San Francisco fine-dining fans may still be mourning One Market, but Napa just scored the consolation prize. Mark Dommen, the longtime force behind the Embarcadero landmark, has taken over the kitchen at Hestan Napa, the new brand house and restaurant in the First Street complex. The move brings a Michelin-starred chef back to his hometown after One Market closed last year following a 32-year run, and Dommen has said that watching guests enjoy his food and getting closer to family both weighed heavily in the decision.
According to the Napa Valley Register, Dommen signed on with Hestan Napa in the First Street Napa complex and is leading the restaurant’s kitchen. Hestan’s site lists him as executive chef and notes that the brand house is now open at 1300 First Street, Suite 291 in downtown Napa.
From One Market To The Valley
Dommen built his reputation in the Bay Area dining scene and steered One Market for years, guiding the waterfront restaurant to Michelin recognition. Eater SF reported that One Market shut its doors on June 11, 2025, ending a 32-year run that owners linked to pandemic-era financial hits and a steep drop in downtown foot traffic.
Hestan's Brand House Vision
Hestan pitches the new space as part cookware showroom, part tasting room and part full-service restaurant, with every dish cooked on the company’s commercial gear and paired with Hestan Vineyards wines. Hestan’s site leans into a seasonally driven menu, while early write-ups from Food Gal describe a kitchen that is firmly rooted in Napa produce and aimed at approachable fine dining rather than white-tablecloth formality.
A Homecoming And A Cause
For Dommen, the new role reads as a personal return as much as a professional one. He told the Napa Valley Register that he tends a large backyard garden, wants to spend more time with his children, and that his youngest daughter has type 1 diabetes, which has led him to support Breakthrough T1D as a favored charity. He also noted that the pandemic hit hospitality especially hard and that staffing shortages are still dogging the industry.
For Napa diners, his arrival is a quiet coup. Dommen gives Hestan a seasoned fine-dining hand and adds another option to a downtown that is heavy on tasting rooms. Seasonal menu changes and wine pairings are expected to follow the valley’s harvest calendar, and the hire signals that Hestan intends to anchor its retail-meets-restaurant concept with serious, name-brand culinary talent.
