Sam Mogannam is the second generation owner of Bi-Rite Market, San Francisco’s premier neighborhood specialty food store specializing in sustainable and locally produced products.
A San Francisco native, Sam graduated from City College of San Francisco’s Hotel and Restaurant Management Program before pursuing the culinary arts in Basel, Switzerland, where he worked in a two-star Michelin rated restaurant for a year. When he returned to the Bay Area, Sam honed his culinary skills during his two years at The Pasta Shop, the esteemed gourmet food shop in Oakland, CA. He then went on to open his own restaurant, Rendezvous du Monde, at age 23; during the seven year run of his restaurant, Sam received national recognition for the seasonally inspired food he was cooking, and also enjoyed a loyal following among neighbors, chefs, and restaurateurs.
In 1998, Sam decided to return to the family business. After gutting and rebuilding the space, he reopened Bi-Rite Market in the space his father and uncle had operated since 1964. He installed a kitchen in the heart of the Market, and focused on serving customers like guests in his home. Bi-Rite has since become a culinary destination for locals and visitors alike.
In 2006 Sam partnered with his wife Anne Walker and Kris Hoogerhyde to open Bi-Rite Creamery, which sells small batch ice cream handmade with organic dairy from Straus Family Creamery in Sonoma; the Creamery also produces handmade sorbets, cakes, cookies, breads and other baked goods sold at Bi-Rite Market.
In 2008 Sam founded 18 Reasons, a community event and education space on the same block as Bi-Rite Market and Creamery, as a way to give back to the neighborhood that had contributed to and supported Bi-Rite over the years. Through dinners, classes and discussions, 18 Reasons brings people together to deepen our relationship to food and each other. That same year, Sam, along with Bi-Rite produce buyer/farmer Simon Richard, started a small farm in Sonoma, CA , as a way to not only grow food, but also to provide ongoing education for Bi-Rite’s staff.
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