MEET THE VCMA BOARD

Originally from Los Angeles, Manny Yekutiel arrived in San Francisco in 2010. His diverse experiences include fundraising for Equality California, interning at the White House, and working on various political campaigns. In 2016, he founded Manny's, a unique civic space encompassing a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, bookstore, and events venue. Recognized as Small Business of the Year by the California State Senate, Manny's has garnered attention from major publications and served as a hub for civic engagement, hosting numerous events and supporting local nonprofits. It also provides opportunities for individuals transitioning from homelessness or incarceration through its training kitchen program.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Nikki is happy to be raising her son in the City she loves. At 21, Nikki and her Mom opened Blondie’s on Valencia and 16th Street. Nikki has worked in her Mom’s restaurants and cafes since the age of 8 years. While service is practically embedded in her DNA, she does not necessarily subscribe to the “the patron is always right” ideology but rather backs her staff and ensures that everyone at the bar behaves and is respectful. In business since 1991, Nikki has witnessed many changes to the Valencia corridor; she’s excited to see what’s next for the neighborhood and to become more involved in the betterment of the community. Nikki loves the Mission and all that it offers and is inspired to work with the VCMA toward changes that would make it even better!

Eileen Rinaldi, founder of Ritual Coffee Roasters, has been instrumental in shaping San Francisco's coffee scene since 2005. Inspired by a transformative espresso experience in Seattle, she founded Ritual to bring her passion for coffee to her favorite city. With four retail coffee bars, Ritual has become synonymous with quality and innovation in the industry. Eileen's dedication to small businesses and fostering talent has made Ritual a hub for coffee aficionados and aspiring baristas alike. Despite her busy schedule, she always finds time to connect over coffee and welcomes visitors with open arms.

Owner Sean Quigley's vision for Paxton Gate is rooted in nostalgia for 1880s frontier life. Raised in Happy Valley, Northern CA, he experienced a childhood of freedom, surrounded by nature. Relocating to the Bay Area in 1989, he founded Paxton Gate and a design/build company in 1992, alongside bartending gigs. In 2008, he opened his third business, Paxton Gate's Curiosities for Kids. Appointed VCMA President in 2012, Quigley aims to elevate the organization's profile city-wide, support merchants, and enhance community engagement.

Avi is a lifelong Bay Area resident with 10+ years of living and working on Valencia Street. They initially founded Silver Sprocket as a punk-rock record label, which has since transformed into a radical publisher of independent comic books and graphic novels and a local zine shop/gallery focusing on local community and social justice. Aside from publishing, Avi enjoys bike riding, DIY haircuts, and making stir-fry with stream-of-thought found ingredients.

Originally from Ireland, David has been a fixture in San Francisco's Mission district for nearly two decades. Since 2008, he's co-founded renowned establishments like Flour + Water, Central Kitchen & Salumeria, and Trick Dog Bar, demonstrating a commitment to local business. In 2018, he ventured into the pizza scene with Flour + Water Pizzeria, rebranding it as Yellow Moto Pizzeria in 2022. Alongside his wife, Allison, he's raising three daughters in the vibrant community he loves. With a focus on supporting small businesses, David is dedicated to ensuring the survival and success of independently owned ventures. Outside of work and family life, he finds joy in snowboarding and surfing, finding solace in the mountains and the ocean.

A longtime SF resident and Bay Area native, Jonah started Fellow Barber in 2010 with his brother. He’s lived on and off in the Mission, bartended at several bars in the neighborhood, and played music, touring with a few bands. He’s happy to be a part of the VCMA Board and serve the community and neighborhood.

Jorge embraced innovation and creativity during the pandemic to sustain his restaurant and support his staff. After successfully launching two restaurants in Guadalajara, he returned to San Francisco with his wife Lorena and their two children, Emiliana and Pascual. Their dream of opening a restaurant in the city where they wed led them to establish Loló 13 years ago on 22nd St in the Mission District. Recently, they relocated to 974 Valencia Street after six years at their previous location.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Karen has always had a passion for coffee, the skills to manage and communicate with others effectively, and the goal to one day open a Coffee Shop. A year later, after graduating from college, in the middle of 2021, she was given the chance to open a shop with her sister Melody, which is now called Sisters Coffee Shop. Starting a business from scratch in the middle of the pandemic was very rigorous, but with the help of their family, it has been a smoother process. Day by day, Karen accomplishes more of what her younger self wanted for the future.

Kelly is a community cooking educator, food justice advocate, knife-wielder, co-founder of Bernal Cutlery, Jewish food studies writer, and real-life magician’s daughter. She recently finished her Food Studies graduate research on childhood poverty interventions with the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco, where her focus was community-based food security programming benefiting our most vulnerable women and children. Currently, her full-time job, and then some, is raising 3 San Franciscans and running Bernal Cutlery with her husband and business partner, Josh.

Tony Leo, owner of Landline Home, has a deep passion for designing products that are as functional as they are beautiful. Tony brings over 20 years of experience in product design/ development and merchandising to this new venture, 10 of which he spent as a head designer at Pottery Barn. Trained as an industrial designer, he has spent his career developing product assortments that span multiple categories for well-known brands such as Anthropologie and Tupperware. Before Landline, Tony was the Chief Product Officer for the globally recognized startup cookware brand Proclamation Goods.

Todd Masonis is the CEO and co-founder of Dandelion Chocolate, one of the world's preeminent craft chocolate makers. Before Dandelion, Todd graduated from Stanford University in 2001 with a degree in Symbolic Systems and co-founded the internet start-up Plaxo. Dandelion Chocolate has carved out a niche by focusing on small-batch, high-quality production, emphasizing the unique profiles of single-origin cacao beans. Under Todd's leadership, the company has been steadfast in its commitment to ethical sourcing and transparency, reassuring customers of the thoughtfulness and care invested in every bar of chocolate produced.