Opened in 2019, SF’s Palette restaurant served as a nexus of creativity and cuisine in SoMa — but its hasty closure last month saw that connection fray into thin air.
Palette, the San Francisco eater once located at 816 Folsom Street, was beloved for its New American fare and gorgeous art gallery. The space, itself, was a sprawling ode to how food and artist expression exist in tandem — oftentimes on the same plate. But as with literally hundreds of restaurants and bars in the Bay Area, Palette also couldn’t manage to climb out of the financial pits dug by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic’s ravage brought a new perspective, and opened my eyes to other ways of working, other opportunities seen through the perverse lens of loss, and hope for a better future,” Chef Peter Hemsley says of his multi-concept endeavor in a written statement to Eater SF.
It’s the end of a chapter for Hemsley’s grand project, but perhaps not an outright conclusion; Hemsley wrote in a release about the closure that he’s “excited to lead the restaurant into a new era.” Alas, these details remain vague.
However, it’s clear that this “new era” will be void of the iconic, sumptuous, stunning tableware that became synonymous with Palette — because those pieces are going to be up for sale during a restaurant garage sale this upcoming weekend.
“We’re unloading the unique artisan wares that made the place so unique,” reads an email from Palette about its one-day garage sale, which will take place Saturday, March 4th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “From mouth-blown wine glasses by Sam Schumacher of Rocket Glass Works and the ceramics of Black Wing Clay, to unique art pieces and amazing décor, we’re letting go of these one-of-a-kind items for pennies on the dollar.”
Unfortunately, Palette’s IG account is scrubbed (maybe it’s in anticipation of a hard launch of something else… soon?), but here are some pictures from the email blast showing the artisanal quality of items for sale.
FYI: Palette encourages shoppers to arrive early outside at 816 Folsom Street and expect to wait in line. It’s also asking shoppers to limit their time to no more than 15 minutes and to be respectful of others waiting. It’s a BYOP [bring your own packaging] kind of vibe, too.
Photos: All imagery, courtesy of Palette
