Bayview District residents Kristin Jenkins and Barclay Nicholson are domestic partners growing not one but two food businesses that both have "SF" in the name: Nosh SF and SF Private Chef. The two have been together for over thirteen years and were introduced by a mutual friend. They live and work in Bayview and have done so for the last two years and this fascinating tale has a twist of kismet. The morning they were about to move out of their Bernal Heights home, their landlord called to let them know a fire had burned down the home they were moving into. On very short notice, they were able to find "the perfect space" in which they now live and have an office. Green thumbs, take note: there is also a garden space that the two are actively cultivating--more details on that in a bit.

Nosh SF is a boutique catering company sporting a roster of local events that include a fundraiser for President Obama last year. SF Private Chef is a healthy meal delivery service and Jenkins has been working on the company since she founded it over ten years ago. Before these ventures, Nicholson was working in venture capital. Jenkins was pursuing golf in a somewhat serious fashion when she first started SF Private Chef. Bay Area Bites caught up with Jenkins and Nicholson recently. Their comments have been edited for grammar and clarity.
Bay Area Bites: You’ve lived and worked in the Bayview District for the past two years. What is your work and life routine like?
Nicholson: Our life has been focused on growing Nosh and SF Private Chef. Without much exaggeration, we have lived and breathed work for the last three years. To answer your question about our routine, it’s very routine. I get up, bring Kristin a coffee in bed while she watches a housewives show...No, seriously. We wake up, feed our two dogs and two cats. Make coffee and slide open the doors that separate our living quarters from our work quarters. I cross the threshold and head up the stairs to our office.
Kristin walks out the front door to the commercial kitchen (which we built out in record time at the end of last year), which is two doors down. The close proximity of the kitchen and our office helps us keep things very efficient. During the day we communicate often. (I would like to have an intercom system in the kitchen so I can page Kristin; Kristin has vetoed the idea.) Our ability to transition from work to events is very easy. We are able to pack out and pack back in and return home very seamlessly. Having our own kitchen has been invaluable.

Bay Area Bites: How do you support each other for your work and in your personal life?
Jenkins: I have spent the last 20-plus years in the industry, in one form or another. I am a creative person. One of Barclay’s strengths is that she is great at helping translate my vision to words.