Sir and Star is a restaurant founded in 2012. It is located in The Olema, a historic restaurant and inn built in 1876. The restaurant is at the corner of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Star Route One in Olema, California. Olema is located in West Marin County 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) from the Bear Valley portal to the Point Reyes National Seashore.
| Sir and Star | |
|---|---|
 The Olema (right) before being repainted from bright white to near black by its current owners | |
 | |
  Location within California  Sir and Star (the United States) | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Previous owner(s) | Dana and Jennifer Sulprizio |
| Head chef | Daniel DeLong |
| Food type | Farm to table |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Rating | 4 stars |
| Coordinates | 38°02′27″N 122°47′16″W / 38.040744°N 122.787743°W |
| Seating capacity | 85 |
| Reservations | Yes |
| Other locations | Manka's Inverness Lodge, Inverness, California |
| Website | Official website  |
| The Olema | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 10,000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard |
| Town or city | Olema, California 94950 |
| Country |
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| Opening | July 4, 1876 |
| Owner | Daniel DeLong |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 8 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
| Parking | On site |
Early days edit
The building was constructed by the area's original Spanish land grantee, Rafael Garcia, in 1876 as part of a 9,000-acre (3,600 ha) land grant from Mexico. John Nelson, the stage coach company owner that ran a stage from Olema to San Rafael, won the inn from Felix Garcia, Rafael's son, in a game of chance. The Nelsons owned the inn for three generations thereafter. The inn was a popular place of respite for local workers.[1][2]
The name Olema has significant historical heritage originating from the over 125 adjacent Miwok Indian villages. In the Miwok language, Olemaloke roughly translates to "little coyote".[3]
During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake the road near the inn was heavily damaged.[citation needed]
In 2006 the inn and restaurant went on the market for US$ 3.6 million.[2]
In 2010 the Olema Inn was purchased by chefs Daniel DeLong and Margaret Grade, repainted from bright white to nearly black, and rechristened as Sir and Star at The Olema.[4] Sir and Star is a portmanteau of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Star Route One.
Gradé and DeLong edit
Until 1999 Chef DeLong worked at Elroy's, Bix, and Stars restaurants in San Francisco. Gradé was a neuropsychologist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).[5] At this point the entwined pair purchased Manka's Inverness Lodge in Inverness which was a former 1918 hunting lodge that was converted to a guest lodge with restaurant years prior to their purchase. Alice Waters a pioneer in the California cuisine movement and the founder of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley mentored Gradé during this time of new beginnings and they remain good friends. Manka's was one of the 50-best hotel restaurants in the U.S. in 2003 according to Food & Wine magazine. The Zagat survey for 2007 ranked it in the top-5 of their top-30. Manka's is known as a quiet hideaway even for celebrities. Prince Charles of England (the Prince of Wales) and his new wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, previously Camilla Parker Bowles, took over the entire main lodge at Manka's during their West Marin tour of local farmers and ranchers learning the ropes of farm-to-table foraging. They were escorted on their tour by Waters and Gradé. A few months later the main lodge that they stayed in and its attached restaurant burned to the ground during a severe winter windstorm.[6][7] Gradé and DeLong had twins born in 2008.[8]
Gradé died on February 28, 2024, from complications of injuries she sustained in a car accident in January.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Olema California | West Marin Point Reyes Chamber of Commerce | Point Reyes National Seashore | Marin Coast Vistors [sic] Guide". PointReyes.org. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ a b "Something Different: The Olema Inn / Historic and haunted inn / Popular Marin County restaurant and lodgings available for $3.3 million". SFGate. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ "Olema". marinmagazine.com. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ "Sir and Star at Olema Inn review". SFGate. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ a b Severson, Kim (March 17, 2024). "Margaret Grade, Whose California Inn Was Beloved by Stars, Dies at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "80 years of history at Manka's in ashes". marinij.com. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ "Fire levels Manka's, revered Inverness restaurant and inn". SFGate. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ "The Inside Scoop: Burglars hit La Folie". SFGate. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
External links edit
- Official website
Sir and Star at The Olema - Sister website Manka's Inverness Lodge