Specialty
Goods

Chad Robertson's country loaf — thick dark crust, open crumb, 4-hour window to buy on weekdays — defined a generation of American bread baking. Tartine uses slow-fermented levain, stone-milled heritage grain flours, and a wood-fired oven. The Manufactory on Alabama Street expanded the operation significantly, but the Guerrero Street original remains the most coveted loaf in SF.

Josey Baker mills his own flour from heritage grains — emmer, einkorn, rye — at The Mill on Divisadero, a collaboration with Four Barrel Coffee (now independent). He is one of the few American bakers who controls the grain-to-loaf chain entirely. His bread has more flavor and nutrition than anything made from commodity white flour, and his approach to whole-grain baking has influenced bakers across the country.

Dandelion is one of the original American bean-to-bar chocolate makers and among the best in the world at what they do. Each bar is made from a single origin — meaning cacao from one farm or cooperative in one country, processed entirely in-house on Valencia Street. Two ingredients only: cacao and sugar. Every bar has a harvest date and a farm name. The tasting room on Valencia is worth visiting to understand what single-origin chocolate can actually taste like compared to commodity chocolate.

California Olive Ranch's artisan tier (distinct from their mass-market bottles) is cold-pressed from California-grown olives within hours of harvest. California olive oil has a distinct profile — grassy, peppery, high polyphenol content — compared to the mellow Italian or Spanish oils most Americans know. Fresh California oil, harvested in fall and pressed immediately, is one of the most underappreciated pantry items available in the state.

Sue Conley and Peggy Smith founded Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station in 1997, sourcing certified organic milk from Strauss Family Creamery. Their Mt. Tam — a triple-cream soft-ripened cheese — is one of the defining cheeses of the American artisan movement. The Ferry Building shop in SF lets city residents access the full range without driving to West Marin. Cowgirl also appears at the Ferry Plaza Saturday market.

Alex's Family Bee Farm keeps hives in multiple Northern California locations and produces raw varietal honey — meaning each jar reflects what was blooming in a specific location during a specific season. Wildflower honey from hives near the coast tastes completely different from sage honey from inland hives. They appear regularly at the Fillmore Farmers Market, bringing multiple varietal options to the Western Addition every Saturday.

The Garrone family has been cultivating specialty mushrooms in Moss Landing, Monterey County since the late 1980s. They appear at six SF farmers markets weekly — Ferry Plaza, Alemany, Castro, Mission Community, and others — making them the most consistently available specialty mushroom source in the city. Their range spans everyday shiitake and oyster mushrooms through lion's mane, maitake, and medicinal reishi and turkey tail.