Top SF chefs are ditching the kitchen, entering the grocery aisle

For decades, Aaron London practically lived in high-pressure restaurant kitchens, where he could let his control-freak flag fly. During the seven years he ran AL’s Place in the Mission, he spent nearly every night manning the pass, where he could dip a spoon into every sauce and sneak a fry off every plate in the name of quality control. 

But after closing the restaurant in 2022 to focus on his family, London found himself “grief eating” an expensive package of grocery-store cookies every day. Eventually, he realized he could probably make a better product himself. He spent the next three years learning to navigate the world of mass production and packaged goods before launching AL’s Real Goods cookies last month. The cookies can be found at dozens of West Coast grocery stores. 

Having his name on a mass-produced, factory-baked product has been surreal for a man known for his maniacal commitment to sourcing and affection for hyper-laborious recipes. “At this very moment, somebody might be buying my cookies in one of 90 stores,” London says. “They might be eating my cookies right now, and I haven't seen those cookies. I haven't touched them. I don't know that person, and I don't get to see their reaction. It’s very strange.” 

A growing number of San Francisco chefs and restaurants are entering this strange world of consumer packaged goods, or CPG, a broad category that includes everything from boxed pasta to canned drinks to cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs. 

Around the same time that London’s cookies hit the shelves at Berkeley Bowl and Mollie Stone’s, the Mission destination Flour + Water introduced a line of frozen pizzas at Whole Foods stores across the Bay Area. Meanwhile, chef Corey Lee of three-Michelin-starred Benu and the more casual San Ho Won announced a duo of kimchis made in partnership with Korea-based company Jongga to be sold at America’s favorite Korean grocery store, H Mart. 

These new products join those from an already robust roster of local chefs who are stocking the shelves of grocery stores: Brandon Jew of Mister Jiu’s and Mamahuhu sells three flavors of frozen dumplings; Reem’s founder Reem Assil slings take-and-heat flatbread; and David Nayfeld of Che Fico produces pasta sauce and a garlic- and chile-based condiment called chile bomba. 

The trend is growing, says Kat Karpati, cofounder of Flock Creative, a branding agency that has worked with Simple Mills, Alec’s Ice Cream, and other food companies. “I think it's because some chefs, like David Chang, have done such a good job of translating restaurant culture and saying, ‘Here’s a lifestyle that you can own,’” Karpati says. “I also think it’s partially driven by the Covid response of cooking at home and the beautification of the pantry.” 

Additionally, as the oldest members of Gen Z begin to “create their own home spaces,” stocking their kitchens with Molly Baz’s Ayoh dill pickle mayonnaise and Carbone black-truffle Alfredo sauce is a not-so-subtle flex. “Having a bougie chef brand is a nice shorthand for credibility within social groups,” Karpati says. 

Chefs also tend to think that mass-producing a single item or product line will be easier than running a restaurant — even though that’s not usually true. “Working in CPG is so much more complicated — it's harder in different ways,” says Karpati. Not only is the retail world cutthroat and competitive, but it requires that chefs learn new skills, from working with food scientists to sourcing packaging, managing distribution, and, of course, building sales.

The opportunity to tackle a new challenge was part of the draw for Flour + Water chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow, who launched the retail arm of their popular restaurant group in 2022 and added a trio of frozen pizzas to the line this month. (“Because we’re masochists. We hate sleep. We like chaos!” McNaughton jokes.) 

After looking into options for working with a packer to produce and package their products, they realized that in order to make a frozen pizza that held up to their standards, they’d have to do it themselves. 

The result: They make the dough, handshape and par-bake each pie, then flash-freeze the pizza right there in Flour + Water’s North Beach location. The Columbus Street restaurant was already serving as a commissary for the company’s pizzeria in Mission Bay and upcoming outpost in Oakland, so they added a packaging line in the basement. “That means the pizza that’s in the freezer is 99% the same as what we serve at the restaurant,” McNaughton says. “For us to stand behind the quality and integrity, we were not willing to dumb down the product.” 

They did, however, have to make some adjustments to accommodate both the time the pizzas would spend in the freezer and the relatively lower temperatures achieved by home ovens. For instance, they use slightly more tomato sauce than on a restaurant pie because they learned that over time, the liquid gets absorbed into the dough. “When we put the quote-unquote normal amount of sauce onto the frozen product, we discovered it was perceived as dry,” Pollnow says. “We’re trying to keep it as similar as possible to what we serve every day in North Beach or Mission Rock.” 

Though the U.S. frozen pizza market generated around $7 billion in sales last year, McNaughton and Pollow say they could not have predicted that they’d be selling pies at grocery stores when they opened Flour + Water in 2009. And they’re still focused on opening restaurants; specifically, more pizzerias.

London is adamant that launching AL’s Real Goods is not a segue back to the restaurant world. After spending 27 years working 100-hour weeks and missing far too many nights with his wife and kids, he has developed a new relationship with making food through the packaged cookies. Hopefully, it’s one that’s more sustainable. 

“It’s the future — unless I fail,” London says with a laugh. “This is what I do now. As physically painful as it is to say out loud, I will not be going back to restaurants.”

Cacio e pepe frozen pizza from Flour + Water Pizzeria ($14.99) 

Step up your game with this peppery, olive-oil-drizzled cheese pizza. The crust is so springy you’ll be shocked you made it yourself (sort of). Available at Whole Foods.

AL’s Real Goods chocolate chip cookies from chef Aaron London ($9.99)

If you love a Chips Ahoy! Chewy, meet your new favorite grocery-store dessert — except these are made with real butter (and are double the price). Available at Luke’s Local, Mollie Stone’s, and other stores.

Yukon gold potato pizza from Del Popolo ($16.99)

The leopard spots on the crust will make you forget this came from the freezer. Bonus points for the rosemary and thinly sliced red onions. Available at Bi-Rite, Gus’s Community Market, and other stores. 

Chicken and broccoli potstickers from Mamahuhu ($11.99) 

You can easily crush an entire bag of these pudgy dumplings in one sitting, just pan-fry and steam before dipping in the provided sauce. Available at Bi-Rite, Epicurean Trader, and other stores. 

Spicy tea leaf salad from Burma Love ($16.99) 

Just add lettuce to this kit and you’ve got a flavorful lunch topped with the restaurant’s famous crunchy mix of seeds, nuts, and garlic chips. Available at Rainbow Grocery.  

Chile bomba from Che Fico ($15.99) 

Chile crisp fans will love this Calabrian chile and garlic condiment that’s not very spicy, but perfect for adding to pizza or pasta. Available at Bi-Rite and Good Eggs. 

Classic kaya from Azalina’s ($11.15) 

Whether you spread it on toast or drizzle it over yogurt (highly recommended!), this sweet coconut jam will turn a ho-hum snack into a tiny indulgence. Available at Rainbow Grocery. 

Par-baked za’'atar man’'oushe from Reem’s ($14.99)

Absolutely loaded with earthy, herbal za’atar, this simple flatbread makes a great side for a Middle Eastern dinner at home — just add hummus. Available at Bi-Rite and online.