You’ve gotta fill the big empty with little songs."
- Colter Wall
Curtis' Story
Curtis was born in Prescott, Arizona to William and Juli Kimball in 1978, warmly welcomed to the family by his older brother Brian who'd been flying solo for four years. Curtis' early years were shaped by his community of family, friends and church and included many camping adventures, sports, music performances (maybe Tim will now finally reveal the name of their rock band) and blissful outdoor free roaming time (something he would go onto try to recreate for his own kids). He grew up visiting the Bay Area and developed big city dreams of moving to San Francisco eventually. He excitedly relocated to Oakland after high school to join his brother for "adulthood" and then made his way to San Francisco, not yet imagining the positive, uplifting and creative impact he would have on the city and communities within it over the course of several decades.
Curtis worked hard to earn his keep in SF, but was sure to enjoy the many treasures of the city with friends. He lived life to the fullest in his young adult life with burritos in the Mission, Dolores Park hang outs, the "Brian Brunch" at Burning Man, and much more. In 2009, without a grand plan, but with a desire to foster community and connection, Curtis launched The Creme Brûlée Cart in the Mission District, posting his location daily alongside his brother and The Magic Curry Cart - and customers would line up to get their hands on dinner and dessert. He was early to San Francisco’s food truck scene and quickly gained a cult following thanks to his snarky and fun Twitter posts. Curtis expanded to a food truck, a brick-and-mortar shop and even a mall cart - giving each endeavor his whole heart, creative flair and delicious desserts. Yes, he gave thousands of people an incredible dessert, but it was more than that - he created a community of enthusiastic followers and admiring employees, many of whom he still kept in touch with. Curtis met his wife Nicole in 2012 after she applied to work for him by sending in a PDF resume - he essentially hired her on the spot. Nicole quickly realized there was something special there - and made her move after ~5 Modelos at a rooftop party. Curtis, ever the gentleman (and admittedly not entirely confident in his understanding of Nicole's "moves"), politely drove her home. He picked her up the next morning to retrieve her bike, and the rest is history. Curtis and Nicole would go onto navigate building a life and family together - complete with house renovations (while residing in said house) and the birth and raising of two daughters, Harper (7) and Eloise (4). During COVID times, Curtis was missing true connection and came up with the idea of a pancake party for neighbors, offering free pancakes and good times. His community-driven spirit and love of bringing people together over simple, delicious food garnered a lot of media attention and created countless laughs, full bellies and new friends.
After temporarily moving cross-country to support Nicole and her family through the loss of her father, Curtis and his family came back to California but felt the desire for a more open, natural and relaxed life, which they found on a spontaneous drive to Sebastopol, California. The past 1.5 years have been the most joyful, eye-opening, gracious and growth-inducing for Curtis - he was truly at his happiest and most grateful place that he's ever been. Curtis suffered an aortic aneurism, resulting in an emergency open heart surgery, from which he never recovered.
I wanted to share some incredible tributes to Curtis captured by some SF media - he'd be proud of these not because of the attention, but because of the confirmation that he had an impact on the lives of others.
www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/curtis-kimball-pancake-party-obituary-20184756.php
https://missionlocal.org/2025/02/sf-curtis-kimball-creme-brulee-guy-turned-pancake-guy-dies-at-46
https://sfist.com/2025/02/24/sfs-famed-creme-brulee-cart-guy-curtis-kimball-has-died-from-a-heart-condition
Gallery
Memory wall
I am Javier’s mom who is in Harper’s class. I haven’t officially met you but saw you when I was with Gloria at the hot cocoa event at Hillcrest. Our hearts break for you and your sweet children. We are so incredibly sorry for this immense loss. Please know that you and your family are in our thoughts and hearts. We also lived in Bernal Heights.
Sending love and light.
Lucy - 707-321-7787
To Nicole, Eloise and Harper, my thoughts and condolences go out to you deeply in this heavy time.
I mourn with you the passing of your beloved husband and father, Curty. Tim Mainzer is my son and we met, Nicole, at Tim’s wedding.
I have known Curty since he was a little boy playing with Tim. They shared many good times and adventures during their long years of friendship. Growing up together they really knew what each other had experienced and understood one another.
The band Curty and Tim were in was good! Curty had a great singing voice and Tim played bass. I was so proud of them for having the ability to perform in front of a live audience.
I will miss Curty and his support and friendship in my son’ life. Next to my own son, Tim, Curty and his brother Brian were the cutest boys ever!
I am and will be praying for you and your children all God’ love, favor, peace, and comfort.
Love,
Sukey
My heart breaks for all of you and I wish you as much Peace as you can manage.
Hugs,
Frank
It is with my deepest of condolences and prayers that I write this message to you. I knew Curtis through the Jewish Community Center/Tzofim. For whatever reason, even without being his actual camper, Curtis always made a point to spend time with me during some of the most challenging years of my life. He was patient, kind, hilarious and never took my foolery no matter how outspoken and ill-behaved I was. I was undereducated in Oakland public schools and knowing this, he would give me classic books like The Catcher in the Rye, which I still have to this day. Looking back, he was a true mentor. I now have a daughter the same age as your youngest and it deeply pains me to think of how you all must feel. However, I am comforted to know what a gift of a father these two young ladies have and that fact will never change. They are truly destined for mighty and wonderful things! He was and remains an incredible soul I was blessed to have witnessed. Sending love, strength and hugs.
Service
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During this incredibly difficult time, we're coming together to offer financial support to Curtis' family using GoFundMe (http://bit.ly/4i9J1GX). Your donation will help alleviate some of the burden and ensure the family's well-being as they navigate this unimaginable loss.
