Matthew Greenbaum has sold Underwood Bar & Bistro, the Graton restaurant he has run for nearly 24 years, to Sean Kelley, Tara Heffernon and Laura Sanfilippo, the owners of Lo & Behold Bar + Kitchen in Healdsburg. Greenbaum, 65, will stay on through New Year's Eve 2026, his last official day at the restaurant he built into a gathering spot for local winemakers, restaurant workers and neighbors.
The sale closes a long chapter for a restaurant that has anchored the small Sonoma County town for decades. According to Sonoma Magazine, Greenbaum opened Underwood in December 2002, though a separate Sonoma Magazine profile from last year dates its opening to 2001 \u2014 accounts that diverge on the exact year even as both agree the restaurant has anchored Graton for decades. Underwood sits in the heart of Graton, a town Sonoma County's tourism bureau describes as picturesque Sonoma wine country, and the restaurant and Greenbaum's other property, Willow Wood Market Cafe, are credited with helping turn the town into a dining destination.
A Line Cook Who Worked His Way Up
For incoming owner Sean Kelley, the purchase is something of a homecoming. Kelley started as a line cook at Underwood in 2004 and spent 12 years working his way up to sous chef and co-manager before eventually running the food program at Burdock, according to the sale report. He'll oversee the kitchen transition going forward, with current chef Mark Miller staying on.
Kelley's partners bring their own Sonoma County pedigree. Heffernon and Sanfilippo were part of the founding team at Duke's Spirited Cocktails in 2016 before leaving in 2021, and all three opened Lo & Behold together in 2022. That Healdsburg spot has built a following for inventive cocktails, globally inspired comfort food and a lively, unpretentious atmosphere, per the same report. Heffernon and Sanfilippo plan to split their time between Healdsburg and Graton as they take on the new restaurant.
What Stays, What Changes at Underwood
Kelley said the new ownership wants to renew Underwood while respecting its legacy, and the plan calls for keeping the dishes regulars already love. Steak frites, chou-fleur and cocktails rooted in the classics are expected to remain, and Kelley plans to lean further into the restaurant's original French brasserie roots, including adding classic San Francisco dishes such as cioppino. Sanfilippo said Underwood is special to all three incoming owners.
The incoming team also plans some updates: online reservations, a reimagined happy hour and the return of lunch service are all on the table, though the sale report does not specify when those changes would take effect. The restaurant's menu has long wandered beyond strict brasserie territory \u2014 a 2025 Sonoma Magazine feature noted brasserie staples like French onion soup and duck leg confit sitting alongside tapas-style Mediterranean plates and the occasional Thai dish, while a 2012 SFGATE review pointed to Thai- and Korean-influenced dishes and even a Moroccan lamb tagine on the menu. That same 2012 review described Underwood pulling crowds from Santa Rosa, Guerneville, Forestville and Sebastopol, along with area tourists, with Greenbaum identified then as owner of both Underwood and Willow Wood.
Greenbaum's Next Act Across the Street
Greenbaum isn't leaving Graton. He'll continue operating Willow Wood Market Cafe, the casual restaurant he opened across the street from Underwood in 1995, and longtime Underwood general manager Jen Warfel will move there with him. A 2024 Press Democrat piece on Willow Wood's 29th anniversary noted the cafe sits directly across the tiny main street from Underwood, a layout that has defined the two restaurants' relationship for years.
Greenbaum said he is ready to make time for a third act, adding that success now means having a new relationship with time. He said finding owners who would care for Underwood's longtime employees and loyal customers was a priority in the sale, and that the buyers understand the restaurant and don't want to change its core. He expects Underwood to remain open for another 25 years.
