Pat Kuleto
Category: Creators
Company: Pat Kuleto Restaurants
Industry: Restaurant/Design
What Makes Him Haute: Restaurateur Pat Kuleto is responsible for the design of more than 190 restaurants throughout the span of his career, including some San Francisco landmarks like Boulevard and Farallon. His latest projects—Epic Roasthouse, Waterbar, and Nick’s Cove—are the culmination of years of inspiration and dedication that redefine waterfront dining in San Francisco and waterfront hospitality on Tomales Bay.
George Lucas
Category: Billionaires
Company: Lucasfilm
Industry: Film
What Makes Him Haute: Based on the classic story of a young man’s battle with the forces of evil, Lucas’ Star Wars introduced a modern myth to a new generation. It also revolutionized special effects, forged new frontiers in sound design, and brought audiences to movie theaters in record numbers. In the late 70s, he established Lucas Films Ltd. in Marin County, a 2,700-acre production center and think tank. Here, at Skywalker Ranch, he presides over a vast entertainment empire (which includes THX, Skywalker Sound, and Industrial Light and Magic) that continuously expands visual and technological possibilities.
Nicola Luisotti
Category: Entertainers
Company: San Francisco Opera
Industry: Music
What Makes Him Haute: The Tuscan-born Luisotti began his tenure as the new music director of the San Francisco Opera in September 2009, and conducted four operas in his inaugural season. When he arrived in San Francisco last year, he was welcomed with open arms. He served as Civic Grand Marshal of the 141st annual Italian Heritage Parade, the oldest civic event of its kind in the United States, and performed for audiences numbering more than 40,000 in a free concert in Golden Gate Park and a free live simulcast of Il Trovatore at AT&T Park.
Anne Marie Massocca
Category: Socialites
Company: San Francisco Opera Guild
Industry: Fundraising
What Makes Her Haute: Massocca is the vice president of development on the Executive Committee for the San Francisco Opera Guild. Her reach in San Francisco’s high society extends well beyond that, with posts as the fashion advisor for the Junior League’s highly anticipated annual fashion show, which will be celebrating its 84th anniversary this year, and a myriad of other philanthropic instutitions throughout the city.
Marissa Mayer
Category: Thinkers
Company: Google
Industry: Technology
What Makes Her Haute: Mayer joined Google in 1999 as the company’s first female engineer, where she was one of the first dozen or so engineers in the entire company. She has worked on designing and developing Google’s search interface, defining Google News, Gmail, and Orkut, and launching more than 100 features and products on Google.com. Google has filed several patents based on her work in artificial intelligence and interface design. Mayer has also taught introductory computer programming at Stanford to more than 3,000 students, and she has received the Centennial Teaching Award and the Forsythe Award for her contribution to undergraduate education.
Patrick & Lore Harp McGovern
Category: Power Couples
Company: IDG
Industry: Technology
What Makes Them Haute: Lore Harp could be considered nothing short of a driven genius. She serves as the chairman of the Board of Associates for MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and serves on the board of advisors for a slew of other entities. As if that weren’t daunting and impressive enough, she is also a strategic advisor for various tech companies and is a director at filmsOn.com. Her husband, Pat, is equally as driven and successful and is considered the heavyweight champion of tech media execs. As chairman of International Data Group, he oversees a multibillion-dollar global empire that spans 90 countries and reaches more than 200 million people.
Teresa Medearis
Category: Philanthropists
Company: San Francisco Opera Guild
Industry: Philanthropy
What Makes Her Haute: Opera Guild director and third-generation San Franciscan, Medearis is armed with her masters in engineering management from Stanford, and she has held management positions at Hewlett-Packard and Price Waterhouse. She is active on a number of boards and committees throughout the Bay Area, and served as co-chair for the opening night gala of Macy’s Passport in 2003. Her two-year tenure as president of the Opera Guild ended last year, at which time she was asked to co-chair Opera Ball 2009, along with Adrianna Pope Sullivan.
Margrit Mondavi
Category: Creators
Company: Robert Mondavi Winery
Industry: Wine
What Makes Her Haute: The legendary Robert Mondavi transformed the once-dormant Napa Valley into the epicenter of American wine culture. But without the steadfast determination and devotion of his wife Margrit, the rest of the world would never have known. Margrit, who appeared on our cover in 2009, had a life-long goal of uniting wine with fine arts, music, and culinary artistry. When she began working at Robert Mondavi Winery just two years after its founding, it was in a position that today would be referred to as public relations, something that Napa Valley desperately needed.
Joe Montana
Category: Athletes
Industry: Football
What Makes Him Haute: Think of the San Francisco 49ers and undoubtedly the name Joe Montana comes to mind. Even some 14 years after his retirement, his impact on the game of football is still felt. Widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, Montana was the soul of the San Francisco team for almost two decades, leading the 49ers to four Super Bowl games—and winning each one. These days, he is making headlines—and gracing covers of Haute Living San Francisco—thanks to his wine country estate, which first hit the market at $49 million.
Gordon Moore
Category: Billionaires
Company: Intel
Industry: Technology
What Makes Him Haute: Moore is the co-founder of the Intel Corporation, and ,since 1997, he has served as the Chairman Emeritus. In 2001, Moore and his wife donated $600 million to Caltech, the largest monetary gift ever given to an institution of higher learning. The library Center for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge is named after the tech titan, as is the Moore Laboratories building at Caltech. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, focuses on environmental conservation, science, and the San Francisco Bay Area with a goal of improving life for future generations.
