this is sf stuff
The Sweet Life
Range pastry chef Michelle Polzine’s retro home kitchen is a feast for the senses. By Leilani Labong
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On one fateful bicycle ride to Ocean Beach, Range pastry chef Michelle Polzine and her husband Franz Kunst amassed an irresistible collection of vintage pink and green melmac dishes from a yard sale. “They were bulky, but I just had to have them,” says Polzine. “We lugged them on our bikes in a paper bag that kept ripping. But they’re worth it.” Similar dishes available at The Other Shop, 327 Divisadero St., 415-621-5424.
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Polzine resents the requisite chocolate dessert on summertime menus. “You should be eating fruit!” proclaims the locavore. Her rustic Blenheim apricot tart was a favorite at Range this season, as was a peach-leaf panna cotta topped with preserved sour cherries. Range, 842 Valencia St., 415-282-8283, rangesf.com
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After a visit to Range, renowned pastry chef Flo Braker expressed her adoration for Polzine’s hot date turnovers with coffee-toffee sauce by signing a copy of her book, Baking for All Occasions, with a treasured inscription: “To Michelle, a fabulous pastry chef who is on top of her game. Love and admiration, Flo.” Book available at Omnivore Books, 3885A Cesar Chavez St., 415282-4712, omnivorebooks.com.
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Polzine’s home kitchen in the Mission was previously “Home Depot modern” before she and her husband transformed it into a retro vision. The fragile handmade green-gray “revival” tiles aren’t recommended for kitchens, but the rockabilly rebels installed them anyway. Tiles available at Galleria Tile, 299A Kansas St., 415-431-5283.
“My kitchen is like my favorite party dress. It always fits me no matter how much cake I eat.” Browse hundreds of fabulous kitchens at our sister publication, California Home + Design: chdresource.com/inspiration
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The vintage 1951 Kelvinator refrigerator was purchased from a Craigslist seller in San Anselmo. The original sales draft indicates that it was first sold by the now-extinct Mission District furniture store, Cristofani & Muzio Home. “I guess it just loves the neighborhood,” Polzine says. x augus t 201 0
joe budd; Styling by Tess Marie Wilson
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Polzine’s mother-in-law, a seasoned home cook, gifted Polzine with a red Vulcania clay pot for Christmas last year. “It claims to be a traditional Italian cooking vessel,” says Polzine, scanning its credentials. “I hope I don’t get in trouble for not having used it yet.” Vulcania pots available at Cookin’, 339 Divisadero St., 415-861-1854.