About Us

EXECUTIVE CHEF

Growing up in the small town of Shutesbury, MA, Jeremy’s love of food and cooking blossomed under the influence of his parents, both at home in the garden and kitchen, and through the natural granola company they owned and operated. Certain that cooking was his destiny, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY after working in a few local restaurants in Western Mass.

His professional career started in the kitchen at Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Park in Boston, first as an extern and then working his way through each station, an experience that he credits most heavily for laying the foundation of his cooking skills. Jeremy joined his mentor, John daSilva, as the Sous Chef at Spoke next, where he also met and worked with his now wife, Jess. Eager to further their careers and mountain bike year round, they relocated to San Francisco in 2014, where Jeremy would spend the next six years working at the James Beard award-winning and Michelin-starred restaurant The Progress, eventually becoming the Chef de Cuisine in 2018.

Respecting the integrity of the highest quality ingredients, seasonality, and Mediterranean/North African, Japanese, and Korean cuisine all influence Jeremy’s cooking deeply, and form the foundation for the culinary program at B&F.

SERVICE/BEVERAGE

Jess, affectionately known to her close friends and family as “Rat,” is a native of Rhode Island, where large family gatherings centered around eating first sparked her love of food and hospitality. Jess attended Emmanuel College in Boston, and then served, bartended and managed in various restaurants, bars, and cafes in the area, including Green Street and Spoke. In those years, she cultivated her passion for creating warm, welcoming spaces for people to come together, have fun, and eat delicious food.

After moving to San Francisco with her husband, Jeremy, she spent over five years at the James Beard award-winning and Michelin-starred restaurant, State Bird Provisions, and learned all she could about hospitality, service, viticulture, and seasonally-focused local fare. She transitioned to working with dough during the Covid-19 pandemic, building her pastry skills alongside Tanner and infusing the classics with her creativity and penchant for nostalgic flavors.

After the opening of B&F on Fore Street, Jess moved to a front of house role, where she manages the restaurant day-to-day, including service and the beverage program.

OPERATIONS/BUSINESS

Master organizer and leader of all things technical, Maggie is our fearless spreadsheet warrior. Her love of systems stems from her first love, music. She spent her childhood in Colorado and young adult life in Washington state cultivating her classical music career, eventually moving to San Francisco and graduating with her Masters Degree in Opera Performance from the SF Conservatory of Music. She started working in restaurants during graduate school to supplement her opera gigs, but found that her love of food, hospitality, and restaurant operations outweighed performing.

Maggie spent two years working on the Guest Relations/Operations teams at State Bird Provisions and The Progress restaurants, learning the foundations of hospitality and a deepened love of food that inform her still today. She channeled her interest in curating experiences further as the Casual Events Manager for San Francisco restaurant institutions Quince, Cotogna and Verjus. She believes that nothing can bring people together or tell a story better than food, and hopes that you can feel the passion behind every bite.

HEAD BAKER

Tanner’s love of food began at an early age; growing up, Tanner’s mom said he could “live off of bread.” Influenced by both his Waldorf education and garden-loving foodie parents, Tanner eventually landed on baking after a stage at Publican Quality Meats in his native Chicago.

After spending time baking in both Chicago and Portland, OR, Tanner moved to San Francisco in 2014, where he completed the Professional Baking Program at the San Francisco Baking Institute. Afterwards, he spent time baking at numerous Bay Area bakeries, including Josey Baker Bread, Backhaus Bread, Tartine, and with his mentor, Mac McConnell, at The Midwife and the Baker. Working with a variety of fresh milled whole grains completely changed his idea of what bread could be, and forms the groundwork for the baking program at Bread & Friends.

Never not eating ice cream out of a mug, Tanner is also passionate about finding the best Craigslist deals and his dog, Piper.