TORC

Kyle Connaughton is a renowned chef, educator, and co-author of the book “Donabe — Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking”. In 2016, he and his wife, head farmer Katina, opened SingleThread Farm – Restaurant – Inn in Healdsburg, California, which earned three Michelin stars, making it the only restaurant in Sonoma County to achieve this. The inn received three Michelin Keys, while the farm earned the Michelin Green star.

Kyle’s culinary journey began in L.A. at locations like Spago Beverly Hills and The Dining Room at Ritz Carlton. He then trained in Japan with Michel Bras and in traditional Japanese cuisine. In 2006, he joined Heston Blumenthal as Head Chef of Research and Development for The Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen. Kyle is a co-developer of the Culinary Science Bachelor’s program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2022. He also co-founded Vertice, a hospitality development company.

Chef Sean O’Toole is the Chef-Proprietor of TORC in downtown Napa, California. Opened in 2013, TORC is his sophisticated yet relaxed reimagining of fine dining, with an emphasis on produce from local farmers, fine wines selected by Wine Director Cynthia O’Toole, craft cocktails and premium ingredients.

A Wakefield, MA native, O’Toole attended Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI with an A.O.S. in Culinary Arts and a B.S. in Food Service Management.

Prior to opening TORC, O’Toole spent over fifteen years in some of the most highly regarded restaurants in the United States and Europe. Highlights include training under the Ducasse Group in Paris to open Mix in Las Vegas as Chef de Cuisine; his time as Culinary Director of Operations at the Mina Group; and his position as Chef/Director of Kitchen operations with Michael Tusk at Quince and Cotogna.

John Schwartz, owner of the highly acclaimed Amuse Bouche Winery in Napa Valley, has been involved in the wine industry for more than 30 years. He also owns two other wineries in northern California where he has teamed up with industry luminaries such as Heidi P. Barrett, Jim Barbour, Stephen & Ayesha Curry as well as the Sinatra family.

He is a restaurateur with locations in the San Francisco/Napa Valley region, and operates a distillery in Kentucky where he produces world class aged bourbons. His latest venture is a new bourbon co-produced with Stephen Curry called Gentleman’s Cut.

He has lived in France and Japan, and enjoys lecturing about wine in more than 50 countries where the winery has business partners. “One of the greatest joys of making wines is sharing them on the global level and knowing that Napa Valley wines are on par with the world’s best producers.”

Apart from his passion for food and wine, John Schwartz is a founding board member for American Assistance for Cambodia—a nonprofit that supports education and helps builds a future for bright children in this Southeast Asian nation. He is also involved with Village Health Works in Burundi supporting medical care for women across Africa. A graduate from the University of California-Berkeley with a BS/MS in Economics, he converses in Japanese, French and German.

He resides in Napa Valley atop Atlas Peak at his Au Sommet Winery property which also produces estate cheeses, truffles, honey, olive oil and white sturgeon caviar.