Chef Shoemaker joins Violetto
Chef Mark Shoemaker has taken over the kitchen at Violetto inside Alila Napa Valley, bringing a background that spans Chicago and Washington farm life to St. Helena’s dining scene. (napavalleyregister.com)
Mark Shoemaker is now leading the kitchen at Violetto, the signature restaurant inside Alila Napa Valley in St. Helena. (winebusiness.com) Violetto announced Shoemaker’s appointment on May 6, 2025, saying he would oversee Violetto, Salvia Terrace & Bar, and the resort’s broader dining program. The restaurant sits at 1915 Main Street inside Alila Napa Valley. (winebusiness.com) Shoemaker came to Napa after running the culinary program at Pendry Hotel Chicago. Violetto’s team page also lists earlier stops at Michelin-starred Acadia and Elske in Chicago and The Willows Inn in Washington state. (violettonapavalley.com) His background is not only restaurant-based. Violetto says he spent two years at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, where he focused on sustainable farming, cheesemaking, butchery, and vegetable cookery. (violettonapavalley.com) That matters to how Violetto positions itself in Napa. The restaurant says its food draws on estate gardens, seasonal produce, and an Italian-French influence tied to Napa Valley’s wine and food history. (violettonapavalley.com; winebusiness.com) The resort around it is part of the pitch. Alila Napa Valley is an adults-focused hotel in central St. Helena, and local tourism listings describe the property as a 64-room luxury resort next to Beringer Vineyards. (hyatt.com; napavalley.com) Violetto said in 2025 that Shoemaker would carry forward its regional Italian approach with a more California-driven emphasis. The restaurant also described itself then as offering Napa Valley’s only Italian tasting menu. (winebusiness.com) By October 1, 2025, that shift had become a full tasting menu under Shoemaker’s name, with dishes including Dungeness crab scarpinocc, uni tortellini brodo, and Liberty Farms duck. Forbes reported it as his inaugural multi-course menu for the dining room. (prweb.com; forbes.com) So the move is bigger than one chef changing jobs. It puts a cook shaped by Chicago fine dining and farm work in charge of one of St. Helena’s hotel dining rooms, with a menu built around Napa produce and Italian technique. (violettonapavalley.com; winebusiness.com)
