Episode 41: All Good Pizza

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A transcript, lightly edited for clarity and length, follows.

Show Guests: Kristin Houk, Owner, All Good Pizza, Tato and Cafe Alma

Voices of the Community Introduction: Welcome to voices of the community which explores critical issues facing Northern California communities. We introduce you to the voices of community thought leaders and change makers who are working on solutions that face our fellow individual community members neighborhoods cities and our region. This is George Koster your host. 

Series Introduction: This episode is part of our series exploring COVID-19’s impact on nonprofits and small businesses in San Francisco. Back in April 2020 when we decided to create this ongoing series on Covid-19’s impact first on nonprofits and then on small businesses in the San Francisco Bay. We like you had no idea how long the pandemic would go on and what the health and economic impact would be on our community. Going into 2021 the pandemic is now killing more people, shutting down more nonprofits and small businesses, along with wiping out the lively hoods of families, neighborhoods and communities.

We will continue to shine a spotlight on the nonprofits, and small businesses that make up the fabric of our community along with the founders and staff who are struggling to deal with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on their operations, services and sustainability until we can all get to the other side of the pandemic. Along the way, we will also share with you all the amazing solutions that our nonprofits, small businesses, foundations, and government leaders are working on to help us all get to the other side of the pandemic and come together to rebuild our communities with more economic, social and environmental equality

Show Guest Kristin: I think also the restaurant industry is such a tremendous industry worldwide, right? Like restaurants so often provide such a vital resource to communities, not just in food. You know, a lot of times it's around just the structuring of communities and making people feel seen and heard and welcome. And I know for all of my locations, we have regulars that are there every day and you get to know them and their stories. And without those spaces, you realize how isolated and lonely it can be for people. 

Episode Intro - Show Host George: In this episode, our featured voice is Kristin Houk the Owner of All Good Pizza, TATO, and Café Alma. Kristin is part of the Bayview woman food entrepreneurs who are change-makers and community leaders providing jobs, healthy food options, and a hand up to their fellow community members.

Show Host George: I'm joined remotely via zoom by Kristin Houk, the owner of All Good Pizza, Tato and Cafe Alma. Thanks for being here, Kristin.

Show Guest Kristin: Thanks for having me.

George: I've been a longtime fan of yours and all good pizza out in the Bayview. And I would love it if you could provide a little brief history of why you set up All Good Pizza. And then now, why have you started two more restaurants, in the Bayview community?

Kristin Houk: Yeah. Well, I've been a longtime resident of the Bayview. I've been here a little over 20 years and.  When I first moved to the neighborhood, I was really struck by how few restaurants and food options were available in the community, particularly because we export so much food from the community.

We've got the produce market which has been here since the sixties that, you know, feeds the Bay area and beyond really.  Bayview actually used to be called Butchertown. A lot of the meatpacking came from this community and we still to this day have businesses like Molinari Salame. They've been here, you know, for over 80 years Evergood Sausage also has been here for a very long time. So, All Good Pizza really started for me as a passion project to bring another healthy, option to Bayview and I really wanted to utilize the local resources of the community.

So, it was really my goal early on to use only local businesses to source from. And I did that by using Veritable Vegetable, which is a woman owned cooperative that was started in San Francisco, kind of a pioneer actually in organics. and like I mentioned Evergood Sausage Molinari Salame Crepe and Brioche, which is a local bakery that's been in the community for a few decades as well. I've been in the food business for many, many years prior to opening All Good Pizza. And when I opened All Good, I was actually the President and CEO of an organization called Namaste Direct. And we focused on predominantly women involved in food businesses in Guatemala and Southern Mexico and Chiapas.

And we did a business development program that focused on financial literacy training and business mentorship, and also sources of business capital. And I thought to myself, like, I love doing this work, but I'm traveling to Guatemala and to Mexico all the time and where I really want to be is in the Bayview.

So, I opened all Good pizza, like I mentioned, you know, kind of as a quasi-passion project. And fortunately, it was well received, and I was able to focus full-time on All Good Pizza after about a year. So, I quit working my other job and the rest is history. I've been in operation at All Good since the beginning of 2012. So, we're quickly coming up on 10 years

George: And then you just started to launch two new restaurants, Tato, and Cafe Alma also in the Bayview community.

Kristin Houk: Yeah. So, TATO, my son's nickname is Tato and his dad is from Mexico City and his dad's mom was an incredible chef.  An interesting thing that I learned in Guatemala and in working with the populations that I worked with, that there was a really low rate of literacy and a lot of the women who were these phenomenal chefs a lot of the more modern girls did not want to be in the kitchen.

So, a lot of the recipes that had existed in families for generations were no longer being created. So, I set out to do a project with my mother-in-law. She was a Chef in Mexico City, and I set out to, do a project with her to write down all of her recipes, because we all love her food so much and did not want to lose those recipes after she passed.

She did pass two years ago. So, I created TATO to sort of an homage to her and an homage to my son’s, Latino roots and really just in celebration of the incredible food that came out of the kitchen from her and, from my son's father's family. I wanted to do it, of course, in Bayview because my heart and life is in Bayview.

Then I opened cafe Alma last year in 2019.  All Good Pizza and TATO are located on third street in the main corridor of the Bayview. And then cafe Alma is actually on Innes Avenue and overlooks the Bay. And it is technically Bayview Hunters Point, but it's also India Basin is what most people refer to it as, and it's down by the shipyard. And that's a project that I've done in collaboration with the development BUILD who is actually doing the big development out there. They've been an extraordinary partner to me, and they wanted to have some community activation and we thought a little cafe to serve the community would be a great idea.

There's nothing out there, Cafe Alma is literally the only restaurant in that area. In in fact, almost the only food business, at all, with the exception of, you know, Places like ECLECTIC COOOKERY where they're just creating food, there's a little tiny market at the new shipyard, but there's just not a lot of options for people to eat out there. So, Cafe Alma really was created to provide a local option and also in the same way that I've done All Good Pizza and TATO really utilizing all of the extraordinary resources of the community.  

George: So how has COVID-19 impacted the production of all your restaurant operations?

Kristin Houk: Oh, it's horrible [laughter, laughter] I mean, prior to COVID-19, you know, my biggest joy is being in the kitchen and cooking, but I also felt like every day it was like hosting a party. And so of course, with the shutdown, you know, we, lost that, sense of community really. I think all three of my restaurants really operate as sort of community centers in a way.

And I think most restaurants do. Yeah, it's been terrible. You know, we’ve been really fortunate to be able to pivot to some other activities, but I really miss the community. I really miss being able to host.  All three of my locations have operated as a host to other small businesses as well.

I love doing popups with other entrepreneurs and people who are like, just getting started or people who have a small business, but don't necessarily want a brick-and-mortar location. That was such a big part of all three of these locations. And COVID-19 of course has shut that down. I feel very fortunate that we're even still in existence because I know so many of the restauranteurs and friends that I work with across various organizations that I'm involved with have not been able to survive. So, it's really a dire time for restaurants in general. And you know, we have not been free of that unfortunately.

George: So, would you say, your idea of being community centric of being a little community gathering point, is that one of the biggest impacts you feel like you've had in the Bayview community over the years or, is providing jobs?

Kristin Houk: Yeah, I think it's, you know, a little bit of I do hire local. But I think, All Good Pizza you've been there so, you know, it's a pretty big space. It's 7,000 square feet of outdoor space, which is really unique for San Francisco. And I've really been able to utilize that, to provide ah venue, essentially for community organizations, community activities, even down to some of the political stuff that's happened, you know, we even had events for London Breed and all kinds of people. So, having that outdoor space has been really incredible, I think for the community and it's allowed me to be generous and offering that space as well.

We host a farmer's market there, which we've now taken virtual. We've done a ton of art fairs and different events. We've done a lot of pop-ups with other local businesses and vendors and entrepreneurs, and it's really been an incredible space for the Bayview Community. So yeah, I think that is definitely the primary impact.

But I do hire local and I do again, love to utilize local resources. So, I think it's also been a showcase for some of the businesses that sort of operate behind the scenes because, you know, in Bayview we're pretty isolated. We don't have a legitimate grocery store. We don't have a lot of the services that many other communities benefit from.

So, I think sometimes even companies like Molinari Salame, which are so well-known, people don't know that they're in the Bayview. So, it's nice to be able to highlight someone like them and say, "hey, you know, this is made right here for decades", and now you're able to eat their pepperoni or their salami or their prosciutto on a pizza. So, I guess that's kind of my community impact [laughter laughter]

George: So, folks who are watching or listening to this right now, how can they, help you and your three different restaurant operations, especially during COVID?

Kristin Houk: Well, they eat there [laughter laughter]

George: So, at this point, it just take out right? Because the City's closed it all down.

Kristin Houk: Yeah. We're still closed down for outdoor dining. We did open for outdoor dining during the allowed time and all three locations do have outdoor dining, abilities. So once that comes back, which I think will probably be, awhile. I mean, you know, cause we're in a pretty bad phase right now. But hopefully that will come around soon. I read today that Sacramento opened today. So, let's hope. But yeah, you know, just local support and I'm always advocating for just support in general of the Bayview too. We have a lot of really great restaurants here. My neighbor, Auntie April's. April who is a very dear friend of mine. And one thing about Bayview that's really incredible is we have this beautiful network of business owners, and I really feel like we try to support each other and work together. there's a lot of women actually at the helm of these businesses too. So, it's been really fun to be a part of that.

And as far as support, yeah. You know, ordering takeout, we do offer gift cards. We are a participant in an organization called SF New Deal. So that has really kept us afloat throughout the pandemic. We make meals for people residing in hotels, primarily unhoused people that are in the hotels. We also, feed people in navigation centers. And we are also doing some of our own things at Tato. I started something called taco love. Which is on Fridays we offer a pay what you can meal. So, anyone that wants to be welcome to come in and drop a dime in the jar. The suggested price for the meal is 10 bucks.

And if people pay that full 10 bucks, we then will donate an addition meal. So, we've been working with a local organization that's actually just a few blocks away from my house. That's providing meals to the community. And we've been successful with it, the first week we were able to put out 150 meals to the community by way of some really generous donors. actually, I had a friend who's in Sacramento who said, Hey, I want to support 50 meals.

I can't be there obviously to eat, but I want to buy 50 meals for the neighborhood. So people have been really generous and in rising to the occasion and just seeing, the great need that exists. I think that's one of the things with this pandemic that has been really illuminating is understanding that we live in this, you know, very, very, rich city and, we still have tremendous need and there's a lot of hungry people. There's a lot of unhoused people. And I think that the best thing for us to do in this crisis is to come together and take care of each other.

George: Would you say that that's one of the positive things or are there other positive things that you could see coming out of the crisis to support local food and beverage operators and workers?

Kristin Houk: Yeah, I think that's definitely one of the positive things. I think also the restaurant industry is such a tremendous industry worldwide, right? Like restaurants so often provide such a vital resource to communities, not just in food.

You know, a lot of times it's around just the structuring of communities and making people feel seen and heard and welcome. And I know for all of my locations,  we have regulars that are there every day and you get to know them and their stories. And without those spaces, you realize how isolated and lonely it can be for people.

And I know that in San Francisco and especially now a lot of people work from home. So, we have always had customers that do work from home but are able to get away for a little while and come out and eat. I think this pandemic has really illuminated the importance of businesses like restaurants and so many others, not just restaurants, but I think also restaurant workers. You know, part of my desire to hustle and work a thousand hours a day is really to keep my staff employed. I've got an incredible team that I've worked with for many, many years. Some of my staff I've been with for 20 years they were with in previous careers where I managed them in different restaurants. And it's really, you know, important to me to be able to keep them employed and to keep the faith of the community through these sorts of centers of hospitality. I think COVID has also just slowed a lot of us down and just really sort of highlighted the preciousness of life overall.

George: Well, thank you, Kristin. That was great. I really appreciate you sharing all of your wonderful food and beverage offerings, three, and you're still going and that's wonderful.

 We'll make sure that listeners and viewers have contact information website, social media, I especially like the fact that people can buy food to support other folks the food donation We’ll make sure that people can follow All Good TATO and Cafe Elma and get engaged to support all of your amazing work there in the community.

Kristin Houk: Awesome. Thank you so much. And thanks for what you're doing too

George: please stay safe out there as we work our way through this crazy new normal.

Kristin Houk: Yes. Thank you. You too. [laughter, laughter]

Episode Outro - Show Host George: That’s it for this episode of voices of the community. You have been listening to the voice of Kristin Houk the Owner of All Good Pizza, TATO, and Café Alma. To find out more about Kristin’s three restaurants as well as the community events and guest chef events please go to all good pizza dot com tato sf dot com and café alma sf dot com

You can listen to the story of Kristin’s friend April Spears and her Auntie April's Chicken and Waffles in Part 1 of our Doing Business in the Bayview Series in our Archives.

To Kristin’s point about the potential of the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area Counties lifting the Stay-at-Home LockDown and resuming activities permitted under the State of California’s purple tier such as allowing restaurants to host outdoor dining, City of San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced in a January 22nd, 2021 Tweet the City may soon reopen because the City of San Francisco’s covid-19 reproductive rate is back under 1 at 0.99

Let’s hope that the rate stays low for several more weeks so that Kristin just like all of the other food entrepreneurs we’ve covered in our series can reopen outdoor dining to help stabilize their small businesses, stay alive and retain needed jobs        

Series Outro: We hope that you enjoy the insights, points of view, and personal stories from the voices of change-makers and their nonprofits and small businesses featured in this series. To find out more and get engaged with the nonprofits, small businesses and staff members, featured in this series please go to my web site george koster dot com and click on Voices of the Community to find links to the extended versions of these interviews and to listen to the entire series. After listening to these stories we hope that you will consider making a donation and volunteering to provide a hand up to your fellow community members.

Series Credits: I want to thank my associate producer Eric Estrada, and Kasey Nance at Citron Studios, along with the wonderful crew at the San Francisco Public Press and KSFP.

Voices of the Community is a member of Intersection for the Arts which allows us to offer you a tax deduction for your contributions. Please go to George Koster dot com and click on the donate link to make a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. While you are on our web site you can enjoy our archived past shows which feature community voices working on solutions to critical issues facing Northern California communities, and sign up for our newsletter to find out about our future shows as well as shows and events from the organizations that our included in our episodes

Take us along on your next Covid walk by subscribing to Voices of the Community on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on twitter @georgekoster and we’d love to hear from you with feedback and show ideas, so send us an email to george@georgekoster.com. I'm George Koster in San Francisco and thank you for listening.

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