San Francisco - Even in the toughest economic climate in decades, food is still at the heart of life in the City by the Bay.  Nearly $100 million and 10 long years went into a restoration project at the foot of Market Street, now home to San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, which surrounds a host of local retail food icons inside the landmarked Ferry Building proper.

Even in the toughest economic climate in decades, food is still at the heart of life in the City by the Bay.  Nearly $100 million and 10 long years went into a restoration project at the foot of Market Street, now home to San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, which surrounds a host of local retail food icons inside the landmarked Ferry Building proper.

Split between the collonnade facing the downtown and the windy terrace overlooking the bay, the market, organized by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), convenes Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with a special garden market on Sunday mornings. The goal is to establish a long-term home for a world-class food market  on the scale and scope of the Boqueria in Barcelona or the Pike Street Market in Seattle. The group also plans an education center, with a demonstration  kitchen donated by Kitchen Aid, and will, continue to develop a program of tastings, classes, farm to table tours and conferences.

Meanwhile, food producers and purveyors deemed Northern California's very best by the developers are taking up permenent indoor residence in the Ferry Building.  Among them are Acme Bread, McEvoy Ranch (olive oil), Hog Island Oyster Company, Cowgirl Creamery (cheeses), Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker and Peet's Coffee & Tea.

And then there are the restaruants, which should all be open by the end of this year or early next year.  After all, great Bay Area chefs and restaurateurs don't just shop the market: they like to feed the shoppers and farmers as well.

Decade old LuLu spawned LuLu Petit for sandwiches, salads, and its line of signature comestibles, including mustard with harissa and preserved Meyer lemons in olive oil; Tsar Nicolai, the California caviar folks, will operate a 12 seat caviar bar: and Japan's largest prepared foods company,  Rockfield Sozai  (sozai means prepared foods) from Kobe, will make its North American debut here. Taylor's Refresher, the legendary burger joint from St. Helena in Napa Valley, will flip and fry, and creative Vietnamese chef Charles Phan will move his popular Slanted Door into an 8,000-square-foot space overlooking the action.

Then there's talk that Alice Waters may help do A Slow Cafe, similar to her Cafe Fanny in Berkley featuring freshly made morning foods and really good slow roasted pork sandwiches.

Not surprisingly - this is San Francisco, after all - there have already been some heated discussions and disputes in newspaper articles and public meetings. Exactly how many bicycle racks are planned for the facility, which is already on its third executive director?  Is Niman Ranch - purveyor of organic, free -range meats from a growing number of small farmers, not all in California - still small and special enough to fit in the mix?  The answer to the last: yes, as a purveyor, but not in the farmers' section.  Can a group of local architects come up with a better traffic flow pattern for the outdoor market, which simply doesn't work for the serious market shopper (this one incuded)? Stay tuned for more good food and plenty of freshly juiced gossip.