Guest Blogger and summer intern Salvador Pendleton shares his passion for his favorite dining venue in Mill Valley, California:

If you were to ask locals it would be no secret, however to those who are not native to the San Francisco-Bay Area, this gem may be unfamiliar. Just across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, off Route 1, you will find Frantoio.

A Family owned Italian Restaurant in Mill Valley, California that has been a staple of the Marin community for the last 18 years. Frantoio, meaning olive press in Italian, serves delightfully crafted authentic Italian food that is enhanced by its’ cozy atmosphere. Frantoio is the ONLY restaurant in the United States with an in-house Certified Organic olive oil production facility. It is no wonder that Frantoio becomes an instant favorite to all those who have had the pleasure of dining there. Nevertheless, those are merely attributes that contribute to my overall obsession with Frantoio. It was almost 12 years ago when I first found my way into the kitchen of former Frantoio Chef Duilio Valenti and was instantly captivated by the flip of a pizza. To this day no trip back to The Bay Area would be complete without a Pappardelle Di Coniglio (Frantoio’s house made pappardelle, pulled braised local rabbit, wild mushrooms with a garlic-­rosemary scent).

George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” And at Frantoio you will definitely feel the love!