As always, we end our series with a bit of food! This week we sat down with Cherith Spencer, baker and owner of Namesake Cheesecake in Menlo Park. Her business started when she was given singular access to the secret cheesecake recipe of a dear family friend

Barbara Bogatin is a master cellist, a teacher of meditation and music, and a Bay Area native. She attended the Juilliard School, receiving both a Bachelor and Master of Music. She’s played for the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein,

Victoria and Paul Ehrlich are a musical power couple. Both classical string instrumentalists, the two have played in top orchestras across the Bay Area. Vicky plays cello and has been with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra for nearly 40 years.

Nicolas A. Garcia is the Director of Pocket Opera, a chamber opera company in San Francisco. Garcia has been extensively involved with Pocket Opera, first as a performer and then as General Director after the passing of its founder Donald Pippin in 2021.

When thinking of Harlan Hays, music almost immediately comes to mind. His whole life all he’s wanted to do is sing. Growing up in San Francisco, Harlan had access to the rich musical world of his home city and asked his parents to join the San Francisco Boys Chorus (SFBC) when he was only 8 years old. For nearly 25 years he’s been part of SFBC

Beautiful, athletic and graceful, ballet dancers have discipline that is unmatched by most other professions. Dancers at San Francisco Ballet have just this and more. Our guests this week dance with SF Ballet, Max Cauthorn a Principal Dancer and Luca Ferrò a member of Corps de Ballet. The two have both originated roles and soloed in classics, all with keen artistic sensibility and intense athletic technique. While Max began with SF Ballet School at age eleven and worked his way through the ranks, Luca ventured far from his home in Novara, Italy to be part of the company. Though dancing with one of the best ballet companies in the world has been a remarkable achievement for these young men, they are nonetheless humble, hard working and kind.

Meet Max Cauthorn and Luca Ferrò!

Michael Belle is a Tenor with the coveted San Francisco Opera Chorus. Starting with a trade for free voice lessons, Michael was drawn to the artistic life of a classical musician. From singing the chorus in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Porgy and Bess to performing leads in productions across New England, Michael’s career only bloomed until landing a spot in the world famous San Francisco Opera Chorus in 2009.

Michael’s time at the San Francisco Opera has been one of much change. The traditionally elite European Opera culture has begun to dwindle, making way for a more ethnically and musically diverse one. As such, he’s gotten to sing in ethnically diverse casts and works by non-European composers. Michael is proud to help usher this new era for classical music.

Meet Michael Belle!

Stanlee Gatti is San Francisco’s premier event designer and art administrator. Known to be one of the best of his trade, Gatti’s designs are unique, innovative and artistic. He challenged the city’s traditionally conservative taste in public art by bringing Keith Haring sculptures to the Moscone Center, and threw some of the city’s most lavish parties. In 2008 Gatti founded the SF-based art and design fair called FOG FAIR that has grown to become one of the preeminent art and design fairs in the nation.

Stanlee has a beautiful and quiet charisma about him. His creative and curious mind has allowed him to turn the idea of event planning into an art itself. Enjoy our exciting interview with him!

For more information about Stanlee, please visit: http://www.stanleegatti.com/

Meet Stanlee Gatti!

Innovative designer Julienne Weston is a Bay Area native and founder-owner of Weston Wear, a fashion boutique in SF’s Mission District. A lifelong dancer, Julie combined beautiful clothing designs with flexible dancewear using cotton lycra, a nearly undiscovered fabric at the time. With her dance-fashion concept, Julienne established Weston Wear in 1981. For 36 years, she designed and manufactured her eclectic collection of sensuous apparel, with inspiration from European prints to thrift shop finds. San Francisco had a very strong fashion manufacturing industry at the time, and Julie was at the top of this field throughout her career.

Julienne closed Weston Wear four years ago and is currently making one of a kind creations from her collection of fabrics and market finds. We were elated to interview this creative designer in her studio this fall.

Meet Julienne Weston!

John Anderson is as lovely and charming as his home state of Texas, his taste in residential design just the same. As principal designer of John K. Anderson (JKA) Design, John takes a personal approach to every client’s home, listening to their needs and desires so that every client’s unique flair can shine through. His experience spans more than 25 years of residential design in San Francisco, working with Eminent Bay Area designers like Steven Volpe and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy. Since his studio opened in 2005, John has created timeless designs that beautifully blend his client tastes with his eclectic blend of mid-century, modern and classic design principles.

The San Francisco Bay Area has a deep and rich architectural history. John and his design team at JKA Designs celebrate and honor it with grace. We were thrilled to interview him at his North Beach studio.

For more information about John Anderson and JKA Designs, please visit: https://www.johnkanderson.com/about/

Meet John Anderson!

Dorian Webb is an award winning designer and artist specializing in jewelry, home decor and luxury art. She is inspired by her desire to elevate daily living through design and aims to exemplify, celebrate and support black excellence through her high quality products and community focused actions. She is also a frequent lecturer and panelist at universities, design schools and business conferences where she speaks about her entrepreneurial philosophy and artistry. Dorian currently sits on the board of directors for the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco.

Dorian is tall, elegant, and striking. Her jewelry is no different– directly reflecting her ancestors, nature and community, Dorian’s art encompasses elements of the natural and spiritual world in the most stunning ways. We felt lucky to interview her this September. Enjoy!

For more information about Dorian Webb, please visit: https://dorianwebb.com/pages/behind-the-design-inspiration-is-everywhere

Please meet Dorian Webb!

SF native Gregangelo Herrera is the Founder and Artistic Director of the most magical place one could visit– the Gregangelo Museum. Together with his Creative Director Marcelo Defreitas, Herrera has created a fantastic immersive arts experience in his own home on the west side of the city. Local and international artists alike help create this technicolor acrobatic dreamscape, with 27 unique rooms each telling a different story of time and space, the human psyche and life itself. Herrera spent over 40 years building this artistic oasis, so we were thrilled to be able to get insight from him and Defreitas on their incredible artistic journey. Fall into the rabbit hole with us and enjoy this week’s episode!

For more information and stunning photos of the Gregangelo Museum, please visit: https://www.gregangelomuseum.com/

Meet Gregangelo Herrera and Marcelo Defreitas!

Carolyn Tyler is most famously known in San Francisco as a reporter and news anchor on KGO ABC7 News. She had an outstanding 32 year career chronicling some of the most important moments in SF history. Tyler detailed the long fight for marriage equality starting in 2004 and brought stories of social justice for African Americans to the forefront. She also reported extensively on the impacts of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, for which she and her team won a Peabody Award. Over the years Carolyn earned the reputation for being one of the most fair-minded and hard-working journalists in the field.

Since retiring, Tyler has been blending journalism with her other passions. A fierce Golden State Warriors fan and board member of the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Company, Caryoln is currently producing a unique discussion between Warriors Coach Steve Kerr and Alonzo King on the intersection of ballet and basketball. It will be held on September 16th at SF Jazz and hosted by Carolyn herself.

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Carolyn and hear about her wonderful career and latest endeavors. In the Fall, tune in to our Classical Performance series with Tyler as our guest host!

For more information about Carolyn Tyler, please visit: https://www.kqed.org/news/11696365/tv-anchor-carolyn-tyler-bids-farewell-to-three-decades-covering-san-francisco

Meet Carolyn Tyler!

The Vitero Sisters are a very creative bunch— and they happen to be our host ,Susan’s family! Her mother Blanche Brown and aunts Julia Vitero, Ginger Irwin, and Doloros Presely. They grew up in Berkeley, California when things were quite a bit simpler. Yet they were lucky enough to also grow along the tidal wave of magical thinking, and freedom of expression of the mid-20th century. We welcomed the opportunity to hear how this time changed the Vitero Sisters, along with the wild stories that come with it.

Meet The Vitero Sisters!

PJ Johnston is one of SF’s top crisis communications specialists and political strategists. From former journalist and Press Secretary for Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. to speech writing for US Senator Kamala Harris, PJ Johnston has helped many influential people achieve their goals. He is the Principal of PJ Johnston Communications, where most of his high profile work is done. He likewise serves on the board of several non-profit organizations and is a strong advocate for women and African Americans.

PJ is a smart, curious, and very invested man who loves his family and city deeply. Above all, he strives for the betterment of mankind. Please enjoy our interview with him.

For more information about PJ Johnston, please visit: http://pjcommunications.com

Meet PJ Johnston!