The Petaler

Meet the Petaler, San Francisco’s Cult Favorite Restaurant Florist | Eater SF

"Operating under the name the Petaler, I follow Rebeka Northway as she rises at 4:30 a.m. to comb the San Francisco Flower Market, assembling sprawling boughs of oak and pear, amaranth, golden yarrow, and bushy dahlias for a roster of powerhouse restaurants including Zuni Cafe, State Bird Provisions, Octavia, and Nopa. Self-taught and rooted in a farm-to-table ethos, she favors locally grown, “hedgey” elements that act as a preview of ingredients that may appear on diners' plates; she buys what looks good and finalizes arrangements at the restaurant. Her work must last about a week, avoid overpowering fragrances, and survive bumps; oversized installations “drink like you wouldn't believe,” so she often drops by midweek to refresh water. Once running with a small team, she now makes deliveries solo in a repurposed postal truck, has shifted to a roughly 50-50 split between restaurants and events, and plans to open a Duboce Triangle studio and shop selling plant-dyed textiles, pantry items from restaurant clients, beeswax candles, and flowers." - Lauren Saria