YOUNTVILLE ? Food Network regular, author and entrepreneur Michael Chiarello is making his return to television this year ? this time from the Napa Valley.
The renowned chef has starred in several network television shows, including the Emmy-winning ?Easy Entertaining.? But this will be his first filming after a several-month television hiatus. He will do the show from his latest NapaStyle retail store and nearby barrel room in Yountville.
Though the cookbook author has made Napa his home for the past 25 years, his profession has sent him traveling much of the time. With the opening of the flagship NapaStyle store and neighboring fine dining Bottega restaurant, Mr. Chiarello said all he needed was a television show to have all of his work in one location.
?This gave me a chance to do everything I do from a single property,? he said. ?And I think it will really breathe new life into the marketplace.?
The show will not begin filming until at least the late spring and the chef is still planning a lot of the details, but it likely will include a live audience. The majority of the production will take place in the marketplace?s barrel room, which is currently used for banquets.
Mr. Chiarello signed the lease for the space in the 36,000-square-foot V Marketplace in January as part of the historic shopping district?s plan to revitalize the space. The center includes 18 retailers and is in the midst of completing a marketing strategy, propelled by the opening of Mr. Chiarello?s retail store.
Mr. Chiarello, who recently joined the board of the resurgent Napa Valley Conference & Visitors Bureau, said he hopes the television program will add to the area?s fame. ?We all depend on tourism, and anything I can do to promote Napa is good for everyone,? he said.
The NapaStyle store is the company?s flagship location and the testing ground for a new line artisan foods. NapaStyle produces its own products already, but the Yountville store is the first to offer products made on site. Eventually the jams, rubs, oils and sauces will be distributed to the other NapaStyle locations. The store also includes the chain?s only curing room and cafe.
?I originally had no intention of doing a NapaStyle store in Napa ? it has plenty of style on its own,? Mr. Chiarello said. ?But as the idea evolved and the property became available, I realized I had a chance to do something more significant,? he said.
The 4,200-square-foot store opened in July and is the fifth location to open since 2006. The site also includes a 2,000-square-foot patio and wine bar as well as a wide selection of wine, glasses, decanters, openers, wine accessories and home decor.
The Bottega restaurant, which translates to artist?s studio or workshop, is still under construction but should open sometime this fall. Mr. Chiarello described the new restaurant as serving his signature cuisine with farm-to-table regional ingredients.
Mr. Chiarello also owns Chiarello Family Vineyards, a small production, old-vine winery. The 20-acre plot produces five varietals, including a petite sirah and zinfandel made from 94-year-old vines.
The winery?s annual harvest festival this October will be held off site for the first time in its history. The event will host tastings and the release of the newest vintage and will take place in the barrel room across from the future restaurant.
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