By Sue-Jean Sung

Mark Twain may never have actually said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” but the sentiment surely stands – especially in the Sunset.

In fact, the prevalence of chilly fog and the City’s consistently cooler temperatures have people craving broth, soups and generally warm delights year-round. Lucky for us, John Lindsey of the Great Highway Gallery heard the rumblings. His response? He took over the empty storefront next door – the former home of the Seven Stills Outer Sunset Taproom – and opened The Rusty Ladle, a new homemade soup-centered establishment.

While it might seem unusual for an artist and gallery owner to open a restaurant, the Great Highway-Rusty Ladle combination could not be a more perfect fit for Lindsey. When he moved to San Francisco in the late ’80s to attend the California Culinary Academy, he arrived in the midst of the Chez Panisse migration era, an exciting time when talented chefs were leaving employment to open their own businesses.

He honed his culinary skills alongside the best of the best at Patty Unterman’s seminal Hayes Street Grill before leaving the City by the Bay to take a position with Mark Miller at New Mexico’s Coyote Cafe. He eventually returned to Hayes, which is when he met and was instantly smitten with Kristin Lubenow Lindsey, the woman who would later become his wife.

It is a tale as old as time: Lubenow Lindsey was hesitant to go out with him because they were coworkers, so he went off and got a new job night managing Pete’s Cafe at the San Francisco Art Institute to pursue her in good conscience. Humor and romance aside, he did not foresee the lasting impact this foray into the art world would have on his life.

“The combination of feeding people’s eyes and minds as well as their stomachs felt right,” he said.

Today, this dynamic is on full display at 3649 Lawton St. where two adjacent signs – one reading “SOUP” above the Rusty Ladle and the other, “ART” above the Great Highway Gallery – are painted in a clean, capitalized sans-serif font.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the restaurant itself is a work of art,” quipped Dave Maurer, a regular at the Rusty Ladle and Lindsey’s longtime friend and former Hayes Street Grill colleague. “I don’t know anyone else who has opened a restaurant from scratch, but there’s not a square inch in here that John hasn’t touched or planned.”

For Lindsey, operating the Rusty Ladle has, and continues to be, a labor of love. He personally collected vintage seed packets for the bathroom wallpaper and placed each patinated penny alongside community members at the bar counter. He takes orders and serves customers every Thursday through Sunday.

The Rusty Ladle offers a rotating menu of soups, such as a Bodega Bay-style clam chowder and a classic tomato with basil cream. There are sides like kimchi and chili crisps, in addition to show-stopping sandwiches like “The Schmelty,” a grilled cheese flipped inside out and coated in an outer layer of crispy cheddar and mozzarella. The menu also offers a variety of drinks, including beers on tap.

The space often sees lines of enthusiastic customers out the door, and the distinct, pleasant hum of community connection over warm broth and cold drinks. After just opening in December of last year, more than 30% of the business stems from returning customers.

Lindsey aspires to opening seven days a week, hosting events in collaboration with the Great Highway Gallery and creating a cookbook.

“People are loving the food and the service, and we’re so grateful for the positive reception,” Lindsey said. “Right now, we’re limited by our space having 11 seats, but we do soup quarts to go, and we’re working on installing lights on the parklet and getting picnic benches and infrastructure out there. It’s going to be a good spring.”

The Rusty Ladle is located at 3649 Lawton St. and is open Thursday through Sunday, noon-8 p.m. Learn more at rustyladle.com or follow on Instagram at @rustyladlesf.