Meet our Team
Our team is the heart of Valette Hospitality. Across Valette, The Matheson, Roof 106, and Valette Wines, we're united by passion for exceptional service and authentic connection. Here are some of the talented people who turn every visit into something special.
Valette Hospitality
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CHEF-OWNER
Valette HospitalityDustin Valette is Chef and Owner of Valette, The Matheson, Roof 106, and Valette Wines in Healdsburg, California. Growing up in great-grandfather Honoré's wine country, the Culinary Institute of America graduate honed his craft at Michelin-starred Aqua and Thomas Keller's Bouchon before spending six years as Executive Chef at Dry Creek Kitchen. In 2015, he and brother Aaron opened restaurant Valette in Honoré's bakery location, followed by The Matheson, both earning Michelin Guide recognition. Living with his wife and two children in Honoré's farmhouse, he creates inventive California cuisine with French technique and locally-sourced ingredients, collaborating with renowned winemakers to produce award-winning wines, including back-to-back 100-point Cabernet Sauvignons.
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PARTNER
Valette Healdsburg & Valette WinesAaron Garzini honed his hospitality expertise over a decade at John Ash & Co., the pioneer of Sonoma County wine country cuisine, before expanding his leadership skills in San Francisco at Betelnut on Union Street. He returned to his roots as restaurant manager at Francis Coppola's acclaimed Rustic Restaurant in Geyserville, leading teams in delivering impeccable service. In 2015, Aaron co-founded Valette restaurant with his brother Dustin, earning Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and Michelin Guide recognition. After successfully establishing Valette as a cornerstone of Healdsburg's dining scene, Aaron now joins Valette Wines as a partner, bringing proven expertise in creating exceptional guest experiences and deep wine country knowledge.
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DIRECTOR, STRATEGY & BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Valette HospitalityJillian Benvenuti, a fourth-generation Sonoma County resident and Director of Strategy and Business Operations at Valette Hospitality, brings hands-on experience scaling companies from startup to nine-figure valuations. She integrates data-driven guest experience strategies, unifies operational systems across all brands, and develops cross-platform marketing initiatives connecting guests to Chef-Vintner Dustin Valette's full portfolio. As a founding team member at Hello Alice for eight years, she served as Chief of Staff, leading capital raises, managing investor relationships, and driving strategic initiatives through AI-powered workflow automation. She mentors emerging female leaders and leverages her tech background to enable innovative hospitality solutions while preserving authentic guest experiences.
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DIRECTOR, EVENTS & PARTNERSHIPS
Valette HospitalityRawna is Director of Partnership & Events at Valette Hospitality, overseeing strategic partnerships and event operations across The Matheson, Valette, Roof 106, and Valette Wines. With over 11 years as Director of Hotel Sales & Catering at Graton Resort & Casino, she brings expertise in revenue management, team leadership, and business development. Her proven track record includes building comprehensive sales platforms, managing vendor relationships, and consistently exceeding objectives. A motivational leader with outstanding presentation skills, Rawna excels at creating strategic sales initiatives, expanding market share, and fostering meaningful business relationships. Her experience spans budget management, event execution, and account retention across hospitality operations. Outside work, she's passionate about fostering dogs, bringing the same dedication to animal welfare as she does to her professional pursuits.
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ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER
Valette HospitalityMarisa Rowley is Administrative Manager at Valette Hospitality, focusing on finance, accounting, and operational administration across the company's restaurant and wine portfolio. With a unique background spanning banking and restaurants, she brings diverse expertise that has converged perfectly in her current role. Beyond her work with the company, she previously served as Treasurer of the Historic Railroad Square Association, contributing her financial leadership to preserve and promote this vibrant Sonoma County community. Known as a friendly face who welcomes and onboards all new employees, Marisa creates a warm, supportive environment for the growing team. In her free time, she enjoys hiking Wine Country trails and reading. Her combination of financial precision, organizational excellence, and genuine hospitality makes her an integral part of Valette Hospitality's operations.
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CONTROLLER
Valette Hospitality
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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Valette HospitalitySamantha Stewart is Executive Assistant at Valette Hospitality, bringing expertise in wine industry marketing, event planning, and brand storytelling. A Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo graduate with a degree in Wine and Viticulture (Wine Business concentration), she's built her career across California's prestigious wine destinations including Beaulieu Vineyard, Alpha Omega Collective, and Eberle Winery. Her experience spans guest experiences, wine club operations, tasting room management, and digital marketing, including her role as Social Media Manager at Simply Clear Marketing. A Sonoma County native, Samantha is passionate about fostering meaningful connections through authentic experiences, bringing creativity and exceptional service to support Valette Hospitality's guest-focused vision.
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EVENTS & SALES COORDINATOR
Valette HospitalityMia Aponte is the Event and Sales Coordinator for Valette Hospitality, managing events and sales for The Matheson, Roof 106, and Valette in Healdsburg. A Sonoma State University graduate, she has experience in event planning, public relations, and hospitality coordination. Mia previously served as General Manager at Primitivo PR and REACH Event Programmer at Sonoma State, where she gained experience in client communications, event planning, budget management, and digital marketing. Detail-focused, motivated, and committed to delivering excellence, she combines creative event execution with strong relationship-building to create memorable guest experiences.
Valette
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EXECUTIVE CHEF
ValetteDerek Mattern's love of restaurants runs in the family. His parents met in his grandparents' restaurant in Pennsylvania, and his mother ran her own along the James River in Richmond, Virginia, where he grew up. He started cooking professionally at sixteen and moved to California in 2015, a path that led him into the kitchens of Thomas Keller, Curtis Stone, and Robert Sulatycky. While his roots are in Southern comfort food, he fell for the produce of California. As Executive Chef at Valette, he leans clean, fresh, and bold, letting the ingredients do the talking.
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GENERAL MANAGER
ValetteHarry Bryan joins Valette as General Manager with more than twenty years in hospitality. He joins from Timber Cove Resort on the Sonoma Coast, where he served as Food and Beverage Director. Earlier roles include Bar Manager at Heartland Brewery in New York City, Bar Manager and Floor Captain at the Versace House in Miami Beach, and General Manager at Mateo's Cocina Latina in Healdsburg. He works alongside Executive Chef Derek Mattern and owners Dustin Valette and Aaron Garzini, bringing a deep love of food and wine and a steady hand on the dining room.
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RESTAURANT MANAGER
ValetteColette René brings more than two decades of hospitality to her role as Restaurant Manager, which she stepped into in May 2025. She keeps service running smoothly day to day and gives the team the tools and training to grow. Before Valette, she spent more than eight years as a leader at the girl & the fig restaurant group in Sonoma, overseeing the main restaurant, the fig cafe in Glen Ellen, and the catering arm. She has a sharp eye for numbers, but it is the people who keep her in the work. Off the clock, she gardens, bakes, and walks the Sonoma and Marin coast.
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BAR MANAGER
ValetteDale Kaiser runs the bar at Valette, where he brings more than a decade in the industry to every pour. He moves easily between the classics and his own original drinks, building each one with care and a clear read on what a guest is after. A good cocktail, the way he sees it, is part of the welcome and not an afterthought. Behind the Valette Bar he holds that standard all night, from a properly made old fashioned to something you have not tried before.
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SOUS CHEF
ValetteCoan Donatto brings seventeen years of cooking to the Valette kitchen. His path from Portland to the Bay Area is built on whole-animal butchery, house-made salumi, and fresh pasta, grounded in a wide knowledge of local and global ingredients. That range shows up across the menu, from the cured meats on the charcuterie board to the daily pastas and specials. His work is hands-on and detail-driven, and it shows in the small things on the plate. He helps set the standard on the Valette line every night.
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SOUS CHEF
ValetteBen Minick grew up on his family's vineyard and fruit farm in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. His father made wine under the Willow Crest label and grew some of the state's best produce, while his mother's home cooking set him on a path that has now spanned more than fifteen years. He came to California in 2014 to cook in Los Angeles, then earned his degree from the Culinary Institute of America at St. Helena. His passion for charcuterie, butchery, and small-farm produce led him to Dustin Valette's kitchens at both Valette and The Matheson, where he now cooks as Sous Chef.
The Matheson
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EXECUTIVE CHEF
The MathesonBrian Best leads the kitchens at both The Matheson and Roof 106 as Executive Chef. He helped shape the original Matheson menu alongside Dustin Valette and has guided it since the restaurant opened in 2021. On the main floor, his cooking leans into modern Sonoma wine country cuisine built on local farms and ranches. One flight up at Roof 106, he works the wood-fired Mugnaini oven, turning out blistered pizzas, wood-roasted vegetables, and seasonal small plates. His range across the two rooms, polished downstairs and open-fire upstairs, gives The Matheson much of its breadth.
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VP OF OPERATIONS
The MathesonMarko Sotto brings more than twenty-five years in hospitality to The Matheson. He came up working closely under industry leaders including Michael Mina and Adriano Paganini, and built a management style of his own along the way. He leads from a simple belief: get the culture right and the rest follows. Day to day, that shows up in how the team is trained, supported, and held to a standard, so the room runs with both warmth and precision. His focus on the people behind the service is a steady hand under everything The Matheson puts in front of a guest.
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GENERAL MANAGER
The MathesonJon McCarthy fell for northern California on a road trip and moved west soon after. He grew up in northern Virginia's young wine country, where good food and wine caught his attention early. He landed at Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen, where he first worked with Dustin Valette, then spent time at Chalkboard before heading to New York. There he poured as a sommelier at Aureole and ran the beverage program at the Archer Hotel and its rooftop. He returned to Sonoma County to help open The Matheson, where he built the beverage programs, from the cellar to the 88-tap Wine Wall to the rooftop bar at Roof 106, and now leads the restaurant as General Manager.
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SOUS CHEF
The Matheson
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SOUS CHEF
The MathesonDeron Ryan joined The Matheson as Sous Chef, drawn in by a hardworking team and the creative freedom to help shape each seasonal menu. He cooks with real enthusiasm and has a few clear favorites on the menu, from the gazpacho to the foie to the kampachi crudo. He enjoys the range the building offers, moving between the refined plates of the main dining room and the wood-fired pizzas and fried chicken up at Roof 106. That mix of discipline and play keeps his cooking sharp and the menu evolving.
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SOUS CHEF
The Matheson
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BAR MANAGER
The MathesonKathleen Unzueta runs the bar program at The Matheson, leading a full craft cocktail menu that moves from spirit-forward classics to lighter, easy-drinking pours. She builds her drinks around what is in season, pulling from the garden and the farmers' market for fresh citrus, herbs, and whatever is growing nearby. Whatever the pour, her work behind the bar is local, seasonal, and grounded in craft.
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RESTURANT MANAGER
The MathesonTrey Saulter brings fifteen years in hospitality to his role as Restaurant Manager at The Matheson, along with an energetic, hands-on presence on the floor. He came up through respected names in the region, with time at Montage and the Francis Ford Coppola Winery before joining the team. A Healdsburg local, he knows the town and its guests well. Day to day, he keeps service moving and helps lead the front of house, bringing fresh energy to the room and a genuine ease with the people who walk through the door.
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RESTAURANT MANAGER
The Matheson
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MAÎTRE D'
The Matheson
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ASSISTANT MANAGER
The MathesonLuis Corzo brings more than twenty-five years in the industry to his role as Restaurant Manager at The Matheson, and the depth that comes with it. He reads a dining room with the ease of someone who has worked countless services, and his knowledge runs wide across hospitality. He is also a Sonoma County business owner in his own right, as the proprietor of Bianchini's Deli, which keeps him close to the community the restaurant serves.
Valette Wines
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GENERAL MANAGER
Valette WinesMark Malpiede leads Valette Wines as General Manager after sixteen years in the same role at Williams Selyem, one of Sonoma County's most respected wineries. He is a former President of the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation and Co-Chair of the Ceres Community Foundation. His relationships across the region run deep, and they open doors for the label at every turn. Day to day, he sets the direction for sales, operations, and the partnerships that carry Valette Wines beyond Healdsburg, giving the team the footing to focus on what ends up in the bottle.
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DIRECT TO CONSUMER MANAGER
Valette WinesLisa Demarest brings more than twenty years in luxury hospitality, events, and wine to her role as Direct to Consumer Manager. She holds her WSET Level 2 certification and the Cornell University U.S. Wine certification, credentials that reflect both technical depth and a feel for what makes a tasting come alive. Her work with wineries such as Kistler Vineyards and Charles Krug took her across Sonoma and Napa, building food and wine experiences along the way. At Valette Wines, she guides guests through a portfolio designed for the table, balancing education with the simple pleasure of a good glass.
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DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Valette WinesKimberly Matson is a Healdsburg native with deep wine-country roots, including time at Brogan Cellars and Littorai. As Director of Operations, she shapes the day-to-day of Valette Wines and the way its wine and culinary sides come together. She is a steady advocate for sustainability, mentorship, and community across Sonoma County. Her local knowledge runs deep, from the growers to the people who pour, and her work behind the scenes keeps the whole operation moving so that what guests experience feels easy and unhurried.
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STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Valette WinesMichael Riel advises Valette Wines after decades in ultra-luxury wine operations, with leadership roles at Paul Hobbs Wines, M.A. Silva Corks USA, and Browne Family Wines. He was named to the North Bay Business Journal's 40 Under 40. As Strategic Advisor, he lends the operational judgment and the industry relationships that help a small label punch above its size and attract the winemakers behind its 100-point scores. His experience is the quiet backbone behind much of what the team builds, from how the wine is made to how it reaches the people who love it.
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DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SALES
Valette WinesTome Escobar is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and a world traveler with long roots in the restaurant and wine world. As Director of National Sales, he carries Valette Wines to tables across the country, connecting the label with the people and places that bring it to life. He knows a wine is only finished once it reaches the table, and he builds lasting relationships that keep it there. His palate and his ease with people make him a natural bridge between the cellar and the dining room.
Behind every exceptional dining experience is a dedicated
team of professionals who bring passion and expertise to their
craft. From our managers and sous chefs at Valette to our servers,
sommeliers, and bartenders at The Matheson and Roof 106, to the wine operations staff at Valette Wines, each member of the Valette Hospitality
team plays a vital role in creating memorable moments for our guests.
We're obsessed with the details that make a meal unforgettable. Our restaurants and wine label are built on craft, collaboration, and bringing people together. If you care about quality, relationships, and creating experiences guests remember long after they leave, see what's open below.