Lauren Fitzgerald

Assistant General Manager, Baia; San Francisco, CA

Lauren Fitzgerald is assistant general manager at Baia. Lauren focuses her career on creating recipes, beverage menus, and systems for plant-forward concepts. She grew up in Dallas, TX, and graduated from University of North Texas with a degree in anthropology, then moved to San Francisco in 2004 to attend the California Culinary Academy for Hospitality and Restaurant Management. Her love of plant-based cuisine led her to externing in the Millennium prep kitchen, where she learned the importance of a strong connection between the bar and kitchen. Other projects include Citizen Fox, Flores, and Wildseed in San Francisco, CA; Portobello Vegan Trattoria and others in Portland, OR; and various pop-ups all over the country. She is now the assistant general manager in charge of the beverage program and more at Baia restaurant in the Hayes Valley neighborhood in San Francisco. Lauren lives in the Excelsior neighborhood with her partner Tym and their two spoiled rotten cats. She is interested in consistency, efficiency, seasonality, sustainability, and hospitality. (San Francisco, CA) @baia.sf (Instagram)