Rulli Bakery Rules Larkspur pastry shop grows into internationally known empire Packed in dry ice and in a Styrofoam container, the Emporio Rulli package arrived at Provo, Utah, home of Brigham Young University professor Scott Miller and his wife, Judy, perfectly intact. The Millers had grown so fond of Rulli's "Cassatta Siciliana," a creamy ricotta mousse mixed with imported candied fruits, Sicilian pistachios and chocolate, that they ordered a special large cake for the Christmas holidays last December. Ordering it was one thing. Getting it to the Millers was the bigger challenge. So Rulli packed the cake - which comes with a brulee topping - and transported it to San Francisco International Airport, where Judy Miller scooped it up and transported it home safely. "I guess you might say we're satisfied frequent-flier Rulli's customers," Scott Miller said in a recent e-mail. "In fact, we're routing our next family vacation home through San Francisco… to be able to make a stop at Rulli's again." Not only does Rulli bake some of the world's most famous pastries, the extraordinary measures it takes to satisfy customers speaks volumes about its business sense. "I probably begged Gary (Rulli) to do that since it's so labor-intensive," said Rulli chef Lorraine Braddick, who is also in charge of shipping. What started as a single pastry shop in downtown Larkspur has blossomed into an internationally known baking empire that has maintained its integrity over the years by not skimping on quality ingredients, utilizing classic Italian techniques and paying homage to age-old customs. Today, the Rulli empire includes the main facility on Magnolia Avenue, which includes three actual storefronts; two cafes in San Francisco, one at 2300 Chestnut St. and the other at Stockton and Post streets; and kiosks in the international and domestic terminals of SFO. In Italian, Emporio means general store. And Rulli is the husband-and-wife team of Gary and Jeannie, who put it all together. Rulli boasts of two signature products, cialde - hand-pressed wafer-thin cookies with almond filling - and classic year-round panettone, a traditional Christmas bread that has become a daily staple. Today, cookies, fruit tarts and miniature pastries are stacked neatly on trays behind glass cases in the pastry shop. Several flavors of gelato are kept cool at one end of the counter. At the other end are handmade chocolates, a fine collection of Italian wines and brilliantly colored pottery made exclusively for Rulli. On one recent rainy day, a cozy espresso café bustled as it does most days. Jeannie was busy serving patrons at the pastry counter. She quickly switched gears to the coffee area to grind a pound of Rulli's special blend for a longtime customer. Gary surfaced only briefly but returned to the bakery where Rulli's famous creations take shape. It's not just all business with the Rullis. The couple have two boys, Giancarlo, 14, who attends St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco, and Allessandro, 10, who goes to St. Patrick School, a block south of Rulli on Magnolia. Jeannie, who has a background in graphics, provides guidance in displaying and packaging the product as well as developing the store's catalog. "Gary's hands are always sticky," Rulli office manager Debbie Meiswinkel said. "He's always mixing something up. He's always twisting my arm, getting me to try something new. They're both really hands-on, though. Jeannie's keen on the design and look of things. Over the years, the reputation has just grown." The cialde experience was something new for Rulli but is steeped in Italian tradition. In fact, eight wafer-making presses were purchased from an Italian winemaker and brought to the United States by Rulli. The presses are powered by hydraulic pistons that imprint Rulli's logo on each wafer. The cialde at Rulli was featured on the Food Network's Italian Christmas feature show last December. The talented baker introduced chefs Mario Batali and Giada DeLaurentis to the cialde process as well as the making of amaretti di sassello, a chewy macaroon with almonds and chocolate. Today, the presses work non-stop producing the wafers, which need approximately 20 days to cure. After that, the filling is piped in and the wafers are again pressed together. A package of five costs $12.50. The Rulli tradition has its roots in the Bay Area and Marin County specifically. Gary Rulli, who is 44, was born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, graduating from Marin Catholic High School in 1976. His Italian-born grandparents owned a spa in Calistoga. Watching them work inspired Rulli and helped form his work ethic, which today means guiding the business from sun up to sun down. During trips to the homeland, Rulli recognized and appreciated the beauty of Italian pastry shops and the detail that went into creating them. After studying under some of Italy's top pastry chefs in Milan and Turin, Rulli returned to the United States intent on opening his own Italian pastry business. In a 2000 article in Atlantic Monthly, Rulli said this about Italian baking and craftsmanship: "You weren't just a baker. It's an art, a tradition. Anyone who was a proprietor of one of these shops was a very well-respected person." His first baking job was at a Marin County mini-mart where he sold doughnuts and worked part-time after school to pay for a Super Sport Camaro. He then moved on to Victoria Pastry, one of San Francisco's top Italian bakeries. "I guess I just kind of enjoyed it," Gary said. "I didn't have any real aspirations about doing it so I guess I kind of fell into it. I liked the pastry trade and like the artistic end of it. I liked to draw. When I first went to Italy, I really had no idea how beautiful all the stores were,everything was done to a whole different level. There was just a certain elegance to it."    - Joe Wolfcale    Article Courtesy of Marin Independent Journal, March 27, 2005