Stephanie and Josh Blitstein’s lives were woven together by a shared love of food and entertaining. In addition to cooking together and sharing food with family and friends, they both worked in the hospitality field, enjoy supporting local restaurants, and now teach their two young daughters how to cook.
They met by being set up by a mutual friend. The friend told Stephanie, “He sells plates,” but that he would be a good match for her. Stephanie was skeptical, but after their first date, at a restaurant in The Presidio, the friend was right. “The rest was history,” says Stephanie. Not only was The Presidio the location of their first date, but Josh also proposed there at the Palace of Fine Arts, and they were married at the Golden Gate Club. A favorite memory was taking a San Francisco trolley to the venue and stopping traffic at California and Stockton Streets for an epic kiss and photo.
Josh is a 4th generation San Franciscan but grew up in Walnut Creek, right in the Woodlands neighborhood. Stephanie was born in New Jersey and moved to Southern California when she was 10. She moved north for college (Chico State) while Josh moved south (UCLA). Post college they both ended up in the Bay Area.
Stephanie worked as an event and marketing professional, first at an agency, then the Hilton in San Francisco, and finally in the tech industry before transitioning to full time mom. Josh began his career working for a large glassware manufacturer as a sales representative. He then transitioned to a company selling a wide array of tabletop and cooking equipment to hotels, restaurants, wineries and event venues. Eventually Josh opened his own firm, The Action Group, focused entirely on hospitality tableware and catering equipment sales throughout Northern CA and Hawaii.
As a San Franciscan, Josh is true to his roots and is a big 49ers fan; his family has had season tickets for decades. Josh is also a great cook; one of his specialties is homemade pizza. He shares his secret: Trader Joe’s pizza dough that has been proofed for hours.
Stephanie loves crafting and baking and shares these hobbies with their girls Zoe and Ava. She has also recently learned Mahjong and plays regularly with friends at Boichik Bagel meet-ups on Tuesday mornings. She shares that she’d love to start a group of Mahjong playing moms from the Northgate neighborhood. Reach out to her on Instagram or Facebook @stephanieblitstein.
Zoe is 4 and in TK at the same school her dad attended 35 years ago. And Ava is one and a half years old
and also a force of nature. Both girls dance at their uncle’s studio, The Dance House in the Shadelands Sports Complex. “They also love getting their flips and wiggles out in gymnastics (Encore for Zoe and MyGym for Ava),” shares Stephanie. And like their parents, they both love food and cooking. “We sometimes laugh at the fact that despite having amazing space for the kids to play, we always find ourselves spending the majority of the day huddled in the kitchen.”
The Blitsteins spend time every December in Florida which is something both Josh and Stephanie did growing up. Their grandparents were snowbirds who escaped cold winters for hot sun. This is now a tradition passed down despite living in a more temperate climate. They also travel to New York and Chicago often to visit both of their extended families.
The Blitsteins moved here about a year ago. Stephanie reflects, “I’ll never forget early on in our dating relationship Josh took me to a holiday gathering at a childhood friend’s parents’ house that lived in in the area. As we drove down Arbolado Drive I recall him saying ’this would be a dream to live here one day!’ …and so it was manifested.”
“We absolutely love living in Rancho Paraiso. It’s a nice mix of suburban vibes mixed with beautiful nature.
When we were looking at homes, the trees and greenery going down Arbolado Drive gave me a really peaceful feeling and was a bit reminiscent of my life growing up on the east coast. Our neighbors are amazing and make us feel right at home… We look forward to spending more time meeting new families in the neighborhood with similar aged kids!”
By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991; Photos provided by The Blitstein Family