General Info

Dvorson's Food Service Equipment was founded in 1953 by Mel Dvorson in San Francisco, California. Mel's dad, Norman Dvorson, had a shoe store at our 1010 Mission Street location in San Francisco. But after Mel got out of the Service, he was able to access Army-Navy surplus merchandise. So the shoe store was converted, selling everything from bunk beds and paint, to boots and Eisenhower jackets. The prize materials, however, were the Army-Navy food service items, like stainless steel pots and pans, and china ware. Ultimately, Mel transformed the store and entered the Food Service Equipment Industry. Josh Dvorson began working in the business at age six when responsibilities included dusting glassware and china samples, and being lifted upside down into new Rubbermaid 55 gallon Brutes by Dvorson's staff. In 1987, Josh came on board full time and in 1988 Dvorson's moved on up to 1366 Mission St. In 1997, Dave Harsey, one of Josh's roommates at U of O, was working developing websites in Japan and provided the timely emergence of Dvorsons.com. By 2000, the thriving online business took over. And with the vision and guidance of Josh's wife, operations manager Regina Spindler, we crossed the Golden Gate. After 50 years on Mission Street in San Francisco, Dvorson's moved to beautiful Sausalito, setting up headquarters at the historic Industrial Center Building. In 1997, when Dvorson's F.S.E. went online, we began giving thanks to the Internet for an enhanced connection to the world. We started pushing pins in a map of the US and on a World map designating our Internet sale destinations. We celebrated when we got all 50 states. We gave up the domestic pinning after a few thousand ( the cost of the pins was killing our margins! ) but we still pin the international sales to date. We savor the distant shipments, like Wolf Stoves to Antarctica ( where they have to heat the incoming propane so it won't freeze ), but we're also proud of local clients like Fish, Heath Ceramics and The Anchorage 5 Restaurant here on Gate Five Road.