encapsulates both culinary innovation  and a touch of elitism. It originated  

in the North Shattuck neighborhood, a hub for  pioneering and high-quality eateries. This area,  

between Hearst Avenue and Rose Street, is  significant in the history of California  

cuisine and American eating habits. It's where Alice Waters initiated the  

farm-to-table movement with the opening of  Chez Panisse in 1971, and where Alfred Peet  

introduced specialty coffee five years earlier.  The Cheese Board Collective, a cooperative  

business in the area, also contributed  to a novel restaurant business model​​. 

Regarding the term's origin, one  theory suggests that San Francisco  

Chronicle columnist Herb Caen coined it. However, this is unlikely as there's no  

written record of Caen using the term. A  more credible originator is Alice Kahn,  

a Berkeley humorist and columnist for the  East Bay Express and later the Chronicle.