Pat Townsley is the owner of Creekside Pizza & Taproom. My wife and I had some pizza and beer there in 2020, and that’s what convinced us to move to San Anselmo, or so the story goes.
What do you do? I serve. I’m a storyteller. I’m on a mission. We set the stage and the table for memorable experiences and quality of life in our community. We also make pizza.
Where do you live? Over 20 years in San Anselmo. Marin native.
How long have you lived in Marin? 56 years.
Where can we find you when you’re not at work?
When I’m not at Creekside, I’m at our new venture, Stonework Pizza & Tap in Petaluma, or out hiking with Storm the Husky. I’m currently writing an autobiographical screenplay (with our son, Richard) about growing up in Marin in the ’60s as the son of Nancy Besst, “Miss Nancy” on television’s Romper Room, and her lifetime struggle with severe bipolar disorder.
If you had to convince someone how awesome Marin is, where would you take them?
The Marin Headlands. Magical sunrises, sunsets and moonrises over the bay, an endless ocean view, the sweeping hills, the bridge, the city, and there’s a bunker named Battery Townsley.
What’s one thing Marin is missing?
A great spa retreat; Sonoma Mission Inn meets Spirit Rock meets Sedona.
What’s one bit of advice you’d share with your fellow Marinites? Life is short; find your purpose, passion, mission and go for it. Work hard, play hard, keep a journal. Live intentionally. Live with an attitude of gratitude.
If you could invite anyone to a special dinner, who would they be?
I’d invite my mentors for a family style dinner in our new VIP Barrel room: Tony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, Joel Osteen, George Lucas, Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Oprah Winfrey, Dawn Lyons (BNI), of course Tony Gemignani, my wife Laura Townsley, our now adult children, Ellie and Richard, plus the late Steven Covey, Wayne Dyer, and Anthony Bourdain, and throw in authors James Patterson, Marissa Meyer, and Ernest Cline.
What is some advice you wish you knew 20 years ago?
The power of networking. Quality connections matter. No one is an island. You don’t know who they know.
What is something that in 20 years from now will seem cringeworthy? Our ravenous consumption of animals. Amongst many things, it’s unsustainable.
Big question. What is one thing you’d do to change the world? We have got to get off fossil fuels. The book, How To Avoid A Climate Disaster, by Bill Gates is a real eye opener.
Follow Townsley at HeartOfMarin.com and on social media @CreeksideSA and @StoneworkPizza.
