Category: Chef 2026

Chef Carla Raia and Elisa Osburg bring heart, hospitality, and deep Sonoma County roots to The Living Room’s food program. With decades of combined experience in kitchens, culinary leadership, and community-centered service, the duo creates nourishing meals that bring people together while supporting women and children experiencing housing insecurity. Blending creativity, local flavor, and a passion for caring for others, they prove food can nourish far more than just an appetite.
Chef Carla brings more than a decade of experience leading high-volume kitchens, building strong culinary teams, and crafting meals filled with warmth, creativity, and joy. Alongside her, lifelong Sonoma County resident Elisa Osburg combines her love of local food culture, family traditions, and hospitality expertise gained through years at Whole Foods Market. Together, they help lead a program rooted in compassion, connection, and the belief that a thoughtfully prepared meal can make people feel seen, supported, and at home.

Originally from Portsmouth, Virginia, and raised in Arkansas, Chef Ann Tussey’s culinary DNA is deeply rooted in Southern tradition. Her menus at Sweet T’s are a map of her life and family history, heavily shaped by frequent trips to visit relatives in North Carolina and New Orleans, alongside more than a decade spent living in Georgia. These regional influences culminate in a definitive, authentic Memphis-style BBQ experience, underscored by the genuine Southern hospitality for which her team is famous.
Ann’s ability to capture a true “sense of place” has made Sweet T’s a beloved staple of the Sonoma County dining community. Now, she is expanding her culinary horizons with her newest venture, Hapa’s Restaurant & Tiki Bar (doing business as “Hapa’s”). Slated to open towards the end of 2026, Hapa’s will transition her focus to Hawaiian comfort foods, blending island traditions with the same thoughtful execution and warmth she brings to her famous Southern fare. At the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, Chef Ann bridges coastlines and cultures, offering a delicious testament to the power of food memory.

Cousins, lifelong collaborators, and passionate guardians of Louisiana culinary traditions, Sheneen Brown and Ann Groux are the driving force behind Napa’s first female- and minority-owned soul food restaurant. Together, they masterfully blend treasured Southern family recipes with fresh California ingredients and contemporary flair, turning comfort food classics into award-winning culinary experiences.
Before establishing their celebrated brick-and-mortar home, Sheneen and Ann spent years cultivating a devoted regional following through their premium catering company, Catered with Class, and their legendary “Pop-Up Southern Experience” events. Today, their restaurant has blossomed into a vital community hub where food, culture, and high-energy hospitality intersect.
From their decadent six-cheese mac and cheese and legendary shrimp and grits to crispy fried ribs, catfish, and scratch-made peach cobbler, Sheneen and Ann serve dishes designed to nourish both the body and the spirit. At the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, they bring a vibrant atmosphere where every plate feels like a celebration and every guest is treated like family.

Chef Michiyo Hagio’s connection to her craft is a lifelong legacy. Raised in Japan, she spent her youth watching her father operate his own sushi restaurant for more than sixty years—an experience that instilled in her a profound respect for discipline, craftsmanship, and the sacred bond between a chef and their guest.
With a culinary mastery spanning over thirty years, Michiyo’s career includes five years (2018–2023) training alongside celebrated Iron Chef All Stars talent Hal Yamashita. After earning his elite approval, she confidently stepped into sole ownership and leadership of her own space, formally launching the reimagined Michi Japanese Cuisine in Napa. Today, her restaurant is a highly sought-after, intimate 16-seat dining experience where she personally prepares each dish from start to finish.
Beyond her expertise with refined sushi, exceptional grilled fish, and elegant tasting menus, Michiyo further distinguishes herself as a certified sake sommelier. This dual expertise allows her to curate premium Japanese sake and local wine pairings that elevate her dishes to new heights. At the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, Chef Hagio stands out as one of Napa Valley’s most distinctive culinary authorities, offering attendees an authentic, world-class taste of Japanese artistry.

Chef Michael Siegel’s culinary foundation was built in the kitchens of Tucson, Arizona, cooking alongside his mother and grandmother. This early appreciation for vibrant, regional flavors eventually led him to San Francisco in 2003, where he climbed the ranks of the city’s most respected institutions, including Grand Café and Bix. Notably, as Chef de Cuisine at the acclaimed Betelnut, Michael worked under Chef Alexander Ong to maintain the restaurant’s prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand and San Francisco Chronicle Top 100 status.
In 2012, Michael honored his family roots by opening Shorty Goldstein’s, a beloved Jewish Delicatessen in San Francisco’s Financial District. Named after his great-grandmother, the deli became a destination for artisanal comfort foods—from house-made pastrami to his great-grandmother’s signature potato knish.
Returning to the Mexican influences of his youth, Michael later took the helm at Playa in Mill Valley. There, he fuses traditional techniques with modern interpretations, a successful formula that has earned the restaurant consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand honors in 2023, 2024, and 2025. In 2024, he expanded his footprint with the opening of Corner Bar, a vibrant cocktail lounge featuring Mediterranean-inspired small plates. Whether crafting a delicate crudo or a complex mole, Michael’s food remains grounded in a career spent exploring world flavors through the lens of exceptional hospitality.

With over twenty-five years of experience navigating the front lines of the hospitality industry, Kosta Staicoff has mastered the art of creating food that reflects its surroundings. Now at the helm of Mable’s Restaurant, Kosta’s menus are a direct reflection of the farms, waters, and shifting seasons of the Northern California coast.
Kosta’s diverse career has seen him lead kitchens at world-class destination resorts and innovative independent restaurants alike. His impressive background includes serving as the Executive Chef at the Relais & Châteaux designated Montpelier Inn in Nevis, West Indies. Closer to home, he was instrumental in the opening and development of Bay Area favorites like Buvette du Marais and helped shape the early, influential culinary cultures of Mill Valley Beerworks and Fort Point Beer Co.
At Mable’s, Kosta is known for his commitment to clarity, teamwork, and a profound respect for the ingredient. He eschews over-complication in favor of a simpler philosophy: food should connect the diner to where they are and the people they share the table with. At the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, Chef Kosta brings a refined yet approachable coastal sensibility that perfectly captures the spirit of West Marin.

At the heart of the newly reimagined Dawn Ranch in Guerneville is a powerhouse culinary duo: Co-Executive Chefs Juliana Thorpe and Ignacio “Nacho” Zuzulich. Together, they have crafted a kitchen culture that celebrates Northern California’s wild beauty through a global, Michelin-trained lens.
Chef Juliana Thorpe was raised in the mountains of Matutu, Brazil, where a vegetarian upbringing and homegrown produce instilled a deep respect for food origins. Her journey to Sonoma County included stints at world-renowned institutions such as Mugaritz in Spain and the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood. At The Lodge, Juliana focuses on simplicity and the “true essence” of ingredients, blending her South American heritage with the seasonal bounty of the Russian River Valley.
Chef Ignacio “Nacho” Zuzulich hails from Alta Gracia, Argentina, born into a family of restaurateurs. His career is a roadmap of elite global dining, having risen from an apprentice to a head chef at the legendary Mugaritz (Spain), with additional stops at Michel Bras (France) and Lasai (Brazil). Like Juliana, his arrival in Northern California was marked by his time at The Restaurant at Meadowood. Nacho’s philosophy is defined by flexibility and innovation, eschewing rigid culinary boundaries to focus on the creative potential of local produce.
Since the 2023 relaunch of Dawn Ranch, Juliana and Nacho have worked in lockstep to build a team that mirrors the diverse, soulful environment of Guerneville. Their collaboration results in a menu that is bold, refined, and deeply connected to the land.

Chef Carlos’s culinary story began in El Salvador, inspired by the soulful, family meals prepared by his mother and grandmother. After migrating to the United States, his passion was ignited in Santa Rosa’s Piner High School culinary program, where he famously took first place in the local Iron Chef competition alongside mentors like Guy Fieri.
Carlos’s professional ascent was marked by a relentless drive to master every facet of the kitchen. Starting as a dishwasher, he climbed the ranks to Sous Chef before formalizing his education at Santa Rosa Junior College and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone, where he specialized in pastry and butchery. In 2015, fueled by the savings from his family’s award-winning band and a house-flipping project with his father, Carlos opened the doors to Guiso Latin Fusion.
In the decade since, Guiso has transformed from an intimate Healdsburg secret into a national sensation. Carlos’s philosophy—“Cook My Culture”—has earned him staggering accolades, including:

The 100 Best Restaurants in America (2025): Awarded by OpenTable.

Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. (2024): Recognized by Yelp.

Diners’ Choice Winner: Consecutive honors from 2020 through 2025.

Beyond the kitchen, Carlos is a true polymath—mentoring the next generation of chefs and developing his own rosé wine brand, BELI’S. At the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, Chef Carlos brings a vibrant, Salvadoran-inspired experience where every dish is masterfully crafted to tell a story of family, resilience, and a “Flavorful Life.”

Mark Stark is a cornerstone of the Sonoma County culinary landscape, known for a “Stark Reality” that is anything but ordinary. As a James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist, Mark—alongside his wife and partner, Terri—has built an empire of eight acclaimed dining destinations, led by the legendary Willi’s Wine Bar.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Mark refined his craft in the competitive kitchens of Washington D.C. and Seattle before settling in Northern California. In 2002, he revolutionized local dining with the opening of the original Willi’s Wine Bar, introducing a globally inspired, small-plates format that perfectly captured the spirit of wine country.
Mark’s culinary signature is a bold, “world-on-a-plate” approach. His menus seamlessly blend French, Mediterranean, Asian, and Spanish influences, earned through decades of professional exploration. This versatility is showcased across his diverse portfolio, from the Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Bravas Bar de Tapas and Monti’s to his newest venture, the classic French bistro Augie’s French, which opened in 2023.
Beyond the kitchen, Mark is a symbol of community resilience. After the original Willi’s Wine Bar was lost in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, his commitment to the region saw the flagship rise again in 2019. Whether appearing on PBS’s Traveling Feast or KQED’s Check, Please!, Mark remains a passionate advocate for chef-driven hospitality and the vibrant flavors of the North Coast.

From the trading floors of Wall Street to the galleys of Mediterranean superyachts, Cristina Topham’s culinary path has been as vibrant and diverse as the flavors she creates. As the Chef and Owner of Spread Kitchen in Sonoma, Cristina honors her Lebanese heritage by marrying ancient Middle Eastern traditions with California’s seasonal bounty.
Cristina’s formal journey began in 1999 at The French Culinary Institute in New York City, followed by rigorous training in the kitchens of Les Olivades in Paris and The Savoy in NYC. Her expertise in wine country cuisine was further refined at Julia’s Kitchen in Napa Valley and through her tenure as the premier caterer for Morrell Wines, where she became a specialist in bespoke wine-pairing dinners.
Seeking global inspiration, Cristina spent eight years as a chef in the superyacht industry, navigating foreign markets from the Caribbean to Mexico. These years spent haggling for the freshest local ingredients across the globe deeply informed her “from-scratch” philosophy. In 2014, she returned to Northern California to put down roots, eventually launching Spread in 2016. What began as a boutique catering company evolved into a beloved Sonoma brick-and-mortar destination in 2022.
At Spread Kitchen, Cristina’s work is grounded in a profound respect for the ingredient. Her dishes are handmade, seasonal, and intentionally inclusive—offering inspired options for omnivores, vegans, and gluten-free diners alike. For the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, she brings a sophisticated, global perspective that perfectly complements the region’s world-class viticulture.

Chef Jamilah Nixon-Mathis is a Sonoma County native, with no formal training, she refers to herself as “the accidental chef”. Her unique style of cooking is rooted in her Mexican & Creole ancestry, extensive travels in SE Asia & Thailand, and her years of experience working in California restaurants. After 8 years of running her own highly acclaimed food truck & walk-up window, Jams Joy Bungalow, she joined friends Brandon Gunther & Shona Campbell to re-open iconic Bodega Bay restaurant Lucas Wharf in 2024. 
With Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf the trio focuses on updated west-coast classics, southern comfort dishes & gulf coast style seafood using local & wild seafood and seasonal California produce. 

Originally from Bolivia, Rodrigo Mendoza’s American culinary journey began in 2000. After graduating from L’Academie de Cuisine, he refined his technique at the legendary Café Boulud in New York under the mentorship of Daniel Boulud. His career then took him to the high-stakes world of Design Cuisine Catering, where he executed massive-scale events, including the U.S. Open and President George W. Bush’s inauguration.
In 2008, Rodrigo headed west to Sonoma County, joining the team at Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. Working alongside Charlie Palmer, he was instrumental in helping the restaurant earn its first Michelin star. Over the next fifteen years, Rodrigo became a fixture of the regional dining scene, contributing to the success of local landmarks like Bistro Ralph and spending a decade as a key leader at Mark Stark’s Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar.
In 2023, Rodrigo fulfilled a long-held ambition by opening Goldfinch in Sebastopol. The restaurant is a vibrant reflection of his journey, focusing on wood-fired, locally sourced, and sustainable fare. His menu is uniquely balanced, offering creative, vegetable-forward plates alongside progressive takes on meat and seafood. Whether through his fine-dining roots or his popular “Beach & Barrio” food truck, Charro Negro, Rodrigo’s cooking is defined by a singular philosophy: a dedication to the joy of eating and the celebration of life.