Tartine Names Mission Project, Hires Chef, Plots Menu

As 2015 kicks into gear, the Tartine Bakery folks are full steam ahead on their spinoff in the Heath Ceramics building in the Mission, and new details are starting to come to light on the project, which is targeting the summer. According to 7x7, the space has been dubbed The Manufactory, and will encompass, as previously announced, an all-day cafe, bakery, R&D space, and nighttime restaurant. Owners Chad Robertson and Elizabeth Prueitt have already hired a chef to run the latter portion of the operation: Sam Goinsalvos, an alum of NYC's Il Buco Alimentari and Charleston's The Ordinary. Diners can expect heirloom beans, salads, meat broths, and other healthful fare, with natural wines curated by longtime Tartine guru Vinny Eng.

On the cafe side, there will be fewer pastries and more hearty, bread-based morning fare. Prueitt is planning to introduce housemade ice cream, as well as pickles and preserves to be used across the Tartine empire. (Nick Balla and Cortney Burns will also have room for their own fermentation projects, which have become the centerpiece of Bar Tartine.) The cafe will have a glass window into the production kitchen, where bakers will churn out loaves from a Heuft oven that was designed specifically for Tartine, featuring grains milled on-site. And there will be pizza from a wood-burning oven, based on a special long-fermented dough similar to that used in the bread (Robertson says the pies will be "sexy and delicious.")

The Manufactory will also open up an opportunity for 12-year-old Tartine Bakery to undergo a much-needed renovation. With bread baking shifted to Heath, the bakery will have room to expand its dining area (and open for dinner and wine in the evenings), create a small savory kitchen, and add a "chocolate room." And of course, plans for Tartine Tokyo continue to unfold, with an opening target of late summer or early fall. Robertson also has his eye on London, where he hopes to launch in a year or two, and on New York, where he's toying with the idea of having a tiny storefront that would accommodate only one baker and sell only what he or she could produce over the course of a day. It's an ambitious lineup, and one that will attract a lot of star talent from around the world: Fäviken's Magnus Nilsson is apparently set to come visit the new bakery, while Robertson is also consulting on the buns for Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi's healthy fast-food chain, Loco'l, and the pizza dough for Danny Bowien's revamped Mission Chinese Food. Expect a lot more Tartine news in the months to come.