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bit into the freshest, tangiest goat cheese imaginable. The one gift Terry really appreciated—and didn’t already have—was good wine. So Mike, using the knowledge he was gleaning from his experience at Joe’s, would bring a few bottles and offer up a glass as he helped cook whatever foods Terry had gathered. Mike likes to say that those visits with Terry—spent belly-laughing over endless cups of tea, drinking wine out of coffee mugs, serving up whatever food there was to whomever showed up—taught him more about hospitality than any other experience.

Photographs by Sara Remington

Photographs by Sara Remington

PROFILE: MIKE/HOST

Photographs by Sara Remington

Job description:

You name it and then some. I like to say that it’s to remain optimistic at all times, but in a more practical sense, my time is split between customer service and wine stuff. Most days I’m also a handyman. Do you know how many pieces of equipment can go down in a restaurant at one time?

Weirdest handyman experience:

Standing on the roof above the wood grill holding a dying exhaust fan in place with a broomstick so that the kitchen wouldn’t fill up with smoke while Phil finished the night’s cooking.

Previous encounters with Phil and Michelle:

I worked as a waiter at Joe’s Restaurant in Venice, California, where Phil was a cook. I was impressed with the passion and confidence Phil exuded in the kitchen—plus, he had a ’64 Ford Ranchero, just like mine. Michelle always dressed beautifully and would wait at the bar for Phil to get off work.

Favorite part of the Bakery:

Taste testing. I also really enjoy making people happy. And people get happy about this place. They really do.

How is the restaurant business in your blood?

My relatives in Croatia have a wood-grill oceanfront seafood restaurant in Hvar, Croatia, where they catch the fish and make wine themselves. My brother has a hotel with a wine bar in Paso Robles, and my dad was quite the restaurant critic.

Best Bakery meal:

My birthday dinner when Phil made me a grilled lobster and Michelle made chocolate mint ice cream cake.

Oddest Bakery responsibility:

I have made every business card for the Bakery by hand.

Factors considered when hiring people:

People say I check their astrology charts, but actually I just check to see if they have any felonies.

Recipes

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Roasted Beets with Beet Greens and Goat-Cheese Crostini

When Phil was a kid, the only beets he’d eaten came from a can, and despite his dad’s insistence that they were loaded with vitamins and minerals, Phil never really liked them. It wasn’t until he moved to California and was introduced to baby beets that beets became his thing. We’ve been working with organic baby beets for over ten years now and still love them—Phil’s dad proved to be right after all. We consider this recipe a “maximum utilization” dish, because we use the beet greens as well.

* * *

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BEETS AND BEET GREENS:

24 assorted baby beets, greens attached

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

½ small yellow onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

FOR THE GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI:

4 slices sourdough or country bread, cut about ½-inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 ounces soft goat cheese

Serves 4

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Trim the stems off the beets. Roughly chop the greens (you want 2 cups chopped), and wash them. Set the greens aside.

Wash the beets, making sure not to puncture their skin. Arrange them in a single layer in a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and about ½ cup water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast the beets until they are fork-tender, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on their size.

While the beets are roasting, prepare the greens: Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat