David White, partner, ne timeas restaurant group: David White, an Irish national, moved from Europe to San Francisco in 1997 and has lived here since, working in a number of different capacities at an array of renowned establishments. Realizing flour + water gave David the opportunity to explore another set of skills, this time as project manager for the restaurant’s construction. These days you are less likely to see him on the floor as his time is mostly spent behind the scenes focusing on the healthy evolution of the ne timeas restaurant group and the growth of the organization as a whole. “There are so many components that go into creating a successful restaurant, I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to be exposed to every aspect of this process and to be able to work with so many amazing people”. The thing David is most proud of at the ne timeas restaurant group is the great sense of family and the culture that we have created among our staff.
David Steele, partner, ne timeas restaurant group: David Steele, also a New Jersey native, merges the heart of a food entrepreneur with the brain of a born businessman. Eight years of restaurant experience during his time at college segued into 18 more working in finance, most recently as a Executive Director of a wealth management firm. flour + water was the realization of a life-long dream to return to the food world and create a restaurant that has “spectacularly high standards while maintaining a sense of its humble beginnings”. For Steele, excellence does not equal exclusivity. He applies this pursuit of excellence to every aspect of the ne timeas restaurant group’s operations, not just food and service, but also atmosphere, design, employee satisfaction, financial sustainability, and the ne timeas restaurant group’s role within its neighborhood and community.
Thomas McNaughton, executive chef, ne timeas restaurant group: Chef Thomas McNaughton started working in kitchens at a very young age in Southern New Jersey. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Thomas moved to the Bay Area and started working at La Folie. He then went on to become sous chef at two of San Francisco’s most respected restaurants: Gary Danko and Quince.
In addition to his time in San Francisco, McNaughton traveled throughout Europe to work and stage at Michell Rostang in France, Tantrise in Germany, and Sassege in Italy. Just prior to the opening of flour + water, McNaughton worked at Bruno e Franco pasta “laboratory” in Bologna, Italy, where he honed his pasta-making skills under the watchful eyes of committed pasta artisans. Thomas describes the inspiration behind the flour + water menu as a combination of refinement and Old-World tradition.
The James Beard Foundation nominated Thomas for Rising Star Chef in 2011, 2012 and again in 2013, and flour + water was nominated as Best New Restaurant in 2010. In addition to flour + water, Thomas currently oversees the growth and development of Central Kitchen and Salumeria, two projects that the Ne Timeas Restaurant Group opened in spring 2012.
Matt Sigler, chef de cuisine, salumeria: Matt Sigler’s culinary interest began in his grandmother’s kitchen in a small town in Nebraska. Following a desire to develop a career in the restaurant industry, he traveled to San Francisco and after graduating from the California Culinary Academy, he began an internship at Quince where he met Chef Thomas McNaughton. Matt went on to work at Foreign Cinema and later worked at Slow Club, where he eventually became Sous Chef. He joined the flour+water team in 2009 and shortly after was promoted to Sous Chef. During his time at flour+water, Matt has developed a specialized interest and acclaim for cured meats, artisanal cheeses and butchery. Matt is now the Chef De Cuisine of Salumeria where he is showcasing his salumi program which ranges from Italy to Southern France and Northern Spain.