Our History
Barndiva grew out of our desire to celebrate the exquisite food sheds of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties from Healdsburg to the ocean, with special attention paid to following the breadcrumbs up Hwy 128 through the Anderson Valley to Philo, where we have dry farmed apples, figs and chestnuts on a ridge above the pacific for the past three decades.
While the family farm is still the heartbeat of our enterprise, Barndiva, designed and built as a unique destination for European style dining and parties, has grown in ways we never imagined. We are now spread over 1/2 acre in the center of town with two properties and adjacent gardens. We have elevated our dining experience to a Michelin Star level of three consecutive years, and host a unique range of extraordinary food and wine experiences throughout the year. We still lose money at farming.
Lukka Feldman and Isabel Hales are the driving force guiding our full range of hospitality programs. Geoff Hales is our numbers guy, Jil Hales is Barndiva’s creative director and produces eat the view, our blog.
Our Team
The Barndiva Team in Healdsburg
Seasonality is the lodestar of our ingredient and technique driven kitchens. For 23 years we have explored the extraordinary food-sheds of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, seeking out farmers and artisan producers who believe as we do that truly nourishing food experiences start in the soil, the vineyard, the field.
Our current menu is created by Erik Anderson, whose arresting food journey through some of the most renown kitchens in the world including Noma, Auriga, TFL, The Catbird Seat, eventually leading him to Coi, in San Francisco, where he earned two Michelin Stars.
Emily Carlson still inspires our wine list and coordinates our annual collaborative wine parties - The Pink Party, Fête Blanc, and the Sparkle Party, which launches the holiday season in Healdsburg. Isabel Hales leads our dining room and bar program. With Scott Beattie we host private cocktail classes in the gardens and the barn throughout the year.
Susan Bischoff leads our event team of bespoke barndiva weddings and rehearsal dinners, and all manner of unforgettable celebratory and team building events.
We all believe that no matter how delicious the dish, beautiful the room, extraordinary the floral arrangements, or seductive the lighting, genuine hospitality is what the guest remembers most. It is what makes a dining experience memorable when you travel from your home, whether from around the corner or around the world, to join us in ours. We are proud to have been awarded a Michelin Star and to have been included in the Guide since 2007, when Michelin first published it’s San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country guide.
The Farm Team in Philo
Daniel Carlson designs and directs our extensive garden programs, aided by Misha Vega from her homebase in Philo. For two decades we have been renown for magnificent floral arrangements from the farm that fill our rooms and gardens, along with seasonal fruit from our heritage orchards. We have regeneratively farmed on a Ridge in Anderson Valley for over 40 years.
