Union Square Hospitality Group Taps Master Sommelier Vincent Morrow to Lead Wine Programs
Last week, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) named Vincent Morrow the new wine and beverage director for all of its restaurants. Morrow, a Master Sommelier, brings decades of experience working in some of the West Coast’s top cellars, including Grand Award winners Restaurant Gary Danko and the French Laundry. His latest role was at Press Restaurant in Napa Valley, where he helped the team win its first Grand Award in 2022, thanks to its cellar almost entirely devoted to the wines of the Napa Valley.
To Morrow, USHG has always been a benchmark in the hospitality industry. “[My wife and I] never would have come to New York for any other group,” says Morrow. “I thought that ship had sailed. When I heard about this opportunity, it completely changed my perspective on life and what I was willing to do for the right thing. Every management team or leadership team I’ve been on, we referenced Union Square Hospitality Group as a model for culture.”
In his new role at Union Square Hospitality Group, Morrow will lead the beverage initiatives in some of New York City’s most exciting cellars, including Grand Award winner the Modern and Best of Award of Excellence winners Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, Ci Siamo, Manhatta and more. Morrow has been working with USHG since the beginning of 2025. That work, which hadn’t been formerly announced and included staging at the group’s various outposts, helped him gain insights into the restaurants’ intricacies before officially assuming the new role.
USHG announced other shifts in wine management for sommeliers across the group: Lucian Froz (formerly of the now closed Maialino) became the new wine director at Ci Siamo, Sydney Fusto (previously at Grand Award winner Daniel and Best of Award of Excellence winner Cote Korean Steakhouse) is now wine director at Manhatta, and Dorian Gonzalez Vega has shifted from Gramercy Tavern to Union Square Cafe. Morrow is also overseeing the opening of the new Ci Siamo coming to Boston—USHG’s first location in Beantown—coming later this year.—Julia Larson
Seattle’s Canlis Welcomes New Executive Chef
After conducting a worldwide search since February, the team at Grand Award winner Canlis in Seattle has finally found a new executive chef—in their own kitchen. James Huffman, a Seattle-born chef who has been with Canlis for nine years, assumed the role on June 5.
“This is our town and these are our people,” read the Instagram post announcing the appointment. “Can’t wait to show them off to you.”
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Huffman is the first Seattle native to lead the kitchen of the iconic West Coast destination, which has drawn diners to its perch above Lake Union since 1950. Huffman served as executive sous chef under the leadership of chef Aisha Ibrahim, who joined the Canlis kitchen in 2021 and left earlier this year to open her own restaurant. Huffman has been leading the kitchen in the interim. The decision to have Huffman lead the team going forward came from owner Mark Canlis, who is the sole owner of the restaurant since the departure of his brother, Brian, which was also announced in February. Canlis has been a Grand Award winner since 1997.
“There were seasons in the past where we definitely needed to bring in outside input. We needed voices. We needed new ideas,” Canlis told Eater Seattle. “The restaurant is strong enough to be producing people capable of doing the job … it’s cool to not need to go to the other side of the world to bring in someone to run a Seattle restaurant.”—J.L.
A16 Opens Newest Location in Napa Valley
Who’s behind it: A16, the brainchild of Shelley Lindgren and Kitty Oestlien, has added a downtown Napa location to its three restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland and two in Japan. Inspired by Southern Italy’s Puglia region, A16 brings its beloved Neapolitan-style pizzas, live-fire cooking and traditional burrata to wine country. “[We are] betting on Napa,” says Lindgren. “It’s an amazing town and area.”
When it opened: May 28
The culinary approach: Lindgren brought Chef Yosuke Machida from A16 Tokyo to helm the kitchen, which boasts a traditional stone hearth and live-fire grill. With A16’s use of locally farmed ingredients and embrace of the “slow food” ethos, Lindgren calls its cuisine “food you could eat every day in a fun setting.” The nightly dinner and weekend lunch menus include starters of burrata with the option to add Prosciutto di Parma, braised pork meatballs or mussels. Coming off of the live-fire grill are shrimp with Calabrian chili and almonds and king trumpet mushrooms with salsa verde. Pastas include maccaronara with ragu Napoletano and orecchiette with broccoli ciccio. Pizzas such as margherita, funghi or bianca are made to the highest Napoletana standards with fresh California ingredients.
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Using a wide array of seasonal fruit like cherries, strawberries and rhubarb, pastry chef Charlie Guyard prepares desserts like Hudson olive oil cake with cherries, tiramisu and lemon verbena panna cotta.
What’s on the wine list: Lindgren, co-author of Italian Wines, champions small distributors and features small producers from both Italy and California on the evolving list. From Italy, Nebbiolo is featured with Giacomo Fenocchio’s Bussia bottling, Aglianico in Quintodecimo’s Taurasi Gand Cru Luigi Moio and Negroamaro in Puglia made by Tormaresca with Masseria Maime. Lindgren also offers California bottlings of Italian grapes such as Massican’s Gemina (Falanghina, Greco and Fiano), Hendry’s Primitivo Napa Valley and Staglin’s Sangiovese Rutherford Stagliano. More locally familiar options include Pinot Noir from RAEN and Cabernet Sauvignon from Quintessa. Lindgren and Oestlien’s Tansy wines—sourced from Sonoma, Napa, Clarksburg and Anderson Valley—are also featured on the list.
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Lindgren, who grew up in Petaluma, says of her return to wine country, “[I’ve seen] people I hadn’t seen in years. It’s been local winemakers who we’ve been telling the story of.”
The design: Working alongside Oestlien, San Francisco duo John Hurley and Justin Hafen created a 100-seat restaurant that resembles the Trulli stone dwellings of Puglia, with cone-shaped concrete roofs and limestone walls. Lindgren describes the inspiration as Puglia going more to the seaside. The interior is spacious and welcoming, with large windows and plenty of natural light, ivory-colored walls, basket-woven chandelier lamp shades and a U-shaped bar. A parklet outside seats another 40 people.—Chris Cardoso
San Francisco’s One Market Restaurant Closes After 32 Years
Best of Award of Excellence winner One Market Restaurant in San Francisco’s financial district closed on June 11, though principal Michael Dellar said to think of it more as “retiring” than shuttering. “Having opened and closed a lot of restaurants, there’s always a feeling of loss, but One Market has been really special,” commented Dellar.
The restaurant has anchored the space at 1 Market Street as part of the 1.6 million–square-foot One Market Plaza since February 1993. Dellar co-founded the nearly 10,000-square-foot restaurant with chef Bradley Ogden (who is no longer involved), and it became a city mainstay with its simple concept of fresh, seasonal food, good wine and stellar hospitality.
Dellar admits the main driver behind One Market’s closure is his own desire to retire. “In a short time, god-willing, I’ll be 80,” he said with a chuckle, “and restaurants take a toll.” Still, Dellar divulged that the obstacles facing restaurants in San Francisco also played a role.
Since the pandemic, One Market has seen fewer diners mid-week, likely due to hybrid work. “The people that worked in the area who would come in for lunch or happy hour and spill over into dinner were no longer regulars,” Dellar lamented.
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He considered selling but said he never found an appropriate suitor. “Saying goodbye to longtime employees and regulars is going to be hard,” said Dellar, citing longstanding employees such as chef and partner Mark Dommen, who has been the head toque for 20 years, and sous chef Marcos Flores.
Wine director Tonya Pitts has spent 15 years caring for the 4,000-bottle wine list, which has held a Best of Award of Excellence since 2012. Particularly strong in California wines, One Market’s wine program includes a broad swath of interesting finds and top producers such Flowers, Chimney Rock and Turley, as well as hard-to-find bottlings like Sine Que Non and Bond, in addition to offerings by women, BIPOC and LBTIQA+ winemakers. Wine has been a big part of the equation since day one, Dellar said, and visitors have returned to say their goodbyes and celebrated with some nice bottles. Finding a new home for the inventory is still in the works.
When asked how a restaurant stays open and successful for 32 years, Dellar replied, “Taking good care of people. It doesn’t matter what side of the kitchen you’re on. A lot of people talk about restaurants being a ‘third place’ beyond home and work; we tried to be that in our tenure, and I think we succeeded.”—Aaron Romano
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