The Female Faces Behind Our Favorite Places

Bay Meadows is becoming a dynamic community where we can feed our mind, body and soul – thanks to some very special people. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we invite you to meet some pioneering women at Bay Meadows that are creating community through their passions, learn which women inspire them, advice they’d give their younger selves and catch what’s new:

image credit: LIFT Exercise Studio

Erin McElwain Wetzel, LIFT Exercise Studio

When I was little I dreamed of becoming a back-up hip hop dancer or an Olympian.

A female entrepreneur I really admire is Cheryl Durzy. You may not know her yet but she’s about to disrupt the alcohol distribution business with her company LibDib. She is bold, she gets her hands dirty, she thinks big and works her tail off.

4 women I’d love to attend a LIFT class are Kate Hudson, Cheryl Sandberg, Tracy Anderson, Meryl Streep

If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d tell (her): Ask for what you want.

What I love most about building community at Bay Meadows is that it’s like starting anything from scratch. I know what I to make (a happy place for people to workout) and I know the key ingredients to make it good (excellent teachers, supportive staff). As students walk through our doors they get to make what LIFT San Mateo becomes. This becomes the secret sauce that makes this location different and unique to our other studio and unique and different to Bay Meadows.

GET LIFTed. In the month of April, all first time students may enjoy class for free! Follow the LIFT journey on Instagram @liftbbb.

Becky Sunseri,  Tin Pot Creamery

When I was little I dreamed of being a world record holding hula hooper.
A female entrepreneur I really admire is Jesse Cool (Flea Street Cafe).
4 women I’d love to eat ice cream with are: Oprah!  Debbi Fields, Mindy Kaling, Ellen DeGeneres
If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d tell (her): Say what you think, even if it stirs the (tin) pot!
What I love most about building community at Bay Meadows is seeing the joy on people’s faces when they “discover” us, and being a place people get together.  We feel lucky to be a part of building the community at this special place!

Spring Flavors have arrived at Tin Pot Creamery!!!!!  Lavender with Lemon Poppy Cookies, ChocoCoco (vegan) and Passionfruit Lime Sorbet. Be sure to stay connected on Instagram @TinPotCreamery for new releases.

image credit: @homesteaddesigncollective

(Left) Stefani Bittner/owner of Homestead Design Collective, author of The Beautiful Edible Garden (Ten Speed Press) and Harvest (Ten Speed Press) | (Right) Sierra Vasquez | Lead Edible Gardener at Bay Meadows in Persimmon Park Community Garden

When I was little I dreamed of being a parent (and veterinarian).
A female entrepreneur I really admire is — the women who founded the Bay Area’s first Urban Farm Co-op, Bio Fuel Oasis.
4 women I’d love to garden with: Michelle Obama, Kate Richards of Drinking with Chickens, Erin Benzakein from Floret Flower Farm and Colleen Hennessy, famed ceramist whose work is inspired by the edible garden.

If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d tell (her): Value each moment you have with the people you love and prioritize yourself.

What I love most about building community at Bay Meadows is sharing our love of the garden with so many first-time gardeners!

Experience fresh garden inspiration @homesteaddesigncollective on Instagram. There are still plots available for residents to reserve and join the community garden this year. Bay Meadows residents are also invited to join us for our Tomato Mania free gardening class on April 7, 2018 in the community garden, one of the many reasons to enjoy #baymeadowslife.

image credit: @sweetbloomsco

Cristal Chen, SweetBloomsCo

When I was little I dreamed of being a muralist and paint every wall of the town. Since I was a little girl, I was surrounded by people who are passionate about making things with their hands. My dad is a talented furniture maker. My mom is a gifted seamstress. Perhaps they were why I was destined to follow my dream and passion to become an active designer.

A female entrepreneur I really admire is Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx

4 women I’d love to get creative with are Tina Fey, Michelle Obama, Jessica Alba and my mom.

If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d tell (her): “Take a chill pill girl, it is going to be just fine!”

When I was younger I used to be so afraid of speaking in public or speaking my mind. When I look back and see how much I have grown up and have overcome, I see that those fears were really just in my mind.

What I love most about building community at Bay Meadows is to see that my work can serve as a social platform for people to come together and talk. I seek to curate community engagement through my work.

I love that having a home-based studio has allowed me to introduce people who live in the community to the arts in a fresh way. A lot of my students come from within the neighborhood and that’s excellent because the workshops have become a hub where neighbors interact with one another and learn together and share common experiences. But my dream is that one day I can have an open space or studio or even a school where people can come and learn on a daily basis. For now, I opted to share my skills by welcoming the local community to my home studio. I believe that in time this will be realized!

In the month of May, Sweetbloomsco will have a two-for-one special for a Calligraphy Workshop that combines Spring Floral Pen Drawings. The class will be held at West Elm in Palo Alto on May 6 from 11:30am-1:30pm. People will pay for one class but will get to learn two skills. Keep an eye out on Instagram @sweetbloomsco for the Mother’s Day 20% off code.

 

Come unwind at the Peninsula’s next street-front retail and entertainment destination. Delaware Street – Bay Meadows’ welcoming social street – features over 40,000 square feet of Midurban retail space. With news of Bay Meadows’ first retail tenants – Blue Bottle Coffee and Tin Pot Creamery – there’s no stopping momentum for this special gathering place boasting artisan eateries, as well as specialty fitness and unique retail. Delaware street was carefully designed with angled parking and large landscaped walkways to create a walkable and inviting experience that is highlighted by our large Town Square. Interested in retail leasing at Bay Meadows? Contact RetailWest to learn more >