Partners
left to right: John Duggan, Elena Duggan, Frank Klein
Frank Klein, Wine & Beverage Director, Operating Partner
As Wine and Beverage Director, Frank Klein will bring to Fish & Farm an expertise in food friendly and affordable wine lists. As its Operating Partner, he will exercise a long-held passion for locally grown organic ingredients, elegantly prepared and served in a comfortable atmosphere at affordable prices. His focus will be on professional, friendly service.
Klein is best known as an industry consultant who has helped restaurants of all sizes maximize their resources and enhance profitability. He and his partners represent nearly two dozen San Francisco restaurants including many listed among the Bay Area Top 100. His projects have been diverse as concepting and designing restaurant facilities for the National Park Service, working on bringing down food and labor costs for single operators, and assisting developing chains tighten their operations and ready for expansion. In a unique role he helped Stanford University open luxury boxes and VIP concessions at its new football stadium, and assisted the school as it streamlined operations at other key facilities. Klein is considered a source by media for his expert opinion on restaurants and the dining experience.
As a San Francisco restaurateur, Klein's successes have included his First Crush restaurant, at which he pioneered unique wine by-the-glass programs. San Francisco Chronicle food editor Michael Bauer recently described the venture as ahead of its time, and the newspaper once hailed First Crush as "perhaps the king of flights." Klein's second venture, Biscuits and Blues, earned a reputation as the nation's premier small blues venue and in 1999 was awarded the WC Handy Award for Best Blues Club in America. As Klein describes it, "Biscuits and Blues was operated like an old time super club, with good food, great wine, and a maitre'd who gave everyone a good seat."
Klein was persuaded to re-enter the restaurant world by a concept that speaks to his heart. "I want Fish & Farm to prove that you can offer ethically raised fish and farm items, serve them affordably, establish a low eco footprint and showcase the food of a talented chef alongside reasonably priced organic and biodynamic wines --all with little more effort than it would normally take to create a restaurant" he said. "Fish & Farm is the direction all responsible restaurants will go, and we plan to bring the concept to the door of many cities."
Klein is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management degree. He enjoys staying fit, exploring new food and dining experiences, and spending as much time as possible with his wife and two children.
More information about Klein and his businesses is available at http://www.fkrestaurants.com and http://www.aocsf.com
John Duggan, Hospitality Director
John A. Duggan, age 33, is a third generation San Francisco restaurateur who was born and raised in the local industry. His grandfather founded Original Joe’s – the culinary landmark just two blocks from Fish & Farm – in 1937; Duggan runs it today with his sister Elena.
Though he spent his younger years immersed in basketball – John played for the University of San Francisco before playing in Europe professionally – he always knew he’d land back in the family restaurant. “We talked as much about Original Joe’s as any family member,” Duggan says. “When you own a restaurant, it is as much a part of you as a sibling, uncle, or cousin. I knew it would eventually become my career.”
Duggan’s travels in Europe fueled his passion for food and restaurants. He spent considerable time eating and exploring in over 25 countries – specifically France, Italy, Austria, Holland, and Russia – and made a point to discover each region’s cuisine. “While my teammates were at McDonald’s, I was walking down alleyways seeking the cool local restaurants,” says Duggan. Duggan saw many family-run European restaurants through the eyes of a single diner and the warm feelings he took away cemented his interest in keeping alive the legacy of his family’s restaurant.
Duggan will divide his time between Original Joe’s and Fish & Farm, and is looking forward to working with his sister Elena and partner Klein in establishing a new restaurant in a neighborhood that feels like home. “Fish & Farm is going to be a creative outlet for us all,” says Duggan. “I’m really looking forward to working with such a talented group of people.”
Duggan lives in San Francisco. He earned a degree in Business Administration and a Masters in Sports & Fitness Management, both from the University of San Francisco. When he’s not at the restaurant, he teaches physical education at City College of San Francisco, and is dating a young lady he calls “the most beautiful woman in San Francisco, by way of Montreal.”
Elena Duggan, Partner
Elena Duggan, age 35 and John’s older sister, chose to learn the workings of the business in school before diving into her family’s restaurant, but her love for food and hospitality was sealed at a much younger age.
Elena has strong childhood memories of helping her grandfather clean their garden-grown beans in preparation for their family’s weekly Friday night meals. “My grandfather expressed his love for people by feeding them unbelievably delicious food and wine,” she says. “Those same expressions were brought to his customers on a daily basis and Original Joe’s. Customers were family.”
As an adult, Elena absorbed her grandfather’s passion for making people feel at home. After earning a BA in hospitality from The University of San Francisco, she attended the Hotel and Restaurant program at City College of San Francisco. Post-graduation, she coordinated parties on private yachts, but Original Joe’s kept calling her back. “I felt the need to continue in the footsteps of my grandfather and mother,” she says.
Elena has watched over the menu evolution at Original Joe’s and shares control of current operations with her brother. She hopes to nurture Fish & Farm diners in the same way her family has nurtured Original Joes’ customers over the years. “I believe that that a restaurant is more than a place people come to eat. It is where they come to rest, relax, and retreat. They come for warmth and a kind, familiar face. I hope that when customers leave Fish & Farm, they are satisfied beyond just their hunger.”
Elena also owns and operates a thriving retail store in Burlingame, Willa Home, a boutique home and accessory store that specializes in home tabletop, home accessories and furniture. She lives with husband and two children, ages 2 and 2 months, in Noe Valley.
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