Dustin Valette,
Chef Owner
Chef Dustin Valette began his restaurant career at the age of
thirteen washing dishes at Catelli’s in his hometown of Geyserville,
California. Two years later he took an apprenticeship at Chateau Souverain, a
Francis Ford Coppola Estate, where he worked under Executive Chef Martin
Courtman, – beginning the twenty-plus year culinary journey toward his dream of
opening a restaurant dedicated to showcasing the rich bounty and beautiful
ingredients of his Sonoma County roots.
Valette honed his craft in some of the most celebrated restaurants
on the West Coast, including the Michelin-starred Aqua in San Francisco and
Napa Valley’s Bouchon. Additional credits include Hokus at the Mandarin
Oriental Hotel Honolulu, a five-star, five-diamond property; the exclusive
North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, California; and VOX Restaurant
& Wine Lounge in Henderson, Nevada. Most recently, Valette spent six years
as Executive Chef of Dry Creek Kitchen, a Charlie Palmer restaurant in downtown
Healdsburg. At Dry Creek Kitchen, he gathered great acclaim for the strong
relationships he cultivated with local farmers and purveyors in order to
provide the restaurant with the area’s freshest and most unique ingredients.
Valette was known for his exceptional ability to pair some of the country’s best
wines with his intense, flavorful and dynamic cuisine.
The idea of Valette Restaurant began nearly two decades ago
over a glass of wine shared between two brothers, Dustin and Aaron Garzini,
while sitting at their father’s house overlooking the expansive Alexander
Valley. At the time, Aaron was establishing himself at John Ash in Santa Rosa
as a dynamic server and sommelier; and Dustin was in New York fine- tuning the
culinary craft that would be his life-long passion. The two dreamed of opening
a restaurant which featured the breadth and depth of ingredients Sonoma County
has to offer. It would serve high quality, yet honest and approachable food;
offer impeccable service and house a collection of boutique, small production
wines. In 2015, Valette Restaurant opened its doors to the public, showcasing
47 years of combined restaurant experience, and a deep passion and dedication
to Sonoma Country and its food and wine purveyors and producers.
Originally from Sonoma County, Valette is a graduate of the
Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He currently resides with
his wife, their two young daughters and two dogs in Downtown Healdsburg, a
block away from the restaurant.
Fun Fact: During the summer months Chef Valette travels to the
Healdsburg Farmer’s market and carries back the bounty of local produce in a
classic Red Flyer wagon. Valette is also an avid home winemaker of classic
Bordeaux varietals, which he hand harvests from his uncle’s vineyard in
Alexander Valley, though he will proclaim he is a better chef than
winemaker.....
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Tucker Taylor
Director of Culinary Gardens,
Jackson Family Wines
Tucker
Taylor grew up outside of Jacksonville, Florida on a three-acre plot of land
where he helped his father tend their garden each summer. Not thinking at the
time that his passion could become a career, he went on to earn his bachelor’s
degree in business administration with a focus on finance from the University
of Florida. While there, he worked as a prep cook at a restaurant next to
campus called Café Gardens, where he convinced the owners to give him a small
stipend to purchase some plants and help clean up the landscape. He hung
baskets full of flowers on the wrought iron fence, planted an elm tree for
shade, and cleaned up the existing landscape, earning the restaurant the City
Beautification Award. This experience sparked his initial interest in designing
with plants.
After graduating, Tucker
began working at a bank, but quickly realized he would rather be outside
gardening. He returned to the University of Florida to pursue a second degree
in agriculture with a focus on environmental horticulture – a field that
interested him with its combination of art and science, allowing him to be
simultaneously creative and analytical.
Upon graduating, Tucker
moved to the Oregon, eventually settling outside of Portland, where he designed
and managed his first organic farm. He later worked outside of Atlanta managing
the production of specialty produce on another organic farm, before moving back
to the west coast to take a job as a grower for Thomas Keller’s The French
Laundry in Napa Valley, where he spent five years and redesigned the gardens
across the street to be an extension of the restaurant.
In 2013, he seized the
opportunity to join Kendall-Jackson and redesign their famous culinary gardens.
At Kendall-Jackson, he works hand in hand with the culinary team, scouring the
globe for new and interesting crops to grow. Tucker loves sharing the garden
with visitors from around the world and hopes to educate guests on the
importance of fresh food – and inspire them to plant gardens at home. He
currently resides in Healdsburg, California, where he tends to his bonsai
collection and enjoys preparing dinner with fresh produce from his garden – and
a nice bottle of Pinot Noir!
Follow him on Instagram @farmert.
Mark McWilliams
Arista
Winery was founded in 2002 by Al and Janis McWilliams (seated center). From the
beginning the McWilliams have firmly believed that the finest examples of Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay are produced in small lots. This belief has always led to
an emphasis on quality over quantity and a determination to discover and
develop unique vineyard sites that reflect the distinct characteristics of the
Russian River Valley. In 2012 the McWilliams’ sons Mark (standing left)
and Ben (standing right) took over the family business and now run the
day-to-day operations.
RISE UP SONOMA BRINGS TOGETHER WINERY,
CHEF, MUSIC ICONS
TO BENEFIT SONOMA FIRE VICTIMS
On
December 3, 2017, Rise Up Sonoma will bring together iconic Sonoma County wineries,
Chefs, and legendary music stars to benefit those deeply affected by the tragic
Sonoma County fires.
When: December
3, 2017 – from 4:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: Sonoma
Country Day School – Jackson Theatre at 4400 Day School Place, Santa Rosa, CA
95403
“These
are our friends and family, and this is our community,” says Chef Dustin
Valette. “Lives have been permanently altered and I want to help in the best
way I know how. We’ve assembled exceptional restaurant teams from San Francisco
and Sonoma County to create an amazing and delicious night of giving.”
The
loss of life, homes, and businesses was devastating for so many. Some facts
that show the impact of the North Bay fires:
More
than 160,000 acres—or 250 square miles—have burned in Sonoma, Napa, and Solano
counties.
Forty-three
people have died across Northern California, including 23 in Sonoma County
alone. As of last week, dozens of people were still missing. Altogether, the
Northern California fires are the deadliest in the state’s history.
Cal
Fire tally of Sonoma County’s three simultaneous fires last month reported
close to 9,000 structures were destroyed, and 5,500 homes that were completely
destroyed, with an additional 4,000 partially burned. The Tubbs fire alone
destroyed 4,658 homes in the Santa Rosa-area, including Fountaingrove, Coffey
Park, Larkfield and a number of rural neighborhoods, a fact worsened by the Bay
Area’s already dire housing crisis. Those who can afford to rebuild their homes
face a labor shortage and steep labor costs.
• The state commissioner estimated that losses have topped $3
billion, and that number is expected
to
increase. The fire now ranks as the state’s most destructive, and damage from
Sonoma County’s three have made it the costliest in U.S. history.
“I’ve
been personally affected, but I did not lose everything. I immediately jumped
at the chance to join my winery friends to help,” says Mike Sullivan, Benovia
Winery. “The best part of the wine industry is the generosity that runs through
it. We will rebuild, help those in dire need and become a stronger community
because of this adversity.”
The
wine and food community are joining together to create an incredible night to
raise money and awareness for those who have lost so much.
PURCHASE RISE UP SONOMA TICKETS
All
proceeds from the event will be distributed to the following charities in
support of victims:
Direct
Human Element:
Care
Relief Fund: www.calrestfoundation.org/fires.html
Redwood
Credit Union Fund https://www.redwoodcu.org/northbayfirerelief
UnDocuFund
Fire Relief for Sonoma County http://undocufund.org
Long-term
and short-term housing:
Burners
Without Borders: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/projects/oasis-village
Homes
for Sonoma: www.homesforsonoma.org
Rebuild
Wine Country: www.rebuildwinecountry.org
ABOUT RISE UP SONOMA
A
very passionate group of dedicated and compassionate people pulled together for
an incredible evening in Sonoma County benefiting those deeply affected by the
devastating north bay fires. This group consists ofSan Francisco/Sonoma
County’s most influential and notable chefs and restaurants.The winery partners
are comprised of the rarest and most sought after in the country. The event is
an evening of delectable wine, food, and one of a kind auction items, finished
with a sensational concert led by some of music industry’s legendary artists.
To learn more, please visit: www.riseupsonoma.org.
PARTICIPATING WINERIES:
Alden
Alli, Aperture, Arista Winery, Benovia Winery, Bob Cabral Wines, Carlisle
Winery & Vineyards, CIRQ, Coursey Graves Winery, Davis Family Winery, Devil
Proof Vineyards, DuMol Winery, Eric Kent Wine Cellars, Ernest Vineyards, Failla
Winery, Flaunt Wine Company, Hartford Winery, Hirsch Vineyards, Holdredge
Wines, Iron Horse, Joseph Swan, Kesner, Kistler, Kosta Browne, Lancaster
Vineyards, Lando Wines, Limerick Lane, Lombardi Wines, Martinelli Vineyards
& Winery, Mauritson, Rombauer Vineyards, Saxon Brown, Siduri, The Larsen
Projekt, Three Sticks Wines, Williams Selyem, Young Hagen
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS:
SAN
FRANCISCO: Alta, August 1 Five, Bar Agricole, Bi-Rite Market, Boulevard, Cala,
Delfina/Locanda, Ichi Sushi, Jardiniere, Nopa, Nopalito, Plumed Horse, Sea
Glass, Statebird Provisions, The Commissary, The Progress, Trou Normand, Twenty
Five Lusk
SONOMA
COUNTY: Backyard Forestville, Barndiva, Boon Eat + Drink, Campo Fina, Catelli's
Restaurant, Chalkboard/The Brass Rabbit, Cyrus/Healdsburg Bar & Grill,
Diavola, Dry Creek Kitchen, Farmhouse Inn, Girl and the Fig, Guy Fieri,
Handline Coastal, Kendall Jackson, Nick's Cove, Ramen Gaijin/Khom Loi, Sea
Thai/Sea Noodle Bar, Shed, The Spinster Sisters, Spoonbar, St. Francis Winery,
The Pharmacy, Trading Post, Valette Healdsburg, Willi's Wine Bar, Zazu Kitchen
+ Farm, Local Three GA, Wahoo's
PARTICIPATING BEVERAGES:
3
Disciples Brewing, Bear Republic Brewing Company, Moonlight Brewing, Russian
River Brewing Company, Sonoma County Distilling, Spirit Works Distillery
