SingleThread

SingleThread restaurant, I have never known a place to achieve so much in such a short period of time. The mastery of Kyle and Katina Connaughtons dream come true, singlethread farms and restaurant has burst onto the world stage. Fresh off the achievement of earning their third Michelin star after being open just three short years, I had the opportunity to spend time in the kitchen as well as a chance to celebrate my birthday as a guest in the restaurant. 

I was first introduced to chef Kyle when he came to the willows inn as part of a guest chef dinner series. Watching how he worked and thought about food was very inspiring to me. With such a diverse background of experiences and his focus on Japanese cuisine, I instantly wanted to learn more. This inspired me to go and stage at the restaurant during our off season. I was honored to get that opportunity and ended up working with the incredible team for 10 days. 

Arriving in the small California wine town of Healdsburg for the first time seemed familiar to the quintessential wine town anyone might imagine. Then around you turn a corner to see a beautiful stand-alone building, stunningly clean and detail focused. Standing proud in the sunshine, the building seemed to know what was happening inside itself and wanted anyone who looked at it to know also.  

Walking into any new kitchen is always a bit of a fumbling mess on day 1, which door do I use, where is everything, meeting countless new names and faces, feeling bad for imposing on people’s busy day to take time to host me, is always a challenge to overcome. The team there instantly greeted me with genuine pleasure and intrigue, getting me settled in and shown around the space I would call home for the next 10 days. With that out of the way it was time to start working and helping out wherever I could with anything that needed to get done. Staging at times can feel like you are a beach ball, getting tossed around from task to task, and can be a difficult way for some people to shine. For any young cooks that feel that way, I offer this piece of advice, do the thing you are asked with the most intense focus and drive you have, be flexible and respectful. Most times staging is a job interview and that is the best way to stand alone from other candidates. You have a very small window to impress without being over confident, and still accomplish everything that is asked of you (even some things that aren’t asked of you, taking out the trash when its full is easy). I had the chance to view this place in a different light since I was there for a significant amount of time and was not looking for a job. Still applying all the things that I would want a stage to demonstrate I also took the time to pick my head up and look at what was happening around me, the dynamics of the space, the way the different teams and people worked and interacted with each other, the structure of the day, the details of service. There is something to be learned in every moment, you just have to pay attention. 

The cuisine they focus on is traditional Japanese cooking using these incredible pieces of art called donabe. The craftsmanship in these is as specific as the different types of cuisine in the regions of japan. Depending on the area in which they are made, the type of stone used is different, the way they are cast is unique, even down to the way they glaze the materials is all unique to the area. Chef Kyle has spent a significant part of his life obsessed with japan and has applied that obsession in this place he created. Using this for his foundation his food is the perfect balance between respecting the ancient techniques and his modern experience with California cuisine. Seeing behind the scenes into how flavor is created and thought about in his kitchen was a rare glimpse into genius. Some of the base ingredients they have accessible to them are other worldly. If you think you have had good tamari, think again, soy sauce, not likely, mirin, not even close. Seriously the sourcing of everything in this restaurant is world class and you could literally just serve a shot of one of those liquids during the meal and have diners still in awe and wonderment. Although the ingredient that I have come to value the most these days in my career is very much present at singlethread, the people. Most of the team have been there since the restaurant opened, or soon after the opening. A group of dedicated professionals running like a well-oiled machine. Not only the kitchen staff, but the entire staff on property, the amazing team that make the centerpieces and hand arranged floral pieces that are present everywhere you look, the polished service team that work the floor with confidence and precision, the prep team, and the dish team hand washing 90% of everything that comes back from the dining room. There is a real sense of family here, many husband and wife combinations on staff, kids dropping by for visits during the day, and a true sense of joy from everyone you meet. Getting to know this group of people was really important to me and I hope I was able to make a positive impact on their lives as they made on mine. 

The food: The first photo of the gallery for this post really is the perfect picture to describe what happens during a meal. The purity in design, the detailed display of dishes and the carefully thought out placement of each item on the table were one on the best welcome moments I have ever had in a meal. Which is saying something because that moment when you get taken to your table is the 2ndwelcome moment. Opening the large door from the street into the foyer, you get a glimpse into the kitchen from a square cut out in the wall where you are invited to take a look into their world and are greeted with a warm drink infused daily. After you get seated at your table you can choose to watch the show in the kitchen as it is completely open to the dining room or just enjoy the stunning details of the room and your company. If you choose not to watch the kitchen work the whole meal, that is a surprisingly easy choice to make as there is no kitchen noise to distract you, no pots and pans clanging around, no loud calls for dishes, just a calm collective drive pushing forward effortlessly. Dish after dish came and each one was completely delicious and stunningly beautiful. You need only to see the pictures to understand, but once you taste what is going on, you lose all concept of words. Bravo chef! 

Thank you to the entire family down at singlethread for letting me be a part of your world and sharing your talents with me.