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A Jan. 6 attendee has sold her Parisian-style Bay Area cafe, initially saying she would use the money to fund what she had hoped would be Donald Trump’s third term as president. In an email to SFGATE, Maria Rutenburg, the owner of Redwood City’s Chez Nous, confirmed that she was “overjoyed” when Trump said earlier this year he was considering defying the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and running for office again. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “I made a decision there and then to put the cafe for sale and send all money made on the sale to Trump 2028 campaign,” the Aug. 19 email read. Passport Cafe and Restaurant LLC will take over the formerly book-lined space at 2159 Roosevelt Ave., according to a public notice posted on the storefront. Chez Nous shuttered its doors in June, and the sale closed last week, Rutenburg said. The sale — and the part about donating proceeds to Trump — was first reported by Redwood City Pulse and partially motivated by the boycotting of the cafe by some locals, the Pulse reported. Shortly after the outlet’s Aug. 18 story was published, however, Rutenburg, whose cafe had served as a gathering place for conservatives and Trump supporters since the pandemic, shared on Chez Noir’s Facebook page that she was joking to “libs.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad “I was happily poking the bear, feeding them complete BS about selling the cafe to help fund Trump’s 2028 presidential run,” the post said. “And they swallowed it whole. No questions. No hesitation. Hook, line, and MAGA sinker.” When asked to elaborate on her post, Rutenburg said she changed her position, noting that the president has stated that the law is “very strong” against third terms. “After the backlash over us supporting Trump — and given that he’s no longer running in 2028, which did make me sad — we decided to send the money to the Mamdani campaign instead,” she wrote in a subsequent email. When asked why she was giving her money to New York City’s mayor, she responded: “Because Trump is not running and I am disappointed.” It’s been a turbulent run for Chez Nous, which opened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and was known for hosting lectures, concerts and other cultural events. Rutenburg, who lives in Woodside, according to her Facebook page, faced backlash almost immediately for not enforcing lockdown orders or mask mandates. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “We had to keep our thick curtains shut to avoid fines and penalties for staying open,” she said. “It was almost surreal — one official would come by in the morning and hit us with yet another fine, while in the afternoon a bunch of government employees would show up to sit around with coffee and enjoy our place.” Rutenburg said the cafe welcomed everyone, “left right or perpetually confused,” she wrote. BECOME A FRIEND. GET OUR AD-FREE APP. But public scrutiny exploded after Rutenburg, an attorney by training, asked the Redwood City Council for permission to paint “MAGA 2020” next to a Black Lives Matter sign on Broadway in 2020. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It only grew the following year, when Rutenburg attended the Jan. 6 riot and marched with crowds onto the Capitol grounds. After being pepper sprayed in her eyes and forced to the ground for four minutes, she told NBC Bay Area (KNTV-TV) that she was still a Trump supporter. “We love you, we support you and we are with you all the way,” she told the outlet at the time. — Bay Area grocery store owned by Raley’s to close after nearly 6 decades — Jan. 6 attendee sells Redwood City cafe, says the money goes to Mamdani — Blue Apron, a meal kit powerhouse once valued at $2B, descends into chaos — Gus's Community Market to expand outside San Francisco for the first time For all things fascinating in Bay Area food, sign up for our Eat the Bay newsletter here.