Our Story
Twelvemonth is rooted in the Peninsula — in its farms, its schools, its families, and its future.
As Fresh As It Gets
San Mateo County has over 50 working farms. We think you should taste that.
As Fresh As It Gets is a program that connects San Mateo County farms directly to the restaurants, hotels, and markets that serve them. Businesses that commit to featuring locally grown products earn the AFAIG plaque.
Twelvemonth is a proud champion of this program, with two recurring farm relationships that show up on the menu by name:
Fifth Crow Farm
A Half Moon Bay farm whose beans appear in our bean stew — listed on the menu by name, because provenance matters.
Iacopi Farm
Another Peninsula institution, whose beans anchor our Iacopi Farm Bean dish — named for the farm, full stop.
We've also sourced fresh wasabi from Half Moon Bay Wasabi, one of the few farms in the country that grows this complex, flavorful vegetable. Real fresh wasabi is a rare ingredient that reflects our curiosity about what this region can grow.
Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance
The longest continually running Concours in the world. We pour the coffee.
The Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance has honored excellence in automotive design and engineering for nearly 70 years — earning it the distinction of the longest continually running Concours in the world. The event benefits AbilityPath, The Guardsmen, and the Hillsborough Schools Foundation.
Twelvemonth's role is the Saturday morning Tour d'Elegance send-off: participants gather at 8am in downtown Burlingame for coffee before setting off on a tour of the California countryside. It's a quiet, convivial start to a weekend-long celebration — exactly the kind of gathering Twelvemonth was built for.
The connection is personal too — Bob and Natalie are Hillsborough residents, and supporting an event that directly benefits their neighbors' schools isn't charity. It's just being a good neighbor.
The HEAL Project
Teaching kids where their food comes from — and why it matters.
The HEAL Project runs farm-based outdoor education programs for San Mateo County students — field trips, hands-on growing, and the kind of direct connection between soil and food that most kids never get. Their mission sits squarely at the intersection of everything Twelvemonth believes in.
In 2026, Twelvemonth joined the HEAL Project's annual Spring Ahead fundraising dinner — a multi-course meal prepared by a group of Peninsula chefs, sourced from local producers, held at Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. Chef Brittney Ray represented Twelvemonth in the kitchen alongside chefs from the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, Pasta Moon, and others.
It was our first year participating. We hope it becomes an annual tradition.
Filoli Summer Solstice
One of the Peninsula's most beloved institutions. We're proud to be at the table.
Filoli's Summer Solstice Celebration is the historic Woodside estate's largest annual fundraiser — an evening in the garden and house that raises funds to preserve one of California's most significant National Trust sites.
Twelvemonth participates annually, contributing food that belongs in that setting: plant-forward, sourced from the same region, and designed to complement an estate known for its gardens. It is exactly the kind of partnership we seek out — a place of genuine beauty, a mission worth supporting, and a room full of people who care about the same things we do.
The Family Behind Twelvemonth
Twelvemonth is a family restaurant in the most literal sense — built by two people who believe in this community as deeply as they believe in the food.
Bob Trahan
Bob is the owner and operator of Twelvemonth, arriving most days around noon and staying through the evening — a hands-on presence in the dining room, the kitchen, and the community. A Hillsborough resident with three kids headed for Burlingame schools, Bob is as invested in this neighborhood as any restaurateur could be.
Beyond Twelvemonth, Bob serves on the board of the Burlingame/SFO Chamber of Commerce and on the advisory board of the San Francisco Peninsula DMO — showing up for the region's civic and economic health the same way he shows up for his restaurant: consistently, and in person.
Natalie Trahan
Natalie is co-owner of Twelvemonth and the philosophical heart of what it stands for. When she was a teenager, she made the connection between factory farming and the food on her plate — and it stuck. By the time she and Bob started building Twelvemonth together, it was clear the restaurant would be the intersection of two passions: his for sustainability, hers for animal protection.
For years, Natalie was active with the Humane Society of the United States (now Humane World), visiting Black Beauty Ranch in Texas, organizing fundraisers, and fostering rescue dogs on their way through San Francisco. Her most significant work was in South Korea: through advocacy and financial support, she helped shut down more than a dozen dog meat farms and contributed to the legislative effort that ended the practice nationwide. The Humane Society featured her in their magazine, All Animals.
“I strive to live with intentionality — with an affinity for the vulnerable, and a commitment to honor mother nature in whatever way I can.”
Civic Involvement
A restaurant doesn't exist in a vacuum. Neither do we.
Burlingame / SFO Chamber of Commerce
Bob serves as a board member of the Burlingame/SFO Chamber of Commerce — attending meetings, contributing to the business community's direction, and advocating for the kind of neighborhood that makes independent restaurants like Twelvemonth possible.
SF Peninsula DMO Advisory Board
As an advisory board member of the San Francisco Peninsula Destination Management Organization, Bob works to strengthen the Peninsula as a destination — for visitors and for the farms, restaurants, and businesses that make it worth visiting.