Flaky Croissant Fans Are Imploring the Mayor to Save Le Marais’ Marina Location

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About one week after Le Marais Bakery owner Patrick Ascaso took to Instagram to explain the imminent closure of the bakery’s flagship location on Chestnut Street, fans of Le Marais’ flaky croissants have instigated a Hail Mary attempt to save their neighborhood bakery. A Change.org petition started by Stéphanie Faurax hopes to pressure Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Catherine Stefani into helping keep the bakery in the Marina. “This local, family-owned business serves some of the best food San Francisco has to offer, and their location at 2066 Chestnut Street has been the cornerstone business of our Marina neighborhood for nearly a decade,” the petition reads.

According to Ascaso’s post earlier this month, the bakery is being forced out of its location at 2066 Chestnut Street. “We have tried everything possible to stay in the Marina, but the truth is after the Chestnut building sold for a premium, our bakery could not support the increased tax bill we were given from our new landlord, because we have always already paid a rent that was well above market rate,” the post reads. Ascaso goes on to state that he tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the building owner for two years before ultimately deciding to close.

The petition doesn’t explain how government officials could actually help sort out what sounds like a private business matter — but in any case it’s got to be nice to know the neighborhood will miss Le Marais so much. The bakery’s other locations in Mill Valley and the Mission remain open. The Marina bakery is scheduled to close in November.

In other news ...

• Following the legalization of home kitchen restaurants in California in 2018, Alameda County has finally approved its first microenterprise home kitchen operations (MEHKOs), clearing the pathway for people like Nancy Chang to start selling jars of soup made in her Oakland home. Chang told Berkeleyside that she’d been wanting to launch a business selling soup for years, and now she does exactly that through her MEHKO, Purpose and Hope. Anthony Pernin, who’s operating a pop-up called Tony’s Kitchen out of his Oakland home, tells Hoodline his French home cooking draws inspiration from his childhood in Lorraine, France. [Berkeleyside/Hoodline]
• The original show “Check Please! Chicago” may have been unceremoniously cancelled in August, but the Bay Area’s version is still going strong — and still giving, at times, a crucial boost to restaurant owners who are still navigating precarious financial straits due to the pandemic. Series producer Lori Halloran tells SFGate in some ways the show is more important than ever: “In the past, we’d have that effect, but it wasn’t life or death for restaurants. Now it’s more like, ‘Wow, it really could make an impact.’” [SFGate]
• Mark your calendars: Doshi, chef Susan Kim’s New York–based Korean-inspired pop-up is headed for the Bay Area. Kim, who’s a Chez Panisse alum, will be bringing her rice, pickle, and tofu-filled lunchboxes to Oakland’s Ramen Shop from 5 to 8 p.m. on September 11. Pre-order yours online for pick up.
• And finally, the time for upbeat party vibes and natural wine has arrived. Per a post on Instagram, Bar Part Time is celebrating its grand opening today, September 8. The hip new spot in the Mission comes from Justin Dolezal, Jeremy Castillo, and Dan Small, who built a following throwing natural wine soaked “raucous DJ dance parties,” per the Chronicle.