden (Whitney/Rebecca) and MTC veteran Robert Sicular (Ron/Ken).
​
The 411: Marin Theatre Company's production of Love opens March 5 and runs through March 29. 397 Miller Ave. Tix $25-$70. Discounts for seniors, under 35, teens, military families, and teachers are available. MORE INFO & TIX. 

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The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, the non-profit, all-volunteer organization founded in 1973 to present classical musicians in Mill Valley at affordable ticket prices, continues its 47th season on Feb. 23 with a performance by award-winning violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and pianist Wu Qian.

Moscow-born Sitkovetsky made his concert debut came at the age of eight, and in the same year he moved to the UK to study at the Menuhin School. Sitkovetsky is in demand as a director and has directed and performed as a soloist regularly with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, London Mozart Players, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, and New York Chamber Players. 

Sitkovetsky performs alongside his wife, pianist Wu Qian, with whom he was awarded first prize at the Trio di Trieste Duo competition. Sitkovetsky is an alumnus of the prestigious “Chamber Music Society Two” program at the Lincoln Center, and in 2016 received the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. Wu Qian has given recitals in Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, the Concertgebouw, and Kennedy Center. She has appeared with the Brussels Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, I Virtuosi Italiani, and the Munich Symphoniker.

The program for the Feb. 23 concert includes: De Falle: Suite Populaire Espagnole for Violin & Piano; R. Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, op. 121; Schnittke: Suite in the Olden Style, op. 80; Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, op. 45

The MVCMS concert series concludes March 8 with Aizuri Quartet. Two months later, MVCMS showcases the talents of five emerging classical musicians at the annual Marin Music Chest “Young Artists' Concert,” on May 17.

MVCMS concerts are held at 5 p.m. Sundays at the Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Avenue, Mill Valley, an intimate concert venue featuring superb acoustics and free parking.

Season subscriptions are $145 per person for five concerts or $105 for three concerts. All subscribers receive complimentary tickets to the annual Marin Music Chest Young Artists Concert. Tickets are sold at the door at $40 per person. Free admission for youth age 18 and under. Subscriptions or single tickets can be ordered online here.

​The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society's 47th season continues Sunday, January 26 with a performance by award-winning violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and pianist Wu Qian. Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Avenue. Free parking. Concerts are at 5 p.m. Single tickets are $40 general and free for youth ages 18 and under. Season subscriptions options include $145 per person for all five concerts or a mini-subscription for $105 for three concerts. All subscribers receive a complimentary ticket to the annual Marin Music Chest Young Artists Concert on May 17, 2020. MORE INFO & TIX.

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The name Martin Ray resonates deeply in the history of California winemaking, but the reason why is more complex than the great wine attached to the moniker.

The prowess of Martin Ray Winery dates back more than 80 years, when Ray, who learned to make wine from Paul Masson, and then bought Masson’s vineyard in 1936, and produced varietals until the 1970s. But the staying power of the acclaimed brand traces back to winemaker Courtney Benham's chance discovery of 1,500 cases of Martin Ray wines in a San Jose storage space, which propelled him to acquire the rights to the iconic label, named for its founder, who passed away in 1976, from his family.

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Mill Valley's Bungalow 44 restaurant is set to celebrate that lineage with a special evening featuring Benham and Bungalow chef Gabe Charpentier collaborating  on a five-course dinner with wine pairings that span Martin Ray Winery's wine.

The 411: Martin Ray Winery's Courtney Benham and Bungalow 44 chef Gabe Charpentier collaborate on a five-course dinner with wine pairings that span Martin Ray Winery's wine. 44 East Blithedale Ave. Cocktails 6:30pm. Dinner 7:30pm. Email to reserve your spot. MORE INFO.

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With Valentine's Day on the horizon, third-generation calligraphy artist Sarah Hanna wants to help you express your love. The Sonoma-based artist will be at the Poet and/the Bench, the four-year-old lifestyle store and jewelry atelier space from Jeffrey Levin and Bonnie Powers, on Saturday, Feb. 8 (12-3pm).

Hanna will address your Valentine by name or phrase as a gift from Levin and Powers with any purchase, including the shop's new Truth to Paper Valentine's poem cards.

Hanna was born in Jamaica and grew up in Winter Park, Florida where she apprenticed in her mother’s studio. She learned the art of lettering and illustration with two generations of expertise in her DNA and hands. Sarah also earned her degree in advertising, amplifying her natural marketing abilities and the conceptual foundation of her craft.

Hanna creates wedding and bespoke invitation sets, custom maps (like the one she illustrated for Poet and/the Bench), monograms, Letters from Santa and other commissioned designs and decor. 

While you're there, check out Ojai-based Louesa Roebuck's monotypes on display at Poet and/the Bench. 

The 411: Calligraphy artist Sarah Hanna will be at the Poet and/the Bench, the four-year-old lifestyle store and jewelry atelier space from Jeffrey Levin and Bonnie Powers, on Saturday, Feb. 8 (12-3pm) to address your Valentine by name or phrase as a gift from Levin and Powers with any purchase. MORE INFO.

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Needing a bit of love in your life these days? One of the of the missions of the O'Hanlon Center for the Arts is to foster individual creativity, and the vital arts organization is once again doing so next month with a Sunday Salon. These regular events – put on by Murphy Productions' Daniel Patrick and Erma Murphy (also O'Hanlon's co-director) – are potluck-style meals that have attendees performing music, poetry, dance, storytelling and much more.

For the Sunday, Feb. 16th edition of the Sunday Salon, the theme is love.
 
The 411: The O'Hanlon Center for the Arts and Murphy Productions host "The Love Salon" on Sunday, Feb. 16. Potluck at 5pm, performances at 6pm. 616 Throckmorton Ave. Bring good food and drink to share. Share a poem, song, dance or work of art that relates to the theme of love. Interested in presenting? Email Daniel Patrick at musicimpresario@gmail.com. $10. MORE INFO & TIX. Here's Daniel Patrick & Erma Murphy talking about the Sunday Salon:

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The Rock and Roll Playhouse, a family-minded live concert series that seeks to inspire creativity and foster a relationship between children and music, is coming to the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley with a pair of kid-friendly concerts.

The first, set for Saturday, Feb. 8, is "The Purple Party for Kids," featuring the music of the legendary Prince and more.

The second show Is on Sunday, March 22, featuring the Music of the Talking Heads, one of whose members, Jerry Harrison, is a longtime Mill Valley resident.

The Rock and Roll Playhouse is a weekly family concert series providing kids and parents a place to inspire creativity through music across the country at venues such as Brooklyn Bowl, Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre, Ardmore Music Hall, The UC Theatre, First Avenue and Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael.

Given the sensitive young ears of its audience, Rock and Roll Playhouse turns down the volume at its shows. The concert series gives back to local communities, with donations to the likes of Can’d Aid Foundation’s Tunes Programs, VH-1 Save the Music Foundation, and Keep the Music Alive, as well as ticket donations to local school fundraisers and auctions.

The 411: The Rock and Roll Playhouse, a family-minded concert series, is coming to the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley with a pair of kid-friendly concerts. The first, set for Saturday, Feb. 8, is "The Purple Party for Kids," featuring the music of the legendary Prince and more. The second show Is on Sunday, March 22, featuring the Music of the Talking Heads. MORE INFO & TIX.

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Since 2017, there hasn’t been a more visibly vacant commercial space in Mill Valley – save for the blank canvas that is the mother of all retaining walls at 500 Miller Ave. – than the former Gira Polli space at 590 East Blithedale and Camino Alto.

Bay Area food industry vets Pascal Rigo and Nicolas Bernadi are hoping to change that in the next few months.

In 2018, the pair leased the building with the hopes of making it one of the locations for La Boulangerie, the post-Starbucks, slightly renamed rebirth of their popular La Boulange cafes and eateries. They’d hoped to open by the end of 2018 in the space that once housed a Der Wienerschnitzel and a Burger Chef before it was Gira Polli. 

For a variety of reasons, they’ve shifted gears and are now targeting it for the second location for apizza, a concept focused on simple, affordable food. They hope to open early here in the second quarter of 2020. Apizza opened in Sept. 2019 at 2043 Fillmore Street in San Francisco.

Bernadi says apizza is built around the mission that “everybody should have the right to eat products that are healthy and they can afford. We believe in apizza for everyone—for every taste, every budget, every day.”

​“Our pizzas are delicious, nutritious and extremely affordable,” Bernadi says, pointing to their staple, a 9-inch, margherita personal pizza with organic dough and organic tomato sauce for just $2.75. “We believe it will be a fantastic place for people to meet up after school/work or grab dinner on their way home, with online ordering. We are really excited to bring this concept to the Mill Valley community.”

The concept’s quest for affordability demanded an overhaul of every element of the business, Bernadi says. “We’ve been working on this concept for more than two years. We learned so much from that experience with Starbucks. We now know that it’s possible to make extremely good food at scale.

That overhaul included leveraging centralized food manufacturing by leaning heavily on their 70,000-square-foot bakery near SFO, where all of the dough is produced and delivered to each location frozen before adding toppings and baking the pizzas; minimizing the amount of equipment at their restaurants and thus minimizing training of staff; and using pre-cooked sous-vide meats, among others.

Bernadi says all pizzas are served in compostable packaging to minimize costs and environmental impact. 

“We moved tons of the complexities of the operation and put that burden on ourselves and our food partners,” Bernadi says. “We’ve simplified as much of the operations as possible.”

Bernadi says he and Rigo are trying to innovate their way through the array of modern obstacles facing food-serving businesses in the Bay Area, particularly labor and real estate costs. “The ones that are going to be successful are that can build stores with less money, a smaller footprint and less-skilled labor,” he says.

The menu starts with customers picking a 9-inch pizza or one folded in half; then either an organic wheat, organic sprouted wheat, or gluten free crust; and then a pizza, including pepperoni, la royale with cheese (cheeseburger), roasted veggie, bbq chicken and more, along with a number of substitutes, including impossible meat.

Apizza will also have unsweetened fruit puree drinks in a variety of flavors, as well as sparkling or still water instead of a traditional soda machine. They’ll offer discounts to customers who bring their own cups. Apizza will serve dessert from Loving Cup, the frozen yogurt company from Mill Valley residents Liz and Dez Fielder that La Boulangerie bought in Sept. 2018.

​The innovations and concepts being launched by Rigo and Bernadi comes on the heels of the July 2018 news that James Park and Michael Staenberg, co-owners of Denver-based fast casual restaurant Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, “made a substantial investment and acquired an equity interest in” La Boulangerie. The Garbanzo investment will propel the chain’s “even broader expansion, at an accelerated clip” that will go beyond the Bay Area, Rigo said at the time.

It’s the latest chapter in a whirlwind journey for the Bordeaux-born Rigo, who worked as a baker in a number of restaurants in Paris before moving to Los Angeles in 1989, first baking bread for an old friend, the chef Michel Richard, and later for some of the best restaurants in LA, according to the New York Times.
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Rigo eventually grew the business to 23 La Boulange locations and then sold it to Starbucks in 2013 for $100 million, as the Seattle coffee conglomerate sought to use Rigo’s baked goods expertise to improve its offering. Within two years, Rigo left the company and Starbucks closed all La Boulange locations, reversing its announced intention to open hundreds of La Boulange locations around the country.

In a twist, La Boulange’s sale to Starbucks also gave birth to the growing retail side of Equator Coffees’ business. Equator had been the coffee roaster for La Boulange’s 19 locations for 13 years, so the Starbucks takeover gutted 12 percent of Equator’s revenue and inspired founders Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell to begin opening their own cafe, starting at Proof Lab in Tam Junction and now a thriving chain that spans eight cafes in the Bay Area and a robust catering business. 

La Boulangerie started with the original Pine Street location in September 2015, followed by spots on Fillmore Street, Union Street and in Cole Valley, Hayes Valley and Noe Valley. A pair of locations in SF’s Financial District followed, and then in the Rockridge section of Oakland, a first in that neighborhood for Rigo.

Bernadi says he’s extremely optimistic about opening a pizza in a town full of them.

“Everybody eats pizza, and we appeal to every kind of demographic in a way, particularly those seeking delicious, nutritious food at a fraction of the price of many others,” he says.

The 411: Apizza is targeting an opening in the second quarter of 2020 at 590 East Blithedale Ave. MORE INFO.