{"id":105438,"date":"2023-06-06T13:27:35","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/?p=105438"},"modified":"2023-06-23T10:05:58","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T17:05:58","slug":"whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Future of Fine Dining in Sonoma County?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a long-simmering secret behind the gilded doors of many fine dining restaurants. Inside the silent kitchens, with their exquisitely organized benchtops and lineups of tweezered plates, an increasingly vocal chorus is peeling back the truth, revealing top-heavy hierarchies and crippling financial pressures.<\/p>\n

Movies like \u201cThe Menu\u201d and \u201cBurnt\u201d shone a blistering light on soul-destroying stress and the impossible quest for perfection. And earlier this year, fine dining poster child Rene Redzepi, the man behind Copenhagen\u2019s Noma, a restaurant that was named the world\u2019s best multiple times, announced he would permanently close next year and reopen as a food laboratory and pop-up space.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to completely rethink the industry,\u201d Redzepi told The New York Times in January, blaming the unsustainable costs of employees, among other factors. \u201cThis is simply too hard, and we have to work in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scars of the pandemic, of course, are also lasting. As more casual restaurants pivoted to takeout, upscale restaurants did their best to accommodate diners. But many suffered severe financial losses and still struggle to find staff, as seasoned workers were forced to find jobs elsewhere.<\/p>\n

But do these challenges mean that the highest levels of fine dining are on their way out? Should the reign of suited-up ma\u00eetre d\u2019s, tableside flamb\u00e9s, and exquisitely foamed and dusted tiny plates take a final bow? Not quite yet\u2014but it is time for some reinvention.<\/p>\n

\"During
Aged gouda, pear, pretzel and mustard are plated for service by Chef Doug Keane at Cyrus in Geyserville. (Chad Surmick \/ The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fine dining is dead. Long live fine dining<\/h2>\n

In Sonoma County, restaurants like Cyrus, SingleThread, Farmhouse Inn, and Madrona Manor have long been seen as the epitome of fine dining. Chefs create singular experiences for diners, offering curated culinary journeys and sublimely plated food.<\/p>\n

As a restaurant reviewer, I will always believe there\u2019s a place for this type of experience. It\u2019s the joy of a perfectly seared piece of meaty Liberty duck with salty, crackling skin and a thin layer of unctuous fat that floods my brain with endorphins, the meticulous sourcing of a single perfect oyster, the history behind a tiny cup of mussel soup inspired by one served at Maxim\u2019s in Paris.<\/p>\n

Extraordinarily lofty dining like this, with wine and gratuity, can come with a price tag of $1,800 for two people. But for those who seek it out, it\u2019s a meaningful luxury experience, no different than such indulgences as $899 Taylor Swift VIP concert tickets, $65 for infant Nike sneakers, or $90,000 for a Maserati. It all just depends on what tickles your happy button. At a time when eating fast food at a desk is normal and many everyday restaurants have resorted to pre-cooked, pre-packaged ingredients, fine dining experiences remind us that food can be magical. Food can be more than calories. Food can uplift us.<\/p>\n

\"Sparkling
Sparkling wine and oysters in the bubble room at Cyrus in Geyserville. (Chad Surmick \/ The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new model<\/h2>\n

It can be easy to poke fun at some of the pomp surrounding exquisitely sourced, self-consciously described meals: Is a deconstructed plate of imported Japanese uni with cheese \u201csnow\u201d on dehydrated wonton crumbs better than a $5 crab puff at the local Chinese restaurant? After all, it\u2019s just food, as chef Douglas Keane of Geyserville\u2019s Cyrus restaurant likes to remind people.<\/p>\n

Keane is more worried about livable wages for his staff than prancing around the kitchen with a chef \u2019s toque. \u201cWe\u2019re too full of ourselves,\u201d Keane says. \u201cAnd it starts with the press talking about chefs like they\u2019re gods, the truth is that we\u2019re skilled labor. It\u2019s dinner. It\u2019s sustenance.\u201d In the decade since closing his original Cyrus in Healdsburg, Keane has been obsessed with fixing fine dining\u2019s most broken limb\u2014an equitable wage structure.<\/p>\n

In 2012, Cyrus had more than 56 employees, a model Keane says was entirely unsustainable. Waitstaff made up to $75,000 per year, while cooks made $30,000. Turnover was high in the kitchen, but front-of-house staff stayed forever.<\/p>\n

Kitchen roles were highly ritualized and specialized, with some jobs so specific that employees had little to do for long periods of the evening. \u201cThere were so many employees doing nothing while we were finishing plating, for example. Then they\u2019re not busy until the next fire,\u201d Keane explains. \u201cIt didn\u2019t seem like an efficient system.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the reimagined Cyrus, Keane has a lean staff of 20 cross-trained to play multiple roles in the kitchen\u2014whatever needs to be done, from chopping vegetables to delivering plates to the table. Salaries start at $65,000 for prep cooks\u2014more than 50 percent higher than the national average\u2014and they also get healthcare benefits, a rare commodity.<\/p>\n

Keane also pokes holes in other long-established structures. For one, Cyrus now offers a much shorter menu. \u201cThese huge old menus like at Chez Panisse take a lot of bodies to do, especially when you don\u2019t know how many people are coming.\u201d Vast menus necessitate keeping more food on hand, and a greater potential for waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re still learning, but the one thing that I know is that the more you can engineer the experience with fewer variables, it\u2019s easier to train people to get good at their jobs,\u201d says Keane.<\/p>\n

Nine months into his experiment, Keane feels the system is working, and hopes he can prove to others that the model is scalable. Diners seem just as happy with sous-chefs bringing plates to their tables and servers pouring drinks. \u201cThe system is phenomenal,\u201d he says. \u201cThe guests seem super-happy, investors are happy, and I feel blessed we are able to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Stephane
In Petaluma, St\u00e9phane Saint Louis of Table Culture Provisions is part of a new generation of chefs reducing costs by running their kitchen lean. (Christopher Chung\/The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c16 apprentices picking flower petals”<\/h2>\n

In Petaluma, St\u00e9phane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas of Table Culture Provisions are part of a new generation of chefs reducing costs by running their kitchen lean and mean. That doesn\u2019t mean cutting back on creativity, just being scrappy. Saint Louis says he doesn\u2019t see the need for all the fuss over perfection for perfection\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to be very meticulous about things, picking little flowers that all have to look exactly the same, you\u2019re wasting product and time. Yes, that will be very expensive,\u201d says Saint Louis. He and Vargas create their $125 tasting menu with just four cooks.<\/p>\n

Borage flowers picked from the garden serve just as nicely as a pile of expensive blooms that, at another restaurant, would take a team of apprentices hours to harvest and tweeze onto plates. \u201cI pick a solid crew,\u201d says Saint Louis. \u201cThese guys bring an extra layer of tech and services that amplify what we\u2019re serving. That doesn\u2019t break my bank, and everybody is well paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team is having fun creating a high-end menu that includes frothed sunchoke soup or scallop crudo with coconut cream and truffled caviar\u2014but they also offer steak frites for $48 and \u00e0 la carte items from the tasting menu. It\u2019s a way to offer more people more opportunities to try their food, and that\u2019s precisely the point. Table Culture Provisions focuses on doing more with less.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re too full of ourselves. And it starts with the press talking about chefs like they\u2019re gods. The truth is that we\u2019re skilled labor. It\u2019s dinner. It\u2019s sustenance.\u201d – Douglas Keane<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Finding balance<\/h2>\n

For other local chefs, however, doing less is more.<\/p>\n

For years, Madrona Manor chef Jesse Mallgren focused on innovative molecular gastronomy. Liquid nitrogen ice cream was a signature dish, along with foams, creams, and obscure, lofty ingredients like minutina greens and feijoa. When the inn was remodeled in 2022, the menu simplified exponentially. Instead of five elaborate dinner services a week, they now serve 14 meals a week, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings and more straightforward fare, including burgers and salads.<\/p>\n

And Mallgren is not especially sad about it. \u201cIn some ways, it\u2019s a relief, because we\u2019re still cooking really tasty food,\u201d he says. \u201cNow The Madrona is a place I\u2019d want to come in and eat once a month. Because for me, there are only so many tasting menus I\u2019d eat per year\u2014I\u2019m busy with kids, have a lot to do, and can\u2019t always spend three hours at dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related:<\/span>\nChef Jesse Mallgren Leaves The Madrona, Joins Healdsburg Winery<\/a><\/div>\n

With the change in format, some of the staffing pressures have eased, and Mallgren has become a mentor to less experienced cooks eager to learn the trade. \u201cIn the past, I had to hire cooks who knew what they were doing,\u201d he explains. \u201cNow I have two cooks promoted from dishwasher. It\u2019s fun to watch these folks with no experience kicking it up and excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

The change has also brought food costs down to more sustainable levels. With ingredients like Japanese wagyu and truffles, Mallgren says it was difficult to charge enough to justify the expense. \u201cNo one wants to pay the prices to get a decent profit for those ingredients unless you have three Michelin stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chef
Chef Jesse Mallgren, formerly of The Madrona in Healdsburg, is now executive chef at Jordan Vineyard and Winery. (John Burgess\/The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Madrona Salad with lettuces, fresh And pickled estate vegetables and herb Dressing from The Madrona in Healdsburg. (John Burgess \/ The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When traditional fine dining works<\/h2>\n

Reservations at Healdsburg\u2019s much-lauded SingleThread Restaurant and Farm sell out months in advance at $425 per person. The multihour experience is perfectly choreographed, right down to the beautiful, first-course forest-floor tableau created for each table.<\/p>\n

Owners Kyle and Katina Connaughton see the ongoing success of the restaurant as a community effort. \u201cSome of the old models of luxury for the sake of luxury are dying and being replaced by a new model of high-end restaurants supporting local farmers, artisans, ranchers and the community,\u201d says Kyle Connaughton. \u201cWe support good systems, reaching out for the best olive oil, a dish, a spoon, or a cup. There\u2019s a relationship with all of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n

To sustain a staff of 125 people, Kyle and Katina Connaughton see their role as that of teacher as much as owner. It takes at least a year to train staff at the restaurant, a significant investment of time and resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to do things the right way, and that isn\u2019t easy or inexpensive,\u201d Connaughton explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an impression in the fine dining space that high prices mean that profit margins are high. That\u2019s not the case. If you look at all the food services, fine dining has a lower margin. You can\u2019t cut corners. You can\u2019t use cheap products, buy things that are frozen.\u201d Sous-chefs at SingleThread make up to $80,000 with shared tips to start and are offered health insurance and paid vacations.<\/p>\n

Kyle Connaughton acknowledges that having worked in the fine dining sphere for 30 years, he\u2019s seen his share of bad actors and bullying. \u201cWe have very high standards, and people have to work incredibly hard, but people here want that environment. When things are difficult, when it\u2019s busy and we\u2019re not getting the results we want, it\u2019s a challenge,\u201d says Connaughton. \u201cBut screaming at people doesn\u2019t help. That\u2019s what I never understood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chef
\u201cSome of the old models of luxury for the sake of luxury are dying and being replaced by a new model of high-end restaurants supporting local farmers, artisans, ranchers and the community,\u201d says Kyle Connaughton of Single Thread Restaurant in Healdsburg. (John Burgess\/The Press Democrat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rhubarb
Rhubarb and green tea with almond cream from Single Thread in Healdsburg. (Single Thread)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Opting out, opting in<\/h2>\n

When Sean McGaughey came to Sonoma County to work at SingleThread, he didn\u2019t have an end game. Maybe he\u2019d stay a few years, see what happened, and maybe go into food research and development. Now married to a fellow SingleThread alum and with two casual restaurants of his own, Troubadour and Quail & Condor bakery, he appreciates the chance to get off the fine-dining train and work for himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cSingleThread was maybe a little too involved. It\u2019s a super-great kitchen culture, and it\u2019s a big team with lots of shoulders to carry it, but every once in a while, the responsibility multiplies exponentially,\u201d McGaughey says. He\u2019s currently trying to dial in the level of complexity at his own establishments, seeking the right balance of casual and high-end.<\/p>\n

Six-course weeknight prix-fixe dinners at Troubadour allow McGaughey to spread his wings after days of sandwiches and breakfast treats. The prix fixe dinners are an imperfectly- perfect experience, with uncomfortable bar stools and narrow counters\u2014but the food is full of joy and, at $125 per person, more approachable than a Cyrus or SingleThread.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/span>\nA French Pop-Up in a Bakery Is the Hottest New Restaurant in Sonoma County<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cWe look at what\u2019s not too labor-intensive, and I\u2019ve always cooked that way. Not everything has to be hard\u2014but if it is hard, the diner needs to see or taste it. Cooks have a problem with overcomplicating stuff to make ourselves happy. Maybe it gives us a little self-worth,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time everything\u2019s clicked, because I have a specific set of confines. Unbeknownst to myself, I created that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Le
Le Diner at Troubadour Bread and Bistro n Healdsburg. (Emma K. Morris)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Talent and equity<\/h2>\n

Preeti Mistry, a chef, author, and speaker now living in Sonoma after launching two highly successful restaurants in Oakland, hopes the future of fine dining lies in authenticity and storytelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you just throw a bunch of uni, truffles, foie gras, and whatever the hip ingredient is on a plate? There needs to be a purpose and a point to it,\u201d says Mistry. \u201cLuxury and artifice for its own sake is becoming less popular with younger generations. It\u2019s just acrobatics. New generations want meaning behind things.\u201d Diners are looking for a window into different cultures, they say, and too many fine dining establishments have missed out on celebrating non-European cuisines.<\/p>\n

Fine dining restaurants are also missing out on talented chefs who aren\u2019t white or male. \u201cIn the past, people haven\u2019t fostered talent,\u201d Mistry says. \u201cThink what kind of talent we could have had.\u201d Instead, young, highly trained chefs turn to food trucks and pop-ups where they can showcase different cultures and techniques outside the existing system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a deeper meaning in that experience rather than just pretty food. It has to have a deeper meaning if you ask people to pay so much for these exquisite meals. It has to have a story. It can\u2019t just be these shallow things,\u201d says Mistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an industry, we\u2019re looking for our soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Preeti
Preeti Mistry, a chef, author, and speaker now living in Sonoma after launching two highly successful restaurants in Oakland, hopes the future of fine dining lies in authenticity and storytelling. (J Vineyards and Winery)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The end isn’t nigh<\/h2>\n

Back in the kitchen at Cyrus, chef Douglas Keane says he\u2019s been hearing about the death of fine dining since the early 1990s. But he believes some guests will always want the experience of fine dining\u2014the wonder and the magic of it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people buy an economy car, and some buy the most expensive. It\u2019s an escape and a luxury. Enough people care about good food to keep it alive,\u201d says Keane.<\/p>\n

As guests finish their multi-course meals at Cyrus, they\u2019re led into a secret chamber with a flowing chocolate fountain and sweets that hover mysteriously above a small plate\u2014yes, chocolates that actually float. The heady scent of cocoa is everywhere, clinging to guests\u2019 clothes as they step out into the night air. Outside of candy- coated dreams, it\u2019s the closest one can come to experiencing the wonder of Willy Wonka\u2019s chocolate factory.<\/p>\n

And that creativity, that spark, that ability to transport guests into another world is still worth plenty. The magic Keane weaves into everyday life far outweighs the cost of admission.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Melissa
Sean McGaughey and Melissa Yanc of Troubadour and Quail & Condor are expanding their reach with guest collaborations and a new series of baking and pastry classes. (Emma K. Morris)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The side hustle<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a far cry from driving for Uber, but even top fine-dining chefs seek out additional streams of income to make the main event possible. San Francisco\u2019s Dominique Crenn teaches a MasterClass. Healdsburg\u2019s Charlie Palmer is opening a series of food-focused hotels.<\/a> And DC-based celebrity chef Jon Sybert created Moveable Feast,<\/a> a fine dining experience that comes straight to your home. Here are other ways chefs are making the numbers work:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Liza Hinman of Santa Rosa\u2019s Spinster Sisters now holds popup dinners at Lioco Winery\u2019s Healdsburg tasting room and sells pantry items like housemade jams and granola.<\/p>\n

\u2022 SingleThread is a powerhouse of diversification, with income from boutique lodging, a farmstand and retail operation, consulting, and product alignments. They recently teamed up with Modern Adventure to launch Paragon, a culinary travel adventure company.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Sean McGaughey and Melissa Yanc of Troubadour are expanding their reach with guest collaborations and a new series of baking and pastry classes.<\/p>\n

\u2022 St\u00e9phane Saint Louis of Table Culture Provisions takes catering gigs in the summer to keep cash flowing and skills sharp. He also offers \u00e0 la carte selections from his tasting menu that encourage locals to drop by for a quick bite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We talked to local chefs about staffing challenges, streamlined menus, the future of $400 meals\u2014and why these days, a side hustle is practically a necessity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":78212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,2620,5,25145,749],"tags":[],"layout":[5590],"class_list":["post-105438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eat-and-drink","category-magazine","category-things-to-do","category-trending","category-whats-new-sonoma-county","issue-may-june-2023"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s the Future of Fine Dining in Sonoma County? - Sonoma Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We talked to local chefs about staffing challenges, streamlined menus, the future of $400 meals\u2014and why these days, a side hustle is practically a necessity.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"website\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s the Future of Fine Dining in Sonoma County?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We talked to local chefs about staffing challenges, streamlined menus, the future of $400 meals\u2014and why these days, a side hustle is practically a necessity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sonoma Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SONOMAmagazine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-06T20:27:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-23T17:05:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d1sve9khgp0cw0.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/315DE529-5DE4-451D-9CD4-E1440BB4668F-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1374\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sofia Englund\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sonomamag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sonomamag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Heather Irwin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sofia Englund\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6a918ab24ba8099f0389e965dcaa44dd\"},\"headline\":\"What\u2019s the Future of Fine Dining in Sonoma County?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-06T20:27:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-23T17:05:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/\"},\"wordCount\":3043,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/315DE529-5DE4-451D-9CD4-E1440BB4668F-scaled.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Food + Drink\",\"Magazine\",\"Things To Do in Sonoma\",\"Trending\",\"What's New in Wine Country\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/whats-the-future-of-fine-dining-in-sonoma-county\/\",\"name\":\"What\u2019s the Future of Fine Dining in Sonoma County? 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