Mill Valley resident Umar Baporia is bringing the summer sizzle to Menke Park in Corte Madera with the debut of Humble Cheeseburger earlier this month. The no-nonsense food truck specializes in smashburgers, a technique that involves pressing a ball of ground beef onto a hot griddle to create a crispy, caramelized crust.

Baporia’s house version comes with one, two or three halal beef patties sourced from Harris Ranch, one of California’s largest producers. The cattle are raised on partner ranches, grass-fed, grain-finished and processed under strict food safety and animal welfare standards.

Each patty is pressed with salt, mustard and grilled onions, topped with New School American Cheese and stacked on a Martin’s potato roll swiped with house sauce and layered with pickle rounds.

Staying true to the minimalist theme, the menu also includes shoestring fries tossed with superfine salt and sodas from Alameda Soda Co. Flavors like cola, lemon-lime, root beer, orange and cream are made in small batches in Berkeley using minimal ingredients.

“I want things to be unique and local,” said Baporia, who grew up in Marin.

Later this summer, chocolate fudge and caramel sundaes made with handcrafted ice cream from Oakland’s Fentons Creamery will join the lineup.

Baporia, who sold his Marin-based limousine service last year, has always considered himself a burger connoisseur.

“Since I was in high school (at Tam High), I dreamed of owning a burger joint,” he said. “When travel slowed during the pandemic, I began experimenting with smashburgers and became addicted.”

After testing various cuts and seasonings and visiting top smashburger spots in Los Angeles and beyond, he found that a pared-down approach worked best, inspiring the name Humble Cheeseburger.

Successful pop-ups at his children’s school in Mill Valley and various local events spurred the next step, and Corte Madera’s new micro-business pilot program developed by the town’s community development department provided him a place to launch. It stems from a 2016 parks and recreation master plan survey in which residents expressed interest in more energy and activity in the historic downtown area known as the Old Square, with many suggesting food trucks.Amy Hughes, a local gluten-free baker and cooking teacher, was the first to propose having her mobile food concept in the park. According to Mayor Pat Ravasio and Hughes’ GoFundMe campaign, Town Buzz Café is expected to open in mid-September, offering morning coffee, baked goods and a place to gather.

The Humble Cheeseburger truck is parked next to the Piccolo Pavilion in the Menke Park lot at 220 Corte Madera Ave. in Corte Madera from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. While the website is still in development at humblecheeseburger.com, updates can be found on Instagram @humblecheeseburger.

Familiar face returns to Ross restaurant

Ross Common is an unassuming culinary hub with two restaurants, a cafe, a wine bar and a taqueria on the way.

The longest-running among them is the French- and Italian-inspired Marché Restaurant, which original owners Dan and Holly Baker opened as Marché aux Fleurs in 2001. After more than two decades, the San Rafael couple turned the business over to Darren and Alicia Banks. Dan Baker returned last spring as a culinary consultant, and earlier this year, he resumed ownership alongside two partners: a silent investor with East Bay restaurant ties and Olivier Criado, the former owner of French restaurant L’Appart Resto in San Anselmo, which closed in 2019. Criado now manages day-to-day operations.

The team has embraced a growth-oriented mindset as the restaurant enters its third generation, reinvesting in the business with an owner-operator approach and strong expertise in their respective roles.

“It’s a great foundation,” said Dan Baker, who also values working with longtime staff, including kitchen lead Wilbert Herrera, who has been at Marché for 11 years.

The Bakers’ focus on peak-season produce from nearby farms, inspired by their post-college travels in southern France, remains central. Summer dishes include the burrata with stone fruit and hot honey, corn and squash soup and arugula salad with strawberries and fromage blanc.

Dan Baker describes the menu as having “a European soul with occasional influence from other places,” citing dishes like the beet hummus with naan chips and duqqa, blistered shishito peppers with miso aioli and grilled Gulf shrimp with coconut risotto in a red curry-tomato broth.

House-made pastas, such as the gnocchi with morels and orecchiette with pork sausage, remain, along with the cassoulet and pan-roasted halibut. Weekly specials include meatball sandwiches at happy hour, fried chicken on Tuesdays, barbecued pork ribs on Wednesdays and grass-fed burgers on Thursdays.

The wine list features small-production local and European wines, including about 20 half-bottles.

“You don’t need to charge $80 a bottle,” said Dan Baker, pointing to well-priced options that pair with the menu.

Marché is open from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 23 Ross Common in Ross, with happy hour from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and live music on the patio from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. For details or to reserve a table, visit marchemarin.com or call 415-925-9200.

Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.com.