In the heart of Burlingame, tastemaker Bob Trahan feeds us the seasons and big ambitions at his restaurant Twelvemonth
Photography by Paulette Phlipot & Coline LeConte
Walking into Twelvemonth, just off Burlingame Ave, feels like a lively, warm welcome to downtown—as if everyone on The Peninsula gathered in the entryway patio lounge to greet you. In hand, you see cocktails and mocktails in every shade of the rainbow, garnished with pretty things like dried blood oranges and delicate herbs. Irresistible-looking bar bites—fried somethings with whipped ranch; stacked sliders, pillowy dumplings and candied peanuts—are nibbled on over after-work banter, first-date chitchat and the beginnings of what will surely be an hours-long catchup with friends.
There’s an energy, there’s a vibe. It feels fun and it all looks delicious. Head through the front doors and you step into yet another universe. There’s an elegance here in the main dining room, which nearly spans a city block, and the ceiling is so majestically far above that you feel as if you aren’t enclosed in a building at all. The kitchen is open and a chef’s counter runs along it where diners can peer into the pristine space turning out plates in all directions. There are lush blue banquettes and checkerboard wooden tables that warmly accommodate every imaginable combination of guests, from business dinners to birthday celebrations to impromptu nights out.
The menu, with items like a seasonal ceviche, panzanella, tamale, gnudi and Thai-style curry, presents global flavors through a California-ingredient-focused lens. These are buttoned up, artfully composed
dishes parsed out and paced in multiple courses with an option to pair them with California wines. The design of the space matches in every way. It is exquisite with exposed brick and all the trappings of a buzzy restaurant serving of-the-moment food—with touches of brass, black metal and large mirrors along one wall that make it all feel even more vast, if that’s even possible.
Turns out, it actually is. Hidden from view, there is a separate, gorgeous bar, home to those glittering cocktails and crowd-pleasing bar bites. There are also hearty entrees (that feed the outdoor lounge, too) like a falafel plate, seasonal pasta and paella and bold, meal-worthy salads. Off the main dining room, there’s the Bakehouse. This in-house operation bakes bread daily for the restaurant. Thursdays through
Sundays, it opens to the public and turns out sourdough loaves, focaccia and a mix of sweet pastries like a chocolate strawberry croissant and savory ones like the Red Pepper Enchilada Bun. On Saturdays, donuts join the sweet lineup. Pre-orders are always available.
Look even further beyond Twelvemonth’s scope and physical size (15,000 square feet of guest-facing space with over 300 seats) and you discover that its aspirations are even more massive. This multi- experience enterprise is 100% plant-based. Yes, technically, perhaps even incredibly, it’s a vegan restaurant. But what makes it so special is that it doesn’t have to be flagged as one. It’s simply the kind of place where you want to be and it’s serving food you want to eat.
“I want people to know how delicious plant-based eating can be,” says Bob Trahan, the visionary, founder and chef behind Twelvemonth. “And I want to reduce the impact on the earth.”
Trahan comes to this immense culinary endeavor after an illustrious career in tech. He was a computer science student at Harvard back at the time some other guys at Harvard were there—building a social network in their dorm rooms. He was called in from Microsoft to become one of Facebook’s first 50 employees. After success at Facebook and other tech ventures, and with a touch of burnout and self-diagnosed “eco-
anxiety,” Trahan set out on a health journey that led him to adopt a more plant-forward diet. He also enrolled in culinary school.
After graduation, he completed a stint at San Francisco’s Michelin- starred Al’s Place (now closed) where he says he “learned to layer flavor.” After, he cooked his way up the line working with chef Anthony Strong, at pop-ups at his former restaurant Prairie (Strong is now the chef-owner of SF’s Pasta Supply Co.). Trahan also ran a popular subscription-based bakery out of his house during this time, a foreshadowing of the Bakehouse, a Twelvemonth mainstay.
In February 2020 he decided to leave the restaurant line, feeling he had reached the apex of what he could achieve there and also to refocus on his own wellness and ambitions. By April 2020, he pitched the landlords of the previous Steelhead Brewery space in their backyard,
socially distanced at a picnic table. He got the keys in December 2020.
“I was always really passionate about restaurants with multiple experiences, like giant spaces where it feels different to be in the various spaces,” Trahan says about the genesis for the restaurant. “I also wanted to create the kind of place where I wanted to go on date
night with my wife and without having to drive too far. I was excited to build a really nice place in and for my own community with the option for upscale fine dining.”
“I want you to taste a tomato at its best. I want
each dish to be the best version that a guest
has ever had or to be something amazing and
new to them. I think when we execute, we
delight guests and change hearts and minds.”
Immediately, the magnitude of the former brewery space propelled Trahan to shape his lofty ideas into the many offerings that you find at Twelvemonth today. He wanted to deliver upscale pub food and drink, including thoughtful zero-proof cocktails and some comforting and familiar dishes that have wide appeal. You now find this in an all-day menu that is served in the bar, outdoor lounge and main dining room and available for takeout. Plus there’s always a kids menu and weekend brunch.
Trahan also set out to create an elevated dining experience to form the heart of Twelvemonth. He does this with a vegetable-forward chef’s tasting menu that allows him to curate a meal for guests that is hyper- focused on the seasons. This multi-course experience is available in the evenings only and solely in the main dining room. Trahan says he is always listening to his guests and iterating with his team. Currently, he is refining the all-day menu further so that no matter where you dine within Twelvemonth, you are experiencing highlights of the season.
“We want to show you more vegetables straight from the earth,” Trahan says with enthusiasm borne out of a clear passion for this. “Mother Nature is on my side. Let’s enjoy what the land is producing.” It is this vital, seasons-focused sentiment (a California privilege for sure) that you find in this ambitious restaurant’s name and so clearly in a mission intrinsically woven into it.
“My overall goal is to bring people together with delicious, plant- based food, and in doing so help inspire my guests to [have] a healthier, tastier, more sustainable view of food,” he says. He doesn’t want to make a tomato taste like something else. “I want you to taste a tomato at its best. I want each dish to be the best version that a guest has ever had or to be something amazing and new to them. I think when we execute, we delight guests and change hearts and minds.”
So after that last splendid sip and bite of something sweet (maybe it’s a citrus semifreddo or tahini cake with peak fruit), you may or may not realize that every taste you enjoyed and celebrated at Twelvemonth was fueled by plants. Strategically, seamlessly and unapologetically, Trahan’s aspirations are achieved. You were served delicious food, no
other qualifiers needed.
Cara Mangini is a vegetable-based chef and the award-winning author of The Vegetable Butcher and The Vegetable Eater cookbooks. As executive chef of her former restaurant Little Eater, she was named one of the top 50 plant-forward chefs in the world. IG @caramangini @thevegetableschool
Paulette Phlipot is a Half Moon Bay-based renowned editorial, commercial and fine-art culinary photographer known for her vibrant and narrative imagery. She encourages readers to eat fresh, local and in season. Paulette is a featured contributor and cover artist for Edible Silicon Valley. Her photography can be seen in national and regional publications, cookbooks, as well as her esteemed “Food as Art” collection and acclaimed fine art exhibitions.
