Cruffin Influencer Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Files for Bankruptcy

Welcome to p.m. Intel, your bite-sized roundup of Bay Area food and restaurant news. Tips are always welcome, drop them here.

• Popular San Francisco bakery Mr. Holmes Bakehouse has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and its founder, Aaron Caddel, is no longer with the company, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Caddel started the bakery empire known for its Instagram-able pastries, like the cruffin, with Ry Stephen in 2014, expanding to Los Angeles and eventually opening 18 international franchise locations. Caddel told the Chronicle that his involvement with the company ended after an acquisition that started in late 2019 “fell apart in the wake of the pandemic,” leading to lawsuits. Caddel has since relocated to North Carolina; the Larkin Street location of Mr. Holmes has been dark since last summer. [SF Chronicle]
• A boutique natural wine shop plans to move into a storefront in the Castro that’s been vacant since 2018, reports Hoodline. Beth Hughes, who has baked at Tartine and most recently at Mission District’s Blue Plate, will open Bottle Bacchanal at 4126 18th Street this fall, if all goes according to plan, selling natural wine, cider, small-batch liquor, and craft beer. [Hoodline]
• The North Beach Farmers Market is returning with a new, larger location on Saturday, May 29, nearly doubling the number of produce and craft food vendors it can host. It will run every Saturday through November from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 725 Greenwich Street. Chef Martin Yan, host of PBS show Yan Can Cook, will be there on Saturday to help kick off the the season.
• Half Moon Bay is the new home of Carlos Altamirano’s bellwether Peruvian restaurant La Costanera, closed since March 2020. The decade-old, one Michelin star restaurant opens in its new sprawling waterfront location on June 3, with seating for 234 across two levels and a massive patio, floor-to-ceiling windows, and its familiar, seafood-centric menu. La Costanera at 260 Capistrano Road will open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, with brunch starting June 12.
• In what seems to be a clear indication of people’s comfort level surrounding the return of festivals, BottleRock Napa Valley has sold out of tickets for its 2021 event, scheduled for September 3 to 5. Organizers of the downtown Napa festival are encouraging people to buy or exchange tickets for sold-out events via Lyte, a ticket exchange platform BottleRock has partnered with, naturally. Hopefully wildfire season cooperates, and the air is clear for wine and music fans.