Follow the Bouncing Wine Country Chefs

Chefs coming and going in Wine Country and Sonoma County

Chef Joshua Seibert of Nick's Cove
Chef Joshua Seibert of Nick’s Cove

Lots of changeups this week in the Wine Country restaurant world.

Nick's Cove
Nick’s Cove Restaurant in Marshall California

Nick’s Cove & Oyster Bar: There’s a new reason to head out to Marshall for oysters. Chef Joshua Seibert of San Francisco’s wildly popular Mission Beach Cafe has landed in the kitchen, bringing with him several new dishes and a new enthusiasm to the Tomales Bay restaurant. Many of the favorites will remain on the menu, including Dungeness Mac & Cheese and Deviled Duck Eggs, but they’ll get some minor tweaks and join several new items on the menu. Seibert has been working with the property’s new Garden Manager, Brendan Thomas to grow fresh produce for the restaurant year-round. 23240 Highway One, Marshall, 415-663-1033, nickscove.com.

Chef Chris Biard is the new executive chef at The Restaurant at Russian River Vineyards
Chef Chris Biard is the new executive chef at The Restaurant at Russian River Vineyards

The Restaurant at Russian River Vineyards has appointed Chef Chris Biard as their new executive chef. Following a stint at Napa’s La Taberna and as a chef on several private yachts, he has landed in Forestville. 5700 Hwy. 116 North, Forestville, 707-887-3344, russianrivervineyards.com.

At Persimmon in Healdsburg, Chef Rodrigo Mendoza has taken over the kitchen from executive opening chef Danny Mai. We’ll be heading back up in the next couple weeks to see what’s new on the menu.

Kenzo Tsujimoto of Kenzo Winery in Napa will be opening a new Japanese restaurant.
Kenzo Tsujimoto of Kenzo Winery in Napa will be opening a new Japanese restaurant.

Kenzo Opening

There’s plenty of buzz happening around the opening of Japanese restaurant, Kenzo, slated for a Napa debut in November. The restaurant has been in the works for nearly two years by Kenzo and Natsuko Tsujimoto of Kenzo Estate winery. The ultra-high end restaurant will fly in fresh fish from Japan for its pre-fixe “kaiseki” and sushi menu. Chef Hiroyuki Kanda, whose Kanda restaurant has earned three Michelin stars for the last nine years, has created the menu, and will be based out of Napa for the opening. Key staff will be trained in Japan with Chef Kanda, making this a truly intimate Japanese dining experience — especially size-wise. The 400 square foot dining room will have just 27 seats. Opening Nov. 16. at 1339 Pearl St., Napa.

Chef Hiroyuki Kanda will be the consulting opening chef for Kenzo restaurant in Napa
Chef Hiroyuki Kanda will be the consulting opening chef for Kenzo restaurant in Napa

Taverna Sofia Closed
One of the few authentic Greek spots in Sonoma County has  closed. Chef Sofia Petridis-Lim closed her Taverna Sofia just off the Healdsburg square. She made a great go of it for four years, and we hope we’ll see her around again, possibly in a more casual spot near Santa Rosa, because goodness knows we loved her Moussaka.