Dustin Valette: Chef-Owner of Valette's and The Matheson in Healdsburg
Our speaker for Thursday, April 14, 2022, was Dustin Valette, Chef-owner of Valette’s in Healdsburg and “The Matheson” on the Healdsburg town square. Chef Valette began his restaurant career at age 13 washing dishes at Catelli’s in Geyserville, worked as an apprentice at Chateau Souverain, and then traveled and worked in Napa, San Francisco, Honolulu, New York City, Napa, Italy, France and Henderson, Nevada. He returned to Sonoma County to accomplish his dream of opening a restaurant dedicated to showcasing the bounty of Sonoma County. He is married and has two daughters. He is, according to Michael Riel, “the best chef ever.”
Dustin’s restaurants are focused on using high quality local goods as key ingredients. This focus requires Dustin to support local microbusinesses, including farmers and vintners. These small producers often have difficulty selling their goods direct-to-consumer and welcome having local restaurants and shops as customers.
One of the key problems running a small, high-end restaurant is finding ways to make the business sustainable over the long haul. Economic problems like inflation reveal how difficult this can be. For example, before the pandemic he could buy high-quality scallops for $17.00 per pound. The current price is $45. Consumers can buy scallops at Costco for far less. Costco scallops, however, may not have the same flavor or be as sustainably raised. Dustin tries to find ways to showcase the products he sells as environmentally sustainable and important products to the local economy. His restaurants help keep local farmers and ranchers in business and are important to the local agricultural economy.
Valette Restaurant has 42 employees, and The Matheson has 110. He strives to hire good, quality people who want careers in the hospitality and restaurant industries. He knows that he can teach the nuances of the business, but he wants people who want to be industry leaders, who want to be successful. He believes that having such people is the one of the keys to success in his industry.
Thank you, Dustin, for the informative presentation and thank you for supporting Sonoma County’s small businesses! We look forward to seeing you at one of your restaurants!
View Chef Dustin's presentation by clicking HERE!
