Healdsburg, California
It’s no accident Kyle and Katina Connaughton’s Michelin 3-Star restaurant and farm, SingleThread, has maintained a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants lists since its opening in 2016.
The couple has delicately woven their decades-long experiences into every detail of the 52-seat dining room. Borrowing from her time as a farmer in Japan and England, and her background in sustainable agriculture, Katina grows 70% of the restaurant’s produce on their 24-acre farm. Kyle’s dedication to their food is no different. After years under renowned chef Michel Bras and as Head of Research and Development at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, he’s come to embrace the Japanese concept of omotenashi, the spirit of hospitality cantering around care rather than expectation.
Kyle and Katina’s dedication to quality in all that they do and their deep connection to land make us proud to call them YETI Ambassadors.
The couple has delicately woven their decades-long experiences into every detail of the 52-seat dining room. Borrowing from her time as a farmer in Japan and England, and her background in sustainable agriculture, Katina grows 70% of the restaurant’s produce on their 24-acre farm. Kyle’s dedication to their food is no different. After years under renowned chef Michel Bras and as Head of Research and Development at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, he’s come to embrace the Japanese concept of omotenashi, the spirit of hospitality cantering around care rather than expectation.
Kyle and Katina’s dedication to quality in all that they do and their deep connection to land make us proud to call them YETI Ambassadors.
Where is your favourite culinary region or city?
Kyle: Japan is where I get the most inspiration and have been fortunate to both live and travel in different regions. While I love the rural regions such as Hokkaido, Iga, and Ishikawa my all time favourite food city is Kyoto. It’s the birthplace of kaiseki cuisine and still the centre of amazing food and dining in Japan.
Tell us about a perfect culinary day there (cooking, dining, growing, or otherwise):
Kyle: my perfect day there is with Katina waking up in a ryokan (Japanese inn) and having a traditional Kyoto style breakfast. After going to visit farms that grow what are called Kyo-yasai (Kyoto vegetables) where we taste varieties of vegetable and talk with the farmers and get seeds from them. For lunch hitting a tiny spot called Izuju near Yasaka Shrine that serves classic Kyoto style sushi that is over a hundred years old. In the afternoon, stopping by our friends at Honda Miso (miso makers to the Imperial Family) and tasting batches of their saikyo miso. Walking along the Philosopher's Trail together and coming into Nanzenji Temple to visit our friend Takahashi-san, the 15th generation chef/owner of Hyotei for a few of their special onsen eggs and some tea. In the evening, dining at my favourite restaurant, Kikunoi, and then taking a stroll through the cobblestone streets of Gion and stopping in to see friends for a whiskey.
At what age did you know you would be a chef?
Kyle: At 9. My Dad took me to a sushi restaurant after a long business trip to Japan. I know immediately that 's what I wanted to do.
At what age did you know you would be a gardener or farmer?
Katina: I was in my 20’s when I discovered my love of agriculture. We were living in Hokkaido, Japan in a beautifully rural farming community. It is here that I made the connection to our food system and really connected with the land.
Where is your favourite culinary region or city?
Kyle: Japan is where I get the most inspiration and have been fortunate to both live and travel in different regions. While I love the rural regions such as Hokkaido, Iga, and Ishikawa my all time favourite food city is Kyoto. It’s the birthplace of kaiseki cuisine and still the centre of amazing food and dining in Japan.
Tell us about a perfect culinary day there (cooking, dining, growing, or otherwise):
Kyle: my perfect day there is with Katina waking up in a ryokan (Japanese inn) and having a traditional Kyoto style breakfast. After going to visit farms that grow what are called Kyo-yasai (Kyoto vegetables) where we taste varieties of vegetable and talk with the farmers and get seeds from them. For lunch hitting a tiny spot called Izuju near Yasaka Shrine that serves classic Kyoto style sushi that is over a hundred years old. In the afternoon, stopping by our friends at Honda Miso (miso makers to the Imperial Family) and tasting batches of their saikyo miso. Walking along the Philosopher's Trail together and coming into Nanzenji Temple to visit our friend Takahashi-san, the 15th generation chef/owner of Hyotei for a few of their special onsen eggs and some tea. In the evening, dining at my favourite restaurant, Kikunoi, and then taking a stroll through the cobblestone streets of Gion and stopping in to see friends for a whiskey.
At what age did you know you would be a chef?
Kyle: At 9. My Dad took me to a sushi restaurant after a long business trip to Japan. I know immediately that 's what I wanted to do.
At what age did you know you would be a gardener or farmer?
Katina: I was in my 20’s when I discovered my love of agriculture. We were living in Hokkaido, Japan in a beautifully rural farming community. It is here that I made the connection to our food system and really connected with the land.
Any heroes in your field?
Kyle: Too many to name! I have been really fortunate to work for and with many of my heroes. Chefs- many from Japan have had a huge influence on me and have been very accepting of me into their very traditional kitchens. In particular Yoshihiro Murata (Kikunoi) who has been a mentor and friend. I also got to work for the Nakahigashi Family of Miyamasou. Takahashi-san, the 15th generation chef/owner of Hyotei in Kyoto has been a great resource for how he balances tradition and modernization. Chef Namae Shinobu of L’Effervesance in Tokyo is also a great friend and a hero of mine. We came up together in Hokkaido and now own a Three Michelin Star restaurant while he also pursues a masters degree. He radiates kindness and is always 10 years ahead of his time in his thinking. I had the opportunity to work for the great French Chef, Michel Bras, who taught me so much about vegetables, foraging, and creating timeless cuisine without any ego. I worked for Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck for 5 years as his Head Chef of R&D. I still quote him daily and learned so much about the multi-sensory aspects of the dining experience, food science, innovation, and how to tell a great story through a menu. In California I greatly admire Alice Waters for all she’s done for food here at home and in America and Thomas Keller for making California a place where world class cuisine could be produced. I’m also a huge admirer of Jose Andres for the selflessness he has and the impact he’s made around the world with World Central Kitchen.
Katina: All the farmers who work tirelessly stewarding the land mindfully and respectfully are my heroes.
Katina: All the farmers who work tirelessly stewarding the land mindfully and respectfully are my heroes.
Who is someone that you could not do all of this without?
Kyle: Well of course I couldn’t do this without my wife and farmer Katina! Also our partner Tony Greenberg who made the dream of SingleThread a reality by helping us create it and running the business to this day. Also nothing of what we do would be possible without our team. We have over 100 staff at SingleThread for one restaurant and farm! Nothing we do would be possible without their incredibly high level of talent.
Katina: I couldn’t do this without Kyle – he’s my north star and my inspiration. Nothing makes me happier than bringing him beautiful produce to create with. His reverence and appreciation for the hard work of the farmers translates so gracefully.
Katina: I am happiest when I am growing or harvesting everything! I cannot pick favorites. Right now I am happiest growing strawberries and peas – our hoop houses are brimming with the sweetest snap peas on the vine and our first strawberries are ripening to perfection. I am happiest having the first moments of discovery throughout the seasons with maturing crops. It’s so exciting when the first fruits start to form each season, or the first flowers begin to bloom. Here in Northern California, we grow all season long, therefore we are having moments of discovery weekly. I live for it!
Katina: I couldn’t do this without Kyle – he’s my north star and my inspiration. Nothing makes me happier than bringing him beautiful produce to create with. His reverence and appreciation for the hard work of the farmers translates so gracefully.
How do you improve as a chef each year?
Kyle: By focusing on what’s happening in nature and with the products Katina is growing on the farm. Staying grounded to them and letting them speak creatively through what we do. Always learning not to impose our will onto them but letting them speak through us.
How do you improve as a farmer or gardener each year?
Katina: So much of what I do is intuitive. Through mindful observation, we learn to listen to the land to let it dictate its needs to us. Improving as a farmer requires patience, presence, and perseverance. Working in the natural world is so humbling, yet so incredibly rewarding.
What haven’t you accomplished yet that you aspire to do?
Kyle: Turning the farm into a full permaculture centre where people can come and learn about our agricultural practices. We are getting close to that goal! Katina: I second that!
Where will we find you on your days off?
Kyle & Katina: The few we take you can find us in the backcountry snowboarding or splitboarding. We love to get into the backcountry and ride snowboards in the solitude of the mountains. In the off season we typically go hiking in our local redwoods.
If you weren’t a culinary ambassador, which kind of YETI ambassador would you be?
Kyle & Katina: Definitely for backcountry snowboarding. It's a real passion and introducing people to nature through mountain ecology is so rewarding.
What is an ingredient you love?
Kyle: Wow, so many. Anything Katina grows! I also love sea urchin, any kind of crab, and sea eel (anago) so much. But there are too many things to list. I think about vegetables all day long.
I am happiest when I am ________.
Kyle: I am happiest when I am preparing a meal with Katina and our two daughters. We love cooking at home as well. Mostly rustic Japanese cuisine, Thai cuisine (I’m getting better at it), and Mexican.
Katina: I am happiest when I am growing or harvesting everything! I cannot pick favorites. Right now I am happiest growing strawberries and peas – our hoop houses are brimming with the sweetest snap peas on the vine and our first strawberries are ripening to perfection. I am happiest having the first moments of discovery throughout the seasons with maturing crops. It’s so exciting when the first fruits start to form each season, or the first flowers begin to bloom. Here in Northern California, we grow all season long, therefore we are having moments of discovery weekly. I live for it!
What are the 3 most essential things you need in the kitchen?
Kyle: My earthenware donabe from Iga! I love to cook in Japanese claypots that are made by the 8th Generation Nagatani Family. I love them so much I wrote a book about them and they are the most important tool in our kitchen. An open fire hearth- nothing tastes as good as food cooked over the coals. A scale- sometimes free flow is good but when you need precision you need a good gram scale!
What are the 3 most essential things you need in the field?
Katina: My Japanese bypass pruners, hori hori knife, and sheath that holds the both of them. I’m lost without these items.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
Kyle: That’s hard as I’ve never done anything else or wanted to. I’d love to be a backcountry snowboard guide for heli touring. I’m happy though just to go and enjoy it as an activity and it not be my work though!
What would you be doing if you weren’t a farmer?
Katina: I would be a botanist. I love the science of flowers and all plant life so much. I could devote my life educating myself and others of the wonderment of the natural world.
If you could hang with any culinary figure, past or present, who would it be?
Kyle: Sen no Rikyu. He was the tea master from the 1500s that really designed what we would call the “tea ceremony”. This really is what started what is modern day kaiseki cuisine. I’d love to have seen how he brought together tea, cuisine, and culture.
Why do chefs need gear that’s Built for the Wild?
Kyle: Chefs should be working directly with farmers and creating derelict supply lines for the freshest and best produce. Yeti coolers are the perfect way to transport that and cut down on both food and packaging waste. For foraging in the wild. And also for offsite events and adventures- to keep and preserve the quality and freshness of ingredients.
Why do farmers need gear that’s Built for the Wild?
Katina: We are one with the wild as farmers. We vibe and thrive in the elements and need gear that is as tough and resilient as we have to be through and through.
What YETI gear can you not do without? Why?
Kyle: We couldn’t do without the Yeti coolers, they are what transports the daily harvest to the restaurant each morning!
Katina: My Tumbler and Rambler – hot coffee/tea and cold water! I also rely so heavily on the totes and backpacks for foraging. They are tried and true and easy to fill whilst roaming through the woods on hiking forays.
Katina: My Tumbler and Rambler – hot coffee/tea and cold water! I also rely so heavily on the totes and backpacks for foraging. They are tried and true and easy to fill whilst roaming through the woods on hiking forays.
Can you describe what YETI means to you?
Kyle & Katina: Yeti means quality and integrity. It’s about building something for a specific purpose and to function at the highest level. It means not cutting corners and doing something the right way, the best way. It means never compromising when it comes to quality and freshness no matter what the journey is.