On Friday, December 21, 2007 my family (7 of us) participated in the Chef for a Day program at Kuleto’s Italian Restaurant at 221 Powell St. in San Francisco. The restaurant has been doing this program for over 10 years and as a result has donated over $30,000 to the San Francisco Food Bank.

Head Chef Robert Helstrohm was our gracious host as we got a full tour of the facilities and then participated in and closely observed his star professionals deliver some of the best food on the West Coast. Thanks to Bob, Kuleto’s clearly practices Success With People. We got to choose where we wanted to work in the restaurant based on our interests. Some of us carved meet, others decorated cookies, I made breadsticks - you can see I have limited capabilities in the kitchen - some made salads, and my daughter Jenny stood with the cooks as they skillfully made many meals simultaneously without error. She had a blast!

We did this for about 3 1/2 hours and then got to eat an incredible meal and receive copies of the Kuleto’s cookbook. Our objective was to not spend a lot of money on presents for our kids this year, who are older (16-24 years old), but find something we could do together as a family to create a memory and support a good cause. It’s estimated they served about 300 lunches while we were there and the excitement of the activityhelped us achieve both of our objectives.

I highly recommend if you are ever in San Francisco that you make a reservation to eat at Kuleto’s. They have something for everyone and all of it is superb. It’s one half block off of Union Square so you are at the heart of the City shopping experience and a short distance from many other popular San Francisco attractions.

If you are staying in the City and want a place that is reasonably priced and near downtown, then stay at the Villa Florence Hotel which is connected to Kuleto’s. It’s a fantastic value and a beautiful place to stay. If you come to San Francisco to attend a trade show at the Moscone Convention Center, this hotel and restaurant are about 5-6 blocks away.

Effective leaders need great food and accommodations. We had a great time. Hope you do too!