Little Saint, the ambitious all-vegan restaurant, market and event venue at 25 North St., dropped an early Christmas surprise last week when it was announced that the owners, Laurie and Jeff Ubben, will take over full management of business when Vertice Hospitality concludes its oversight as of Jan. 6, 2023.
The news was announced in a press release dated Dec. 14, but the restaurant’s press offices requested the news be quarantined until after a staff meeting that afternoon to share the news. It was apparently a well-kept secret, as employees confirmed that they were unaware of the pending changes.
“Our initial concept for Little Saint, which debuted in the former SHED space in early 2022, was to return a treasured destination to our town of Healdsburg in the form of a plant-based all-day gathering place,” said the Ubbens in a press release from LIttle Saint.
Vertice also operates SingleThread Farm and Restaurant in Healdsburg, and the year-long partnership between the two restaurants seemed a solid one. Vertice, a hospitality development and management company “with a radical vision for what hospitality can be,” as the press release said, recently purchased the River Belle Inn on Front Street and is expected to shift their focus to that historic bed and breakfast.
SingleThread chefs Kyle and Katina Connaughton had cooperated with the Ubbens, and Little Saint creative director Ken Fulk, to help re-establish the former SHED location as a destination shopping and dining experience in Healdsburg. “We are proud to have been a part of this very special collaboration within our community and to have the opportunity to participate in Little Saint’s ideation to operating all the way through its first year,” the Connaughtons said.
The Ubbens were not directly available for comment, but Sarah Lynch of Fulk’s office downplayed the move. “There’s no real news for the owners to share. We are making adjustments in support of our original vision for Healdsburg’s first 100% vegan restaurant,” she told the Tribune.
She did confirm however that there were changes in the works. “The menu will be different—a simple and straightforward collaboration with Little Saint Farm,” said Lynch.
Like SingleThread, Little Saint operates its own farm nearby to supply greens for the kitchen, which find their way into the seasonal vegan dishes the restaurant features. SingleThread however is not vegan; Little Saint is committed to the concept.
“This is a natural progression of an ambitious idea to build a restaurant based on a passionate philosophy,” said Lynch. “Such collaborations are rarely a direct route to their final destination, but much of Little Saint was going in the right direction, so we’re taking a moment to fine-tune the compass.”
“It’s with much gratitude and excitement that Little Saint is ready to pick up where Vertice leaves off and will manage all food and beverage operations,” read the statement from the Ubbens. “We look forward to expanding our growing community and will continue to dedicate ourselves to purposefully plant-based offerings.”
Staff continuity presumes Chef Bryan Oliver will continue to oversee the restaurant’s menu of 100% plant-based dishes, based on what is growing seasonally on their five-acre garden property located off Westside Road. There are currently 69 people working at Little Saint, but Lynch was careful to qualify any speculation. “Everyone at Little Saint has been offered to remain in their current roles and I anticipate that most of the staffing will be confirmed by January 7th when the hand-over of [Food and Beverage] operations is complete,” she told the Tribune in an email.
However, though no one is predicting significant transformation, some alterations may be revealed soon. “We are making some minor changes to the layout, and we may close for a short winter break to implement those,” said Lynch.
The vegan restaurant and eclectic wine program are only part of Little Saint’s broad menu and services: An expresso cart creates on-demand coffee drinks (with oatmeal and nut milks only); pastries and snacks are made in on-site ovens; and house-made kombuchas, juices and “wellness shots” are also available.
Upstairs, the patio-style Lounge at Little Saint offers specialty cocktails from Thursday through Monday evenings, in addition to occasional live performances. The entire upper floor also doubles as a private event venue for up to 200 guests.
It was almost exactly four years ago that Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniel announced that the SHED, their self-financed project, would close its doors for good on Dec. 31, 2018, ending its five-year experiment in agrarian retail.
Besides being located at 25 North St., Little Saint may be found online at littlesainthealdsburg.com. Opens at 6 am; restaurant is open Thursday-Monday, 5:30-9:30pm. Closed Mondays.
