Jesse Jacobs Founder, Samovar Tea Lounge

SF is... the most inspiring city in the world.

Who's your favorite quintessential local character? Mark Twain.

Where would you have your last meal on earth (and what would you eat)? In my kitchen at home. I would eat Lacinato kale, sauteed in olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, and soy sauce; miso soup with Hodo Soy fresh tofu; Farmhouse Kitchen sauerkraut; a loaf of the Tartine country loaf with butter; bitter melon with black bean sauce; stir-fried Prather Ranch steak with shitake mushrooms, mirin, ginger, and tamari; a bottle of Bond Estates Pluribus. Apple crisp and Strauss vanilla ice cream for dessert. And a pot of Samovar's Ocean of Wisdom before closing my eyes goodbye.

If you could change one thing about San Francisco, what would it be? I'd like to make it easier to create jobs and run independently-owned businesses.

What's your favorite San Francisco institution? Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market before 7 a.m. on Saturday.

What's the question you wish we asked? How do I get inspired? I wake up at 3:30 a.m., read some nonfiction, write a bit, then start my work day. I finish my work day by noon and then hang out with customers. I go to sleep at 8 p.m.