Our Team

CEO/FOUNDER - LUKE OPPENHEIM

Luke took an interest in cooking at an early age. At six he started "The Snow Day Cafe," serving breakfast to his family on closed school days. By nine, he was baking four dozen bagels a day for the local grocery store and was affectionately known by his regulars as the bagel boy. While short lived and fanciful, these childhood explorations introduced Luke to the role of grocery in a community, in particular the camaraderie and connection that can come from it. In 2009, nearly 20 years later, Luke moved to the Bay Area in pursuit of connecting customers with responsible food makers to bring the spirit of discovery, creativity, and joy into their kitchens. In its early years Luke's Local was a weekly delivery box of local produce, house-made prepared meals, and kitchen staples made by Bay Area food makers. Today Luke's customers can shop in person at the two San Francisco based grocery stores as well as order same-day delivery from the stores. Each offers a full service selection with a focus on community, local producers, and minimal waste. Outside of work Luke enjoys gardening, carpentry, and adventures with his wife Jaymie and son Charlie.

SOUS CHEF - SAM ADAMS

Sam Adams, a Bay Area born and raised native, started cooking in his family owned restaurant of 40 years at the young age of 11. With his love of food and passion for the artistry of baking, he would soon seek out the best of both worlds with the goal of becoming a talented chef with unlimited abilities. After graduating from The California Culinary Academy in 2003, he continued to hone his culinary craft throughout the city of San Francisco, the Bay Area and Pennsylvania by working for restaurants like Copenhagen Bakery, Chris's Restaurant and Fine Catering, Blissful Kitchen, Lilah Belle's and Bakesale Betty's - to name a few. His passion for healthy, bold and “flavor bursting” meals is inspired by his love and dedication for fitness and nutrition. His motto “when you put good in, it will show” is his driving force to create locally farmed and sustainably harvested dishes that are not only delicious, but also nourish the mind, body and soul. Sam is eager to share his favorite dishes and excited to work with the amazing chef team at Luke's Local.

NICOLETTE MANESCALCHI - EXECUTIVE CHEF

Nicolette Manescalchi was born in San Diego, CA. With Italian and French heritage, cooking was always at the center of the household. As a child, Nicolette often helped with tasks such as peeling garlic, rolling meatballs and scooping cookie dough. As she got older, her love for cooking blossomed. While attending the University of Minnesota, she found herself rushing through homework to get to the cooking projects she wanted to share with family and friends. After graduating college, she attended the Art Institutes International Minnesota, where she earned her culinary degree as well as her Level 2 Sommelier Certificate from the International Sommelier Guild. She worked her way up to Executive Sous Chef in the San Francisco location and then opened the new Oakland location. After 5 years with A16, Nicolette broadened her horizons and opened Le Marais Bistro. Missing the cuisine of Southern Italy, she returned to A16 a year later and became the Executive Chef of both A16 restaurants and the catering department. Nicolette started at Luke's Local in January 2022 as Executive Chef and resides in San Francisco with her husband Nick, and their two sons.

INVENTORY SPECIALIST - JAMES VEIZADES

James, born in San Francisco, has been eating his way all over the bay area. As a second generation immigrant, his love of cooking and eating stems from his Greek and Salvadoran heritage. While taking a break from his photography degree to support his long-term partner as she completes her degree from UC Berkeley, he has found a place as our inventory specialist. When he isn't in Cole Valley at Lukes, you can find him bird watching across San Francisco parks while walking his rescue dog, Claude.

ASSISTANT STORE MANAGER - MOLLY MCCAUGHEY

Molly is a born-and-raised Northern Californian who has worked in the Grocery & Natural Food industry for over 6 years! She originally came to the Bay Area in 2015 in search of better food, different culture, and a more lively scene than her small town. She fell in love with the natural food industry while working for a local store in Alameda, then moved to San Francisco in 2020 to fulfill her dream of living in the city. Molly started working at Luke's because she was drawn to the our philosophy, values and respect for the local community and the environment. When Molly isn't running the show at Cole Street, she loves to walk her dog, play video games, go to shows, listen to music, and make delicious food!

BRAND & MARKETING MANAGER - EMILY LUBOMIRSKY

A daughter of Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants, Emily knew from a very early age that the most interesting place to be in any house is the kitchen. After moving up to the Bay Area and working at high-end grocery retail through college, she realized she wanted to pursue working in the food world full time. Emily joined Luke's as a delivery driver. Since then, she's taken on the roles of Customer Experience Associate, Customer Experience Manager, and - most recently - Marketing & Content Lead. On the weekends, Emily enjoys going on day trips around the Bay Area, cooking with her friends and family, and hanging out with her baby nephews.

CONTROLLER - SCOTT STERN

Scott, raised in Southern Florida and a University of Florida alum, found himself settling in the Bay Area after he and his girlfriend drove across the country from coast to coast. Scott worked for Amazon and the Real Food Company before joining Luke's Local as a Controller. Working for a grocery company, it's no surprise that Scott his time outside of work eating at places all around the Bay. He's also a handy guy interested in technology: specifically buying, fixing, and selling scooters and other electronics.

CENTRAL PRODUCE BUYER - TROY DELANEY

Troy has dedicated nearly the past two decades (his entire working career!) to the organic & local produce industry. He proudly serves the community of Cole Valley, 10 years on and counting, having previously managed the produce department at legacy business Real Food Co., before bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience to Luke's Local. Troy joined Luke's Local as our Produce Buyer; when we opened our second location in Cow Hollow, Troy stepped up to take on the role of Central Produce Buyer, managing the entire Produce program for Luke's. Troy is part of an amazing team that brings an authentic and sustainable 21st-century food business to life. Off the clock, Troy plays drums in a local rock band and is as passionate about music as he is about organic fruit & veg; they are both necessary to nourish the soul and body.

ASSOCIATE PRODUCE BUYER - TOBEN

Toben moved to California from Colorado to attend graduate school. He earned his Master's of Fine Arts in Writing at the University of San Francisco. Toben, along with his girlfriend of 13 years, have found a home here in the city. Toben keeps it low key and is a vegetarian who takes his produce very seriously.

CTO - TOMÁS GUTIÉRREZ

Tomás has been creating digital products for over a decade. Originally from Colombia, he joined his first tech company while finishing his comp-sci/engineering and entrepreneurship & management degree at University of Minnesota. He spent 6 years working his way into the executive ranks at Accenture as part of the Architecture Innovation group, where he led the architecture design, delivery, and operations for multiple high profile web apps for world renowned clients. After some worldwide adventuring and soul searching, Tomás found his way to San Francisco, where he joined Scalable Path at its infancy. There he worked to grow the organization to what it is today, and led many product development projects for clients. At the same time, he's a serial entrepreneur with a few ideas out in the market, as well as always playing with new ones when time allows. Tomás is also a helpless autodidact, nutrition-health-wellness nut, technology aficionado, philosophically bent, squash addicted, adventure seeking, and nature loving human.

BUYING & MERCHANDISING MANAGER - PAUL TRIPP

Paul, originally from Seattle, has been living and working in the Bay Area for 17+ years. He attended Culinary and Baking & Pastry school in Rhode Island and spent 10 years working in restaurants and bakeries. He also worked with Hidden Star Orchard, working at farmers markets for 8 years before managing the farm's operations. He joined the Luke's Local Operations Team in October 2016. Since then, he has been a cornerstone of the Luke's Local operations and buying teams. From Produce Buyer, to Director of Operations, to his current role, Buying & Merchandising Manager, Paul ensures thoughtful sourcing and smooth operations across both locations. In his free time, Paul enjoys rock climbing, gardening, cooking, hiking, and keeping the coffee flowing at the Fox Den.

COO - KAYLEIGH KAHN

Kayleigh moved from the Northeast to the Bay Area in 2015. She started working at Luke's Local as the Customer Experience Associate; over the years, she's moved into roles as the Customer Experience Manager, Director of Ecommerce, and finally COO. Kayleigh is passionate about public health and changing the food system for the better... and eating. Eating is one of Kayleigh's top 3 favorite activities, so you can usually find her with a sandwich or snack nearby.

STORE MANAGER - SHAY PEREZ

Shay, born in the Philippines, settled into the Bay Area, specifically the East Bay, at a very young age. Prior to working in grocery stores, Shay studied nursing and worked in nursing care facilities. She is friendly and very approachable, you can usually see her chatting up customers whom she is always on a first name basis with. Shay joined Luke's Local as a Front End Supervisor, and soon took on the role of Floor Supervisor before being promoted to Cole Valley Store Manager! When Shay isn't at the store, she enjoys spending her days off with her boyfriend, two pups, and tight knit family.

LEAD DEVELOPER - RUDI ULLON

Born and raised in Paraguay, he loves data as much as he loves coffee and traveling. Rudi made a career in the military before he moved on to pursue his love for technology and innovation. Before joining Luke's, he worked for companies in every continent and founded a couple of startups, and after several years in the grocery/food delivery industry, according to his own words, he "found home" in Luke's Local.

CFO - PETE HELLWIG

Pete is passionate about the intersection of personal health, food systems and climate change. He loves working with Luke's Local because of its emphasis on supporting local suppliers and providing its customers with food that nourishes the mind, body and soul.

ALCOHOL AND DAIRY BUYER - EVAN MCLEAN

Evan is often found reading the encyclopedia, not for fun but for a sense of accomplishment. Originally from the Boston area, Evan moved to San Francisco to achieve a higher education not found in books. Eventually, his love of specialty foods blossomed and he decided to pursue his career in cheese. On his days off, Evan can be found humming the Six Flags theme sing and riding his bike, often at the same time.

CENTRAL GROCERY BUYER - JASON PANELLI

Jason is a rare breed and native San Franciscan! Born and raised in North Beach, he grew up around food as his family owned an Italian deli/market for 82 years! After an almost 20 year career in the retail wine and spirits industry, he decided to make a change and circled back to what seemed to be a natural transition into retail grocery. Jason comes to Luke's after stints at the Real Food Co. in Cow Hollow and Gus's Haight Street Market. In his free time, he enjoys to cooking, listening to music and is a devoted sports fan with the Dodgers, Lakers and Buccaneers being his teams of choice.

LEAD COOK - PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ

Patricia, a San Francisco resident for 20 years, has 3 sons and a boyfriend. She's worked at many restaurants as a line cook for about 13 years, as well as a teacher's assistant in classrooms of 3 to 5-year-olds - though her real passion is cooking. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family in the park, running, and going to Zumba classes. She also loves to watch her son play soccer every Saturday, and she loves cooking for her family every evening. She's very proud to be a part of Luke's Local; she learns more about cooking every day from everyone on the team. For Patricia, it's really important to cook with love and patience so that the food is delicious.

STORE MANAGER - VINCE VIZCAINO

Vince was born and raised in Madera, CA. He made his way over to San Francisco to study graphic design at SF State. Prior to working at Luke's, Vince used to work as the Food & Beverage Supervisor on Alcatraz cruises. When he's not filling in around the store, Vince enjoys playing video games, listening to music and reading comics.

CASHIER - RACHEL MANILA

Another Bay Area native, Rachel is working her way through school at San Francisco State University studying Digital Communications. Rachel is an accomplished pianist having played for most of her life, 12 years! She enjoys music and is taking up the ukulele at the moment. As if her creativity isn't obvious, she also enjoys crafting and is learning how to make macrame.

STORE MANAGER - JEREMY SUIZO

GROCERY STOCKER - OBED TINOCO

Obed Tinoco

CASHIER - MARCOS DURAN

Marcos Duran

DELIVERY DRIVER - EMMA HUGHES

Emma Hughes

ASSOCIATE BUTCHER - CARLOS

Carlos is proudly hails from Yucatan, Mexico and loves his Mayan heritage. He moved stateside to California years ago for bigger opportunities. Carlos enjoys his time off and loves cruising the hills of SF on his longboard, tending to his bonsai garden and hanging out with his parakeets.

DELI SHIFT LEAD - SAMY

Samy

DELI/BUTCHER CLERK - DONOVAN PERRY

Donovan made his way from Colorado to escape the midwest and study physics. Prior to joining the team at Luke's, he worked at a few other grocery markets. Donovan is a dreamer and always looks forward to his next step in life. After spending time in San Francisco, his next destination city is New York where he'll spend some time there before he pursues his real dream of moving out of the country. Fun fact about Donovan, he lives in the Jimi Hendrix house!

SAME DAY DELIVERY DRIVER - RONY YOC DIAZ

Rony came to San Francisco from Guatemala with his family. Before coming to Luke's Local, Rony worked mostly in bars and restaurants in the kitchen cooking up delicious cuisines. On his days off, Rony likes to stay active outdoors. When the sun is out and the heat is high, he likes to go for a swim in Lake Merritt.

CASHIER/SAME DAY PACKER - ALEXIS GARRETT

Alexis is from Oceanside, California; where it's always sunny and warm. She loves to bake in her free time, muffins being her favorite baked good. She also loves all Italian food!

RUBI SOLIS - BARISTA/DELI TEAM MEMBER

Rubi is from Yucatan, Mexico and her passion for making coffee brought her to Luke's Local. She enjoys bike rides at sunset and eating her favorite Indian foods.

JAZMIN LOZANO - CASHIER SHIFT LEAD

Hi my name is Jazmin! San Francisco has been my home for most of my life. I came to Luke's through a great friend and I so happen to live along Golden Gate Park at the time so walking to work on a sunny day was definitely a highlight of the start of my work day! If I'm not at Luke's I'm probably in class/studying or running around the city with my friends! :)

ISRRAEL JULCA - BUTCHER CLERK

Isrrael Julca

AP CLERK/RECEIVER - JEREMY KAYE

Jeremy was born and raised in sunny Los Angeles. He spent his teenage years playing the violin in orchestras and small ensembles before eventually going to UC Santa Cruz to study Psychology and Education. It was there he met long term partner Siena Wood, the Associate Grocery Buyer at the Union street location. During the pandemic, they both moved to San Francisco and found a place working together at Luke's Local! In his spare he likes playing the violin, video games, and petting dogs.