Greg Cole

83 Minutes

The city of Napa was once better known for its car dealerships and dive bars than for top-tier dining. That changed in the late 1990s when a young chef named Greg Cole, against the advice of others, rolled the dice on launching a small restaurant called Celadon. When Celadon became a sensation, he followed it up by opening the now-legendary Cole’s Chop House.

Chef Cole’s path to helping reinvent Napa’s food scene started in a Southern California diner and included stops at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, the restaurant at Chandon, a brewery, a stint as a cellar worker, and more.

What he started in the 1990s has become a full-blown food renaissance in Napa.

Cole is an incredible storyteller, and we had an absolutely unforgettable hour with him. Enjoy!

For more on the restaurants he founded, visit Celadon Napa and Cole's Chop House.