Kyle Connaughton
SingleThread
Chef, culinary educator, and cookbook author. He and his wife, opened SingleThread Farm-Restaurant-Inn, in Healdsburg, CA, in December 2016. Kyle is dedicated to nurturing the ingredients from provenance to presentation.
On his own five-acre farm he incorporates vegetables harvested that day, expressing a moment in time and connecting guests to the here and now through cuisine.
“Life is too short to be in a comfort zone. You have to challenge yourself”
Kyle Connaughton began his culinary career in L.A. with an apprenticeship at one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the city and continued training in both pastry and savory at Spago Beverly Hills, The Dining Room at Ritz Carlton, Lucques, Hama Sushi, and A.O.C. This was followed by several years of cooking in Japan for the famed chef Michel Bras and in numerous traditional Japanese cuisine restaurants. In 2006, Kyle joined Heston Blumenthal to become the Head Chef of Research and Development for the Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen. He is a contributor to the “Modernist Cuisine” series, a co-developer of the Culinary Science Bachelors Degree program for the CIA, and co-author of the book Donabe – Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking. In 2014 Kyle co-founded the culinary development firm Pilot R+D with Dan Felder, Dr. Ali Bouzari, & Dana Peck.
Japanese culture and influence
His love for the Japanese culture started when Kyle was 9 years old during a time when his dad frequently took trips across the Pacific to the far-away island on business. The father-son duo often ate out in Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles and even traveled together to Japan to experience the culture and food. Moved by these experiences, Kyle began his career working in Japanese restaurants, attended a leading Japanese culinary school and did his apprenticeship in Japan before he eventually moved to Hokkaido.
A triple hospitality threat
The SingleThread concept is a triple hospitality threat, with a farm, restaurant and inn all working in unison, and all garnering the same level of praise. Kyle reflects on what the key elements are that led to the success of SingleThread: “Taking time to really fully develop exactly the type of farm, restaurant, and inn that we wanted without having to make any compromises. Also allowing ourselves to be driven by the farm and by nature.”
The restaurant still maintains its roots, using the same concept for the menu and the dishes today as it did for its first service since its opening in 2016. SingleThread’s focus is the farm, they use the farm to guide their cooking. The majority of ingredients that Kyle uses are sourced from the farm and within the local community.
“More than 70% of our produce comes from our own farm and the rest from other farms in our community. We also grow all of our own floral and forage for many items. We serve local fish with a few special things brought in from Japan.”
Instagram: @kyleconnaughton @singlethreadfarms
Restaurant web site: https://www.singlethreadfarms.com/
Restaurant address: 131 North St, Healdsburg, CA 95448, United States
