Owner-Chef Kyle Connaughton began his culinary career in L.A. apprenticing at one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the city and continued training in both pastry and savory at Spago Beverly Hills, The Dining Room at Ritz Carlton, Lucques, Hama Sushi, and A.O.C. This was followed by several years cooking in Japan for the famed chef Michel Bras and in numerous traditional Japanese cuisine restaurants. 

In 2006 Kyle joined Heston Blumenthal to become the Head Chef of Research and Development for the Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen. He is a contributor to the "Modernist Cuisine" series, a co-developer of the Culinary Science Bachelors Degree program for the CIA, and co-author of the book Donabe- Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking. In 2014 Kyle co-founded the culinary development firm Pilot R+D with Dan Felder, Dr. Ali Bouzari, & Dana Peck. 

Owner-Head Farmer and California native Katina Connaughton and husband Kyle have been together since they met at 15 years of age.  Katina began her first foray into farming while living in a rural agricultural community in Hokkaido, Japan.  She continued culinary gardening on a Victorian estate property in England before moving to Sonoma to complete her coursework in Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture.  Katina was greenhouse manager for the Ag Program and Santa Rosa Junior College and has farmed at Davis Family Winery and The Barlow.

Katina heads SingleThread Farm's five acre property, greenhouses, heirloom orchards, bee hives, and livestock as well as the foraging program and floral department. 

Owner-Partner Tony Greenberg is an Entrepreneur and founder of UPVentures LLC, a real estate development firm based in NYC and Brooklyn. Tony partnered with Kyle and Katina to develop SingleThread and manage the large cast of designers, artisans and unique collaborators who are bringing the Connaughtons' vision to life.    

General Manager David Sisler runs service and hospitality operations at SingleThread Farms.  He began his career at The Manor in New Jersey before moving to Philadelphia to join the team at the famed Le Bec Fin. David later moved to San Francisco where he became General Manager at Saison.

Chef de Cuisine Aaron Koseba has worked around the world including Alex Atala's famed D.O.M. in Brazil, Charlie Trotter's, and Aubergine. Aaron runs the culinary operations as well as the coastal foraging and kayak diving at SingleThread Farms.

Head Sommelier Evan Hufford most recently hailed from Michael Mina and has worked at other acclaimed restaurants across the country.  Evan began his career at the Five Star/Five Diamond property Kai and continued with positions at both Joël Robuchon and Saison.

Head Pastry Chef Matthew Siciliano is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America where he studied under Chef Francisco Migoya and later joined his team opening Hudson Chocolates. Matthew's professional experience includes positions at Eleven Madison Park, Per Se, and Michael Mina prior to overseeing all pastry operations for SingleThread Farms.

Zach most recently came from the Henry's Fork Lodge where he was General Manager of a luxury fishing lodge in Idaho.   His background also includes producing incredible events for Paula LeDuc Fine Catering and dreaming up and managing guided expeditions throughout the world for Adventures Cross-Country.

Zach's mission is to work with our guests to curate authentic Sonoma Wine Country experiences. His wealth of local knowledge on wineries, outdoor adventures, and spa services allows his department to curate customized experiences for all of our guests. 

Head Farmer Vince Rothermund left the biotech world for sustainable agriculture. Vince runs all farm, greenhouse, and landscaping operations with sister Katina. 

Forager Candice Koseba spends her days foraging wild vegetables, seaweed, herbs, and flowers for the restaurant and inn. 

Dr. Ali Bouzari is Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of Pilot R+D, the research and development company that partners with SingleThread Farms. Ali completed his Ph.D. in Food Biochemistry at U.C. Davis and is co-developer for the Bachelors of Culinary Science at the Culinary Institute of America. He is the author of Ingredient: Unveiling the Essential Elements of Food published in 2016 by Ecco.

Dan Felder is Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder of Pilot R+D, the research and development company that partners with SingleThread Farms. Dan was formerly Head Chef of Research and Development for the Momofuku Group.  In addition to culinary development projects Dan has created several of the custom wood service pieces in our kitchen and dining room.

Dana Peck is Co-founder, President, and CEO of Pilot R+D and heads the unique development projects for SingleThread Farms. Prior to her joining the founding team at Pilot, Dana was corporate attorney at Morrison Foerster in San Francisco. Prior to her law career, Dana worked pastry at Gramercy Tavern and WD-50 in addition to being a buyer for Williams-Sonoma. 

Mr. Yuji Nagatani "Kaicho" with a hand made donabe in his studio as it is prepared for the drying step prior to glazing and firing. 

The historic kilns of Iga are designated as a "tangible cultural property".

The elegant simplicity of the unexpected. Art, craft, and nature combine harmoniously in Iga.

Author and owner of Toiro Kitchen, Naoko Moore, shares the donabe of Iga with the world and curates many of the collections at SingleThread Farms. 

Restaurant and furniture design was thoughtfully executed by the award winning firm AvroKo and their sister company Good Shop. 

Artisan knife makers Luke Snyder and David Van Wyk of Bloodroot Blades in Athens, Georgia produced all of our knives using wood from our farm, the Sonoma Coast, and a cherry tree from their property. The blades were forged from a 1968 VW sway bar and the brass detail comes from a former clarinet factory. 

The Yamanaka lacquerware artisans of Ishikawa Prefecture are famous for their incredible quality and detail. The small group of Yamanaka artisans known as Kihachi Kobo, produced all of the lacquerware for SingleThread Farms over a one year period, using hand made tools and preserving the natural beauty of the wood grain. 

The hand tools used by the Yamanaka artisans Kihachi Kobo.

Water cups by the artisans at SUS Gallery of Niigata are made from pieces of hand hammered titanium. 

Kanagawa-based ceramic artist, Takashi Endoh is well known for his lightness and architectural forms. He created custom coffee and tea service sets for the restaurant and inn.

Woodworker and Pilot R+D co-founder Dan Felder has created many of the wood forms and service pieces for the restaurant, including these beautiful oshibori trays made from local bay burl. 

Pope Valley Pottery artist in residence Kelly Farley created the tile walls at the restaurant using clay from our farm that he hand formed and fired in the noborigama kiln. 

Design partners Simplicity of Tokyo have created several of the custom glass, metal, and wood pieces used in the kitchen and dining room including this copper service vessel.