Healdsburg's Shed Names Perry Hoffman Culinary Director

Here's one for the award committees in 2016: The Michelin-starred Perry Hoffman is the new culinary director at the James Beard-approved Shed in Healdsburg. Hoffman and owners Cindy Daniel and Doug Lipton are big on casual food from "good farming" and gardening, which should inform Hoffman’s new menus, yet to be rolled out at the combination hall, cafe, fermentation bar and marketplace. Former chef Miles Thompson is moving on to a to-be-determined project.

As for all those awards between the two? Let’s take a closer look: Hoffman joins from étoile at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, where he earned a Michelin star three years in a row. The Chronicle named him a Rising Star Chef in 2010, he was a semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year in both 2010 and 2011, and he won Food & Wine's People's Best New California Chef in 2012. As for Shed, the restaurant was named the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant Design for 2014 award winner. Perhaps Hoffman will get Shed on the fancy award committee radar as well.