Little Saint in Healdsburg, which opened Friday, April 22, features an international bounty of wines from 13 countries — including Greece, Croatia, Lebanon, France and South Africa. The 300-bottle list also has an impressive selection of exceptional wines made in Sonoma County.

For Wine Director Alexandria Sarovich, who joined Little Saint’s sister restaurant, Single Thread, as a sommelier three years ago, creating the wine program at the highly anticipated new restaurant was an exercise in curiosity and intuition. With a strong focus on sustainably produced wines and those made by women and people of color, the wines at Little Saint’s restaurant, bar and wine shop illustrate Sarovich’s interest in supporting winemakers from underrepresented communities.

“When choosing a wine, we choose what feels right,” she said. “I hadn’t tasted many BIPOC wines prior to starting this program, but that’s what I’m most curious about. It just feels right to look at these wines with an open mind.”

Located in the 10,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Healdsburg SHED, Little Saint is a restaurant, café, wine shop and event space from Single Thread’s Kyle and Katina Connaughton, philanthropist Jeff Ubben, animal activist Laurie Ubben and designer Ken Fulk.

Approximately 80% of the wines available in the restaurant will be sold in the wine shop, with the remaining 20% reserved for restaurant guests only. Local winemakers will offer complimentary wine tastings to the public every other Tuesday, beginning with Tom Darling of Darling Wines on May 3.

On other days, guests can drop by the tasting area and buy a white, red or skin-contact wine by the glass from a list that is updated weekly.

“I want people to feel like they can come in on a regular basis and enjoy an affordable glass or bottle of wine, whether it’s a $13 bottle of Cava or $40 bottle of Nebbiolo,” Sarovich said. “I don’t want the space to feel like it’s reserved just for special occasions because of the price.”

In the future, Little Saint expects to host wine release parties, wine dinners and other special events.

“The sky’s the limit because we have so many fantastic wineries in our wine program,” Sarovich said. “I’m just looking forward to connecting with people. That’s what I love to do.”

Everything and nothing is different as you walk into the new Little Saint in Healdsburg — the former SHED Modern Grange — which opened on Friday.

The layout of the cafe, coffee bar, mercantile and food cases are the same as when the 10,000-square-foot space closed in late 2018. But there’s a new warmth with cozy banquettes, floor-to-ceiling drapes hung with modern art and double the seating. It’s welcoming in a way that builds on SHED’s original vision, but with the skilled hospitality and of-the-moment cuisine of Single Thread.

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On opening day of the much-anticipated Little Saint, locals entered unsure of what to expect and with faces registering a combination of recognition and surprise. The project is a collaboration with Kyle and Katina Connaughton of the upscale Single Thread restaurant for the meatless menu, along with designer Ken Fulk’s vision for an art and community space and financial support from philanthropist Jeff Ubben and his wife, animal activist Laurie Ubben.

“This is a community gathering place that’s been missing for a few years,” said Little Saint General Manager Akeel Shah, most recently of Single Thread. “That’s what SHED was all about, and it’s exciting to bring this back.

“Immediately, when we told the community that we were opening our doors, it started a spark,” Shah said.

Single Thread’s management arm, Vertice Hospitality Management, will operate the food and wine components of the space, and Chef de Cuisine Bryan Oliver, will reprise his role in the kitchen. Oliver worked at SHED with former chef Perry Hoffman.

The restaurant’s plant-forward cafe and restaurant menus are an homage to 30 acres of Alexander Valley farmland: the 5-acre Little Saint Farm and the Connaughtons’ 25-acre Single Thread Farm.

The food, said Kyle Connaughton, showcases the micro-seasonal produce of the farms, a reflection of what’s happening today in Sonoma County. Restaurant dishes include lavash with togarashi, purple haze carrots with crunch rice and XO sauce, cauliflower biryani and rice pudding for dessert.

The cafe offers from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. a variety of salads, bowls and desserts with dishes such as beets in coconut yogurt, eggless potato salad and orzo with asparagus and preserved lemons.

Fulk’s design and art elements include a cozy collection of upcycled vintage and custom pieces by local artisans. The pattern on the curtains was created by Fulk’s team and printed locally using sustainable ink with symbols of California, including a redwood, grizzly bear and poppies.

Fulk’s non-profit Saint Joseph's Arts Foundation will program upcoming live music, art exhibitions and speakers.

Little Saint in Healdsburg, which opened Friday, April 22, features an international bounty of wines from 13 countries — including Greece, Croatia, Lebanon, France and South Africa. The 300-bottle list also has an impressive selection of exceptional wines made in Sonoma County.

For Wine Director Alexandria Sarovich, who joined Little Saint’s sister restaurant, Single Thread, as a sommelier three years ago, creating the wine program at the highly anticipated new restaurant was an exercise in curiosity and intuition. With a strong focus on sustainably produced wines and those made by women and people of color, the wines at Little Saint’s restaurant, bar and wine shop illustrate Sarovich’s interest in supporting winemakers from underrepresented communities.

“When choosing a wine, we choose what feels right,” she said. “I hadn’t tasted many BIPOC wines prior to starting this program, but that’s what I’m most curious about. It just feels right to look at these wines with an open mind.”

Located in the 10,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Healdsburg SHED, Little Saint is a restaurant, café, wine shop and event space from Single Thread’s Kyle and Katina Connaughton, philanthropist Jeff Ubben, animal activist Laurie Ubben and designer Ken Fulk.

Approximately 80% of the wines available in the restaurant will be sold in the wine shop, with the remaining 20% reserved for restaurant guests only. Local winemakers will offer complimentary wine tastings to the public every other Tuesday, beginning with Tom Darling of Darling Wines on May 3.

On other days, guests can drop by the tasting area and buy a white, red or skin-contact wine by the glass from a list that is updated weekly.

“I want people to feel like they can come in on a regular basis and enjoy an affordable glass or bottle of wine, whether it’s a $13 bottle of Cava or $40 bottle of Nebbiolo,” Sarovich said. “I don’t want the space to feel like it’s reserved just for special occasions because of the price.”

In the future, Little Saint expects to host wine release parties, wine dinners and other special events.

“The sky’s the limit because we have so many fantastic wineries in our wine program,” Sarovich said. “I’m just looking forward to connecting with people. That’s what I love to do.”

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