The Studio by Feast it Forward

Popular Chefs Will ‘Rotate’ Into Upcoming Napa Restaurant Rotation by Feast It Forward at Oxbow Public Market | Eater SF

"After Oxbow Public Market’s anchor restaurant C Casa suddenly closed in January 2025, the market is partnering with Feast It Forward — the collective, events space, and media network from owner Katie Hamilton Shaffer — to open the collective’s first restaurant in Fall 2025. Shaffer frames the concept as a constantly evolving draw for the region: “The whole idea is to bring tourism and something very unique for our community that is constantly evolving and changing,” she says. “It’s all about cuisine and culture.” With the key finally in hand, Shaffer is beginning renovations on the 5,000-square-foot space and folding the project into Feast It Forward’s venue across the street. The restaurant will feature rotating chef residencies that can run for months or weeks at a time, giving locals new menus by visiting chefs throughout the year; visiting chefs will come to Napa to film videos with the Feast It Forward network for a few days, leading to a ticketed opening party celebration at the venue with music, cocktails, light bites, and on-stage discussion with the chef that will serve as the kickoff to their residency. The visiting chef’s team will work with the staff on lunch and dinner menus meant to be served daily throughout the residency, and traveling team members will have accommodations provided while in Napa. Between residencies, a yet-to-be-named executive chef will serve their own menu for the restaurant and the social club, which Shaffer says will be “in theme” with the restaurant’s name, such as rotisserie meats and fresh vegetables cooked — or rotating — over the restaurant’s hearth. Shaffer sees the model as beneficial to chefs and locals: it can serve as a test market for chefs considering opening in Napa Valley, a way to grow a chef’s name or showcase cuisine not readily available in the area, and a chance to leverage long-standing chef relationships (Feast It Forward’s programming has included series with chefs Jacques Pépin and Martin Yan). There’s also a charitable component where chefs can select a charity to benefit; as Shaffer notes, “There’s a long slew of chefs that we’ve worked with over the years,” Shaffer says, “but it’s also really going to tap into the fact that there’s a lot of cuisine I believe that people would love to experience.” The first chef residency is expected to be announced in June or July as the buildout timeline is dialed in. Meanwhile, the Feast It Forward venue across the street will convert from a public space into a private club after eight years, offering members access to other social clubs internationally; while that venue never officially offered food, the new restaurant at Oxbow will serve food for club members and private events. Shaffer positions the venture as elevating chefs alongside entertainment year-round: “I think of BottleRock and Coachella and all these experiences where now chefs are highlighted along with the music, and this is really embracing that year-round.”" - Dianne de Guzman