Chef
Amanda Michael
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- San Francisco, California, United States
i. Biography
Jane the Bakery owner Amanda Michael’s path includes a group of named roles in San Francisco: Executive Chef of Plain Jane, owner of Jane on Fillmore and Jane on Larkin, and owner, chef and baker of Sweet Jane LLC. Along the way, her work at Plain Jane earned Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats recognition in North America in both 2024 and 2025.
Beginnings
Amanda Michael locates an early spark of her work before any title or address, in a kitchen shared with family. "I started baking professionally pretty young. But before that I always loved being in the kitchen. It was always one of my favorite things to do. My grandmother and I would bake together a lot." That beginning gives a plain-spoken shape to the career that followed: baking first as habit and memory, then as profession, then as ownership. Her formal education took her to the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied from 1986 to 1990. San Francisco is the place attached to her named restaurant and bakery roles, a through-line in the work for which diners now know her.
The Rise
Michael’s signature work includes the Golden Porridge loaf, a specific marker of the baking side of her career. The loaf sits naturally beside her title at Sweet Jane LLC, where she is owner, chef and baker. Plain Jane brought another public measure of attention. In 2024, Opinionated About Dining ranked it #343 on its Cheap Eats list for North America. The recognition continued the next year. In 2025, the same list placed the restaurant at #354, again naming it among North American Cheap Eats. Those awards belong to a career built across multiple responsibilities rather than a single line on a résumé. She is not only the Executive Chef connected with the restaurant; she also owns Jane the Bakery, the primary role that frames her place in San Francisco food.
Today
Today, Michael’s work is spread across several San Francisco names. Jane the Bakery is hers as owner, and that role anchors the public identity of a baker-chef who started baking professionally pretty young. At Plain Jane, she holds the role of Executive Chef. The restaurant’s Opinionated About Dining placements in 2024 and 2025 give the work there dated recognition beyond the city. Her ownership also includes Jane on Fillmore and Jane on Larkin, both in San Francisco. Alongside those addresses, Sweet Jane LLC names the full range of her duties directly: owner, chef and baker. Taken together, the roles describe a career across bread, restaurants, and ownership. The Golden Porridge loaf is the craft note; Jane the Bakery is the center of gravity.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Amanda
Where else has Amanda Michael worked?
Amanda Michael is Executive Chef of Plain Jane, owner of Jane on Fillmore and Jane on Larkin, and owner, chef and baker of Sweet Jane LLC.
Where did Amanda Michael begin their career?
She began with early professional baking after years of loving the kitchen and baking with her grandmother.
What roles has Amanda Michael held?
Her roles include owner of Jane the Bakery, Executive Chef of Plain Jane, owner of Jane on Fillmore and Jane on Larkin, and owner, chef and baker of Sweet Jane LLC.
