Studio 4: Jay Yinger

Jay Yinger grew up in the Bay Area and has been working in and around architectural design and construction since the age of 15. His academic work at Calif State U, Long Beach focused on fine art & architecture. Returning to the Bay Area in 1971, he took a position at the newly created Victoria Station. This began a 15-year career in the restaurant business. Prior to establishing his own restaurant in 1978, Jay studied wine-making in the Napa Valley and worked with Alice Waters & Jeremiah Tower at Berkeley's Chez Panisse.

A decrepit but charming Victorian in San Rafael was the inspirational starting point for what became Andalou Restaurant. Yinger brought several friends together to create the enterprise. A year of planning and rehabilitation was followed by the successful launch of this critically acclaimed Marin eatery.

The restaurant operation remained a primary focus until the mid-80s when Jay became involved with a variety of residential and food related design projects. In 1990 Yinger Associates was officially created. The first major client was noted restaurant mogul Pat Kuleto. For almost two decades the company, now called Yinger Studios, has provided a diverse menu of services to an expansive client list.

Currently, Jay and his team are working on the soon to be artist cafe and restaurant connecting AWD's 1337 Gallery with the art studios in the east part of the AWD building. Please visit the website at Café Odalisque for more information, or drop by 1335 Fourth Street to see the work in progress.