I’m the General Manager and bookkeeper. My empire consists of a 31 year-old, intimate restaurant just steps away from the Sausalito Ferry dock. I have 55 employees and I guess my job is just taking care of this whole thing. I have a great chef who’s name is "Sam" - his real name being Agia Samana.

Scoma’s in Sausalito is owned by Scoma’s in San Francisco and the Gotti Brothers of the original Ernie’s restaurant. Victor and Roland Gotti are retired now but you can still find Al Scoma running his original Scoma’s. They’ve all been friends for years, and while at lunch one day in 1969 at the old Trident, they got their first look at the funky little red building next door and bought it!

In those days it was known as The Gladhand, which was pretty famous in it’s day. Of course, we have improved it quite a bit, but we still have the original dining room with curved windows overlooking San Francisco and the Bay.

In the late 1800’s Pop Lange ran "Lange’s Launches". The ferry would pull up to this very building, bring the mail, newspapers and supplies for Sausalito. Pop also sold bait and tackle for sports fisherman, and eventually he started to make sandwiches to sell. That is how it got started as a restaurant.

I’ve worked for the company since 1979, starting at Scoma’s in Larkspur Landing, and I came to Sausalito in 1989. I’m usually here about 5:45 in the morning. Boy I hate it too, but I do love the commute from Novato at that time... The early start is sort of a tradition that my mother started, because there was no person to receive the food or whatever. Mom came to work in 1970 and worked here for 21 years when she retired at the young age of 71. She was their bookkeeper, which was my original job too.

We come from San Francisco, part of a Sicilian-Italian fishing family from North Beach. Bramante was my mother’s maiden name, and both of my parents are from there. They grew up with Al Scoma and his brothers and sisters. They all go back a long way. One of my uncles, Uncle Tots, was Al’s original buyer. So it’s sort of like a family within a family working for a family.

Though I lost my husband almost two years ago to cancer, I keep pretty busy, besides my job, with my four grown children and five grandchildren. Right now, I am only "thinking" improvements to the building that will last about 10 years because I really don’t think I will be here until I’m 71!

Scoma’s Sausalito, to paint a word picture for a visitor, sits out on piers over the water with a breathtaking view of San Francisco. The setting is a romantic, Victorian building with windows all around giving great views from any direction.

I love this building and Sausalito. It is truly a pleasure to work here. Between the changing tide and weather and our customers, there is never a dull moment!