by Whitney Merrill

Mark Smith. Photos: Whitney Merrill.

How did Mark Smith wind up at the 3-Zero Cafe at the Half Moon Bay Airport, amidst walls and ceilings covered with airplane memorabilia? It’s quite a story!

Smith’s first experience with flying was on the Fourth of July in 1972, at the Novato Gnoss Airfield, with actor Robert “Bob” Cummings. Cummings was taught to fly by his godfather, Orville Wright, and later became the first certified flight instructor in the United States. Smith points to the airplane model over my head — the Ford Tri Motor — and tells me that they were charging two cents per pound for flights that day, and he will always remember that flight.

This memorable experience inspired Smith to enroll in one of the county’s first private pilot schools at Mills High in Millbrae; this was in 1976, when Smith was only 16 years old. He then got a job pumping gas at the Half Moon Bay Airport, where he met Joe Gore, a fellow pilot and the then-owner of the airport fuel concession. Smith also met Annabelle Bettencourt, who was running Annabelle’s Kitchen in the airport building in what Mark described as “eight stools around a stove.” As Smith says, “Annabelle was known for her large portions; there were the ‘fantasy omelets’ where ‘if you can eat it all, it’s free!’” In 1994, Smith formed a partnership with Joe and Reenie Gore and started the 3-Zero Cafe. The Gores also own the Flying Fish Grill in Half Moon Bay.

Smith has incorporated his passion for flying into the food and the décor of the 3-Zero Cafe, which is adorned with airplane models, memorabilia and historical aviation pictures. Several of the cafe’s signature dishes also have aviation names, like the Half Moon Bay Pilot’s Plate (zucchini, sausage and artichoke hearts) and the Flying Farmer’s Feast (home-fried potatoes with three kinds of meat). Smith also waits tables and brings his good sense of humor and his enthusiasm to his diners. He says, “I’m known for my lines and my sense of humor; I know how to work a room.” Like Bob Cummings, who found a way to combine his passion for aviation with acting, Smith has also had speaking and acting roles in independent films filmed at the airport: So Close by 9th Inning Films, and California Tango by La Honda Films, which was featured at the Oregon Film Festival.

Being right at the airport, the cafe is ground zero for the Dream Machines annual festival; promoters expect over 20,000 visitors in 2010. The cafe will have expanded hours, 6 a.m-4 p.m., with a limited menu of “airshow food, including hamburgers, hot dogs, burritos and a pancake breakfast.” If Dream Machines is your first experience with the cafe, you’ll want to come back for some of Smith’s favorites, including the famous crab cake Benedict, brioche French toast, and fresh-squeezed orange juice; Smith says they go through 100 pounds of oranges a week. And be sure to say hello to Smith, and ask him to tell you his stories of flying and life on the coast. As he is fond of saying, you’re sure to see him there at the cafe, “kissing babies, shaking hands, flipping pancakes, flying planes and flirting with the girls.”