Best Bakery

Arizmendi is part of a long line of workers' cooperative bakeries in the Bay Area and around the world. Is that what makes the roasted tomatoes so juicy, the breads so toothsome, the pecan rolls so gooey? Hard to say. We'd hazard a guess that most folks don't care, as long as the different-every-day pizza keeps sliding out of the ovens. The worker/owners are proud of the structure of their company, which is modeled on the Mondragon Cooperatives in Spain. It's named after José Maria Arizmendiarrieta, a Basque priest who believed that worker ownership and participation should be an integral part of a just and democratic society. We'll add to that the belief that roasted eggplant, red onion, and pesto pizza should be an integral part of a life well lived.