Our Team

Born in San Francisco and raised in Palo Alto and Menlo Park, Josiah Slone found his calling at very a young age: While friends played with G.I. Joe action figures, he read The Joy of Cooking from cover to cover; while they watched cartoons he was drawn to the cooking programs of Martin Yan and Julia Child. Despite his strong fascination, Slone's innate talents for math and science led him to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at UCLA. His passion, however, eventually led him to step off his "safe" career path and into the kitchen.

After a beginning stint under the tutelage of Steven Alton King, Slone moved into the rank of sous chef at Renee's in Santa Monica. While there, Slone heard of an opening for head chef at Bloomfield Great House on Jamaica and, after a rigorous five-day assessment in their luxury, Old World kitchens, he landed the position. He was only 21.

From there, Slone was headhunted across the island to the modern outpost Jake's Treasure Beach, where he was allowed to experiment with contemporary creativity and local flavors in the upscale but approachable restaurant, and his intellectual approach to the art of cooking was allowed to thrive. Slone returned to California and American cooking in 2000 at the Peninsula Fountain Grill in Palo Alto. In 2003, he bought and reopened David Kinch's Sent Sovi with his wife Khin Khin.

Now only 30 years old, the thoughtful and genuine young chef sees the art of fine dining as transportive and restorative as theatre, an opportunity for entertainment and refreshment from daily reality. He insists on a warm, all-inclusive atmosphere of expert attentiveness, and uses only fresh ingredients from small farms and artisanal purveyors. Slone particularly excels at tasting menus -- beyond the Chef's Tasting and Vegetarian Tasting Menu, Restaurant Sent Sovi features a Grand Tasting Menu customized to suit individual diet, budget and ingredient preferences. Call to inquire.

Burmese-born Khin Khin Slone grew up in the Pacific Islands, spending most of her childhood on the island of Fiji. Her family moved to California in 1995, and it was at UCLA that she met Josiah Slone. A tax accountant by trade, Khin Khin took over all managerial aspects of the restaurant in 2006.

A lover of fine dining herself, her favorite aspect of her position is hearing and viewing customer enjoyment from "the other side".

Michael Duffy is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and has had a passion for everything food related since early on. He began his career as a line cook at the Los Gatos Brewing Company and after proving himself, was promoted to sous chef after just one year. During his two year tenure in this position, he gained a wealth of experience and knowledge about the business and operational sides of the industry, as well the skills needed in kitchen staff management.

From here, Michael decided to make the transition into the world of fine dining and accepted a position as a line cook at Emile's, one of San Jose's premier dining establishments. Here he learned all about the techniques involved with traditional French, Swiss and Italian old world classics, which gave him the perfect platform for his position at Sent Sovi.

Nick Vrignaud, a California native, brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his new position at Sent Sovi in Saratoga. With more than 16 years in the restaurant industry under his belt, and 13 of them in fine dining establishments, Nick has a real zest and passion for everything food and wine related.

Prior to joining the Sent Sovi team, Nick's most recent position was as front of house manager for The Sherman in Burlingame where he was hired as part of the pre-opening team and was tasked with defining what "fine dining" would mean as it translated through food and service at the restaurant. During his tenure there he managed the main dining room in addition to the bars and hosts which served to build his experience even further. Nick was responsible for maintaining a solid presence on the floor during service and ensuring that the dining experience was flawless and genuine. This involved training his staff as well as directing and assisting them throughout their shifts. Nick also oversaw the selection of wines for the restaurant, managed this inventory and developed the wine list, which he found exhilarating.

From 2004 - 2007 Nick worked as a server at Café Marcella in Los Gatos, California, where he was in charge of the restaurant's most demanding station. Nick acted as a liaison between the kitchen and dining room during his shift and consulted with the executive chef on select menu items. Prior to this he worked at the Plumed Horse as a senior server, responsible for maintaining the highest service standards in his assigned stations, while supervising the dining room as a whole. He also oversaw and directed the new staff and acted as the lead server for high-profile private parties.

His extensive hands-on experience, coupled with his love for everything culinary, make Nick a true stand-out in the industry and he is thrilled to be a part of the team at Sent Sovi.

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Our Team