40 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNIE BARNETT / COURTESY OF SINGLETHREAD {due west} flavors,” described by the most recent Michelin Guide. And the many closely conected staffers behind the famed restaurant, its five-room inn and 24-acre farm just might be taking their cues from the top. SingleThread is the joint endeavor of Chef Kyle and his wife, head farmer Katina Connaughton. Head of hospitality Akeel Shah reveals that his own wife is chef de cuisine Marley Brown. “I met Marley at the restaurant in its first few months, and now we’re expecting our first baby,” Akeel shares. Perhaps it’s a natural expression of SingleThread’s desire to foster a friendlier kitchen culture in an elite restaurant, eschewing the “people yelling at you the whole time” scenario depicted on reality TV shows featuring Gordon Ramsey. It’s hard to imagine anyone yelling here. The pervasive vibe at SingleThread is one of effortless, zen-like calm, where every detail is carefully considered, and the staff is adept at intuiting guests’ needs before they realize they want something. “We call it unconscious hospitality,” Akeel says. It’s SingleThread’s take on omotenashi—wholeheartIn our spacious suite at SingleThread Inn in Healdsburg, Natalie Aman is deftly orchestrating an intimate meal. Downstairs in its restaurant, her fiance is pouring wine for diners who are oohing and aahing their way through the highly acclaimed 10-course tasting menu. My husband and I are here to experience the more relaxed way to sample Chef Kyle Connaughton’s exquisite Japaneseinfluenced cuisine: a four-course, in-room donabe dinner. When we exclaim that it must be rare to work with your partner, Natalie lets us in on a secret: They are far from the only couple on the staff. “We like to say that SingleThread is for lovers,” she declares. After all, it takes a lot more than visionary culinary talent to earn three stars, the Michelin Guide’s highest honor. It’s not just the food but the entire experience, from being greeted by name at the door to the handwritten thank-you note when you leave. To get every detail exactly right requires a large and skillful team to achieve the “impeccable ingredients, precise, artistic presentation and pure, harmonious ABOVE: Breakfast at SingleThread Inn in Healdsburg; SingleThread’s married founders Kyle and Katina Connaughton.
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