South Park Cafe

For a brief time in the 1850's, South Park, a neighborhood south of Market Street, was a ritzy address in the rapidly growing city. Taking park developments in London as his model, an Englishman built a series of residential town houses around a grassy common. In the 1980s, lured by cheap rents, architects and designers discovered the charms of South Park, and restaurateurs were close behind. The area evoked the parks in French Villages. South Park Cafe itself, which seems like a slice of small-town France, set the Gallic flavor. In the last 20 years this unpretentious cafe with a serious kitchen has matured into one of the best little French restaurants in San Francisco.  California food is a great marriage of France, Italy and the produce that grows in abundance locally. But at its helm are chefs who have traveled, fallen in love and brought something home.  Owner Ward Little studied at the Culinary Institute at Contra Costa College under the legendary Ken Wolfe. In California he worked four years at French restaurants including Le Marquis in Lafayette and Miramonte in St. Helena. Afterwards he worked in France including a season at La Pyramide in 1983, at Jaqueline Fenix in Paris and with chef Jaques Chibois. Ward has been chef at South Park Cafe since 1993. He is an avid rock climber as well as a proud father of daughter Chloe.