By Fran Endicott Miller
Farm. Restaurant. Inn. Each of SingleThread’s three entities represents the highest echelon of its respective industries. Its five-acre farm, located seven miles from its downtown Healdsburg eatery, is an agriculturalist’s dream. The restaurant is a three-Michelin-starred dining destination. The five-room inn that hovers above the dining room and kitchen is a haute yet homey haven. To indulge in a SingleThread dinner and an overnight stay is to have a luxurious experience that is greater than each of its lauded parts. Practicing a hospitality philosophy called omotenashi, SingleThread’s proprietors, Kyle and Katina Connaughton, regard both restaurant and inn customers as guests. Individual needs and requests are a priority, and comfort is paramount.
Perhaps best known for its celebrated eatery, SingleThread was awarded the coveted three Michelin stars just two years after opening. Executive Chef Kyle changes his small plate, eleven-course menu daily, based on master farmer Katina’s harvest from the farm, where she oversees an heirloom fruit orchard, vegetable and flower beds, olive trees, beehives, and chickens. The farm’s bounty also provides Katina with the organic goods for her artistically designed tablescapes and dish presentations. To source purveyors for SingleThread’s array of seafood items, Chef Kyle journeys six times a year to Japan, his adopted country that also serves as inspiration for his acclaimed donabe clay pot cooking techniques and for SingleThread’s elegant, serene dining room interior. Every SingleThread item, be it menu ingredients, utensils, paired wines, sound system, or furnishings, has a story and has been thoughtfully curated by the Connaughtons.
The same is true of their five-room inn, whose attributes make it as destination-worthy as the restaurant. This warm, welcoming haven is much more home than hotel. Each room features large picture windows with urban views. Graceful, minimalist furnishings fill the high ceilinged spaces.
The luxurious 700-square-foot Master Suite features a living room, bedroom, private balcony, and kitchenette area, as well as 14-foot ceilings with redwood beams, exposed brick, and a gas fireplace. Four additional guest rooms (one is ADA compliant) are each 450 to 500 square feet. Guests are welcomed with amenities, including a bottle of wine from a rotating list of Sonoma producers, sparkling waters and Pliny the Elder beer, house-made sweets from the SingleThread pastry team, and artisan ice cream. A bountiful full-service Japanese or English breakfast is also included—both traditional and playful offerings reflect Chef Kyle’s time in kitchens throughout the world. Those staying a second night are offered the option of a unique, multi-course donabe dinner featuring selections from the farm, the best available seafood, sashimi, a choice of communal hot pot dishes, and a dessert reflective of the season.
Kyle’s culinary career and interest in Japanese culture began during his high school years, when he apprenticed at one of Southern California’s oldest Japanese restaurants. He later attended the California Sushi Academy and Sushi Chef Institute. In 2003, he received a job offer in Hokkaido, Japan, where he and Katina lived and worked for three years. During their stay, Katina immersed herself in farming and garden work in Hokkaido’s agricultural epicenter.
Kyle’s culinary career and interest in Japanese culture began during his high school years, when he apprenticed at one of Southern California’s oldest Japanese restaurants. He later attended the California Sushi Academy and Sushi Chef Institute. In 2003, he received a job offer in Hokkaido, Japan, where he and Katina lived and worked for three years. During their stay, Katina immersed herself in farming and garden work in Hokkaido’s agricultural epicenter.