Mark Guerra arrived in America as a 17-year-old in 1946, fleeing war-torn Italy. He came first to Cow Hollow, where a man from his hometown in Lucca had set up Puccini Meats, a now-closed chain of markets that became a gateway of sorts for Italian immigrants. Mark started on the floor and moved his way up to become a partner in the businesses by 1950. “We have customers who say they knew my father before he spoke English,” his son Robert Guerra laughs.

Mark went on to open his own business Guerra Quality Meats in 1954 and raised his sons to take the reins. In 1992 his youngest son Robert joined older brothers Bill and Paul in running their dad’s shop on Taraval Street and 15th Avenue. Bill and Paul have both since retired, but the three brothers launched the butcher shop into the 21st century. The pandemic took a toll on the market — Mark estimates business is down about 35 to 40 percent from 2019 — with the most recent bit of dismay coming from ongoing construction on Taraval Street.

In mid-2022 the brothers sold portions of their shares to longtime employees Mark Sherman and Danny Doyle, and in March 2023 the business was added to the city’s Legacy Business Registry. The family wants to make sure the 69 years of tight-knit ownership keeps going after they’re gone. “My twin daughters in Sebastopol don’t want to take this over,” Robert says. “My father got the chance in 1954 to be a partner in Puccini. We’re carrying that on.”

The black and gold shop perfumes the air of the avenues with the rich smells of fish and veal. Tremendous windows on exterior walls give the sun a chance to paint the counters of to-go salads and meats, rows of fresh pasta and focaccia, and strung-up salami dangling above. Many Guera Quality Meats customers are third- and fourth-generation Italian Americans, some of whom have been coming to the shop since they were children.

“We’re an Italian shop making everything hand-made. That’s what sets us apart.”

Following the same teachings Mark learned from Puccini all those years ago, the butchers at Guerra are classically trained. The shop offers specialty orders and will cut the meat any way a customer would like, plus provide recipes. Bill says that’s a rarity in 2023’s big box, supermarket world of meat-buying. He’s retired but continues to cut meat on Saturdays to teach new butchers in his spare time. He says being a butcher is about being a font of knowledge for the community. “It’s like Cheers,” Robert adds. “We know everyone who comes in here.” The roots run deep at Guerra and the generational knowledge shows up every day.

But it’s tough to keep the family business going strong year after year. The brothers have gotten older, they moved out of the city to raise their kids. Robert owns a farm in Sebastopol where he and his family grow their own food. His day, and commute to the shop, begins around a quarter to 5 in the morning. Bill lives in Burlingame now, and his daughter has moved to Kirkland, Washington. He shrugs and says family moving away from home is just a sign of the times.

As new moneyed residents come to the neighborhood to buy homes valued at a median rate of $1.5 million dollars, the shop has evolved. More people come for the prepared foods, for Doordash and Caviar deliveries, and catering, since they don’t have the time to cook. “We’re also one of the last unioned shops in the city,” Robert says. “There used to be so many small shops.”

Still, the Guerras see the business staying steadfast. In 10 years it’ll be the same shop, Bill says. The shop pivoted during the pandemic to build out a larger production space behind the shop, shipping in Italian pasta machines and cranking out pasts from the smaller region Garfagnana, located within Tuscany, such as tortellini. They’ve launched an entire risotto menu, too, including pre-prepared artichoke and fish flavors for customers to finish at home.

Looking down Taraval, where the brothers say nine butcher shops used to dole out veal and lamb before closing over the last few decades, this corner store feels like its own character, with its own body and its own heart. The type of character who holds the door open for 91-year-old Italians in their wheelchairs coming in to buy sausages for the Super Bowl. The door chimes open and the whirr of the saw and meaty smells tumble onto the sidewalk.

The Guerra brothers say that on weekend mornings after the opening work is done, they cook eggs and bacon and make coffee. Then they sit together to talk about their lives, make sure each is doing alright, and refill each other’s plates. They’re as much a part of the decor as the countless jars of sauces and a veritable library of meats, from salmon heads to apricot Korean short ribs.

The Lucca region of Italy, where the Guerras are from, is an important region to the country’s cuisine and culture. It lies in a portion of Italy where the denizens are referred to as “polenta-eaters.” Robert took a trip there in spring 2023 to oversee the restoration of the home where his father grew up, a building that’s about 1,000 years old. It seems like bringing a bit of that energy to San Francisco, stuffing each ravioli like a letter to a loved one overseas, is what keeps the family’s culture bridged across the years and the miles. Do the Guerra brothers get to bring their culture to their homes these days? “My daughters and I make ravioli and tortellini,” Robert smiles. “We’re an Italian shop making everything hand-made. That’s what sets us apart.”

Correction: August 25, 2023, 3:03 p.m. This article was corrected to show that Guerra Quality Meats is located in the Golden Gates Heights neighborhood, near Parkside.

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The post This Westside Italian Market Is Nonetheless Maintaining the Neighborhood Fed After Nearly 70 Years in San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Chef David Nayfeld, who was named one of the country’s most outstanding chefs by the James Beard Foundation earlier this year, is ready to announce his next move: Back Home Hospitality, the restaurant group that co-owns Matt Brewer and Nayfeld’s owns the restaurants in the Divisadero Street, the Michelin Guide-listed Che Fico, and the more casual Che Fico Alimentari will open a pizza-focused spin-off called Che Fico Pizzeria in Thrive City later this year.

The restaurant will be specially relocated to the space directly above Chef Tyler Florence’s upscale steakhouse Miller & Lux, meaning guests can expect both bay views and easy access to the Chase Center next door. Nayfeld says the pizzeria has been a long time coming; Since Day 1, Che Fico fans have been asking for a place where the restaurant’s naturally fermented dough can take center stage. “It was really a super natural thing for me,” says Nayfeld, “because we’ve talked about it. I’ve literally been doing a pizzeria since the early days of Che Fico because the pizza has become such a cult classic.”

Nayfeld says he wasn’t looking for an opportunity to expand, but it came at the right time. In the past, there was no point in baking pizza at high volume in Che Fico’s wood-fired oven. But after the pandemic, Che Fico Alimentari’s chef installed deck ovens on the ground floor, opening up new possibilities for pizza heaps. When the Chase Center team approached him about the Mission Bay room, he took it.

Che Fico Pizzeria’s menu offers both whole pies and slices, along with a no-frills selection of salads, sandwiches, and soft serve. But even if the menu seems simple, Nayfeld promises the pizzeria will maintain the ethos and quality that guests associate with its big sister restaurant. That means Bianco di Napoli tomatoes, hand-pulled mozzarella, and seasonal produce from the farmers’ market scattered across the menu. Nayfeld is happy to bring back some of Che Fico’s “seasonal OG” pizzas – like the Sungold tomato cake for the summer and Fontina and truffles for the winter. And of course, classics like Ode to Judy Rodgers and Pineapple with Pineapple and Chili Topping will also be coming.

As the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, Nayfeld says he also has in mind diners who want something lighter than pizza for lunch, so there will be a selection of “protein-rich salads”. A full bar also means cocktails, with an emphasis on light spritzes that reflect the season, paired with an extensive selection of Italian Amari. The wine list will include a value-based selection, although Nayfeld promises that anyone who wants to treat themselves to a nicer bottle before a game can do so too.

The chef says he envisions a lively space with plenty of outdoor seating and lots of TVs. They will of course feature all the usual Bay Area teams, but Nayfeld is also excited to feature just about anything sports fans would want to see. “For me it’s a place where you can come and watch sports from all over the world,” he says. DLC ID’s Jon de la Cruz, who also designed Che Fico, will take the lead here as well. And there will be a walk-in window for people who want to stop by and grab a slice or gelato to go. He’s also planning some alcoholic dessert options: think a peach sorbetto spritz for summer, or Lambrusco paired with a scoop of grape.

Nayfeld says he’s looking forward to bringing the business to the neighborhood. “I think Mission Bay is one of the more exciting neighborhoods in all of San Francisco, in my opinion,” says the chef, who has been cheering on the Warriors since he was a kid. “I’ve been a fan all my life so to be able to do something with them now is absolutely a dream come true.”

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The post Michelin Information-Listed San Francisco Italian Restaurant Che Fico Is Opening a Pizzeria at Chase Middle in Mission Bay appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The first floor of the Italian-American Social Club is decorated with scarlet velvet wallpaper, dark wood paneling, and a jukebox in the corner. A US flag, an Italian flag and mostly black and white photos hang on the walls. Brass chandeliers with red dotted wall lights and carved decorations frame the long wooden rod. To one side is the restaurant’s dining room, which has a handful of tables with checkered tablecloths. The dining room is smaller than the bar.

“Every place is different,” says club manager Julie Clima, “except here”.

Clima and I were sitting in the dining room at 25 Russia Avenue at the Excelsior, which was empty. The bar was also empty. In the back hall of the building there was just one other employee setting up chairs for a weekend event.

She wasn’t expecting any restaurant guests that evening. It was a Wednesday after all. The restaurant started takeout in 2020 but it didn’t seem like a lot of people would benefit from it.

Though North Beach is known as San Francisco’s “Little Italy,” the Excelsior’s farms and ranches once attracted many Italians whose eyes glittered with the American dream around the turn of the century.

In the 1920s, many of these Italian-American men, mostly first or second generation immigrants, gathered in garages across the Excelsior to drink wine, eat cheese, and play a game of cards called Pedro. Then, in 1935, the Italian-American Social Club (IASC) was founded.

The IASC, like other Italian social clubs in the US, provided a place to relax and belong to the Excelsior’s Italian immigrant community. Italian men who paid a membership fee were able to use the IASC’s game room, ballroom and other facilities and attend exclusive dinners and events. The number of members was always limited to just over 200 and restricted only to men. Club members received and continue to receive a portion of the IASC building that has been paid off for decades.

“There used to be five, six, seven years on the waiting list,” said Paul Giusto, chairman of the IASC.

Clima grew up in her father’s restaurant, Joe’s Fish Grotto, at Mission and Cotter. She recalls dozens of Italian-owned companies that once adorned the stretch of Mission Street between Geneva and Silver, the main street of the Excelsior. The Royal Baking Company supplied fresh bread to local restaurants. Valente, Marini, Perata & Co. Funeral Home hosted dinner at the IASC. Bars like Cotter’s Corner, which was next to Joe’s Fish Grotto, opened at six in the morning to pour drinks for the garbage collectors after work.

“People waited an hour and a half for food,” says Clima, “it used to be a lot going on.”

Giusto is a local from Excelsior who eventually took over his father’s auto repair shop near Mission and Silver. “Everyone was Italian,” said Giusto of his childhood at the Excelsior in the 1950s. “All the boys in the neighborhood were part of the club.”

Giusto also remembers sleeping in the dining room as a kid because his whole family shared a house with one bathroom and two bedrooms.

In the 1960s when Clima was 8, her family left the Excelsior and her father began commuting from the peninsula to run the restaurant. Clima didn’t want to move too far from her parents when she was growing up, so she’s now commuting to work at the IASC.

Although Giusto recently returned to the Excelsior area, he also went away for 34 years, commuting from Sonoma six days a week to run the auto repair shop.

“We ended up there [Sonoma] because we could get a bigger house and it was right next to the schools, ”said Giusto. “Back then the schools in San Francisco were actually pretty tough.”

Clima and Giusto weren’t the only Italian Americans to leave the Excelsior. Although the area remains a hotspot for immigrants (around half of Excelsior’s residents are originally from other countries), most immigrants are not Italians. Today the neighborhood is mostly Asian and Latin American.

Giusto sees many reasons for the Italian-American exodus from the Excelsior, which he both witnessed and later joined.

“People made money back then … they were wealthy. And they moved to San Mateo, they moved to Millbrae for a little better weather. Because we have a lot of fog here. You only drive 5 miles and you’re in the sun … and you’ve moved to get a bigger home to accommodate your family. People had three or four children and had the money to buy another house. … It went well in the 50s and 60s. “

When I sat down with Clima, she listed one local store after another that was not Italian or that no longer existed. The bakery in the Royal Baking Company building is no longer Italian-owned. The funeral home Valente, Marini, Perata & Co. is being demolished to make room for affordable housing. Cotter’s Corner is now another bar called Rocks Den.

Clima’s father sold Joe’s Fish Grotto in 2006. Today it is a sushi restaurant, Amami Sushi Bistro. And Giusto closed his car shop in 2019. He rents the building’s parking lot to the cannabis shop across the street.

Today the IASC has about 180 members spread across the Bay Area, including Giusto’s three sons. Although non-Italian men can now become members, they cannot hold office and they do not have a share in the building. In practice, the IASC remains a club for Italian-American men, with a building in a neighborhood that has been all but abandoned by Italian Americans.

Founded in 1917, the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club in North Beach has more than 650 members and a nonprofit foundation that organizes community festivals, Italian classes, and events. This year the 100th annual Statuto Race of the North Beach Club takes place.

With so few club members still living at the Excelsior or even in town, Clima is planning most of the IASC’s events and is not packing the calendar. Some events are open to both members and the public. A crab feed that happened before the pandemic attracted around 300 people. A sausage and polenta night is planned for Friday, to which 20 answers have been given so far. Clima expects more after the club meets this week.

She rents the halls and ballroom, mainly to Quinceaneras and churches, to cover the operating costs of the IASC, and runs the restaurant, which is open to the public. Clima is not only the general manager of the club, but also the head chef of the restaurant.

At 6 p.m. two people came into the club and strolled up to the bar. Clima knew her two drinks orders by heart: Martinis, Ketel 1 and Smirnoff. The three started laughing and joking. I packed my things and stepped out into a soupy mist. I walked down quiet Mission Street and passed the Central Drug Store, one of the few remaining Italian stores in the area. A few blocks down where Joe’s Fish Grotto used to be, I found Amami Sushi Bistro. And I wondered what the Excelsior will be in another hundred years and what shadows will be left of today.

It’s Excelsior month at SFGATE. We’ll be delving deep into the neighborhood throughout September as part of a series that highlights a different corner of San Francisco each month this year.

The post San Francisco’s first Italian People flocked to the Excelsior, not North Seaside appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.