22 to watch in 2022: Healdsburg chef Douglas Keane

Name: Douglas Keane

Title or position: Founder of Michelin-starred Cyrus Restaurant, 2013 Top Chef Master's Winner, co-owner Healdsburg Bar and Grill, animal enthusiast

On the job since: 1993

Age: 50

Hometown: Dearborn, Michigan originally and Healdsburg currently

Why Keane is someone to watch:

In February 2020, Chef Douglas Keane was hopeful he'd relaunch his two Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, Cyrus, within the year. Then he cooled his heels for nearly two years as the pandemic raged and the 8,000 square foot Geyserville space sat empty and unfinished. Now, the drywall is up and construction is moving full speed ahead on the project, with Keane spending most of his time over the last 18 months working with 50 investors on the multi-million-dollar project. But really, it's been nearly a decade of hopes, dreams, false-starts and promises after the 2012 closure of the original restaurant at the Les Mars Hotel in Healdsburg over a dispute with owner Bill Foley. That's all in the past, though, as an older and maybe a little wiser Keane looks to an August 2022 opening.

What others are saying about Keane:

"Cyrus was one of my happy places when I came to town to visit. What he brought to the area with his food and craft cocktails program was the first of its sort. When he asked me what I thought about Cyrus coming to Geyserville, I said it was going to be a great thing and adds a whole other level of culinary experiences to our area. For him, and all of us, 2022 is about perseverance and making it through all the postponements between fires and pandemic. I'm really hopeful we can finally walk into the next chapter. Really hopeful," — Chef Domenica Catelli, Catelli's Restaurant

What Keane says about 2022:

"It's been 10 years, and to see this come to fruition is a dream come true. Investors stuck with us for two and a half years through delays and the pandemic. We're just lucky to have this finally be realized. It's also a chance for us to change some stuff. I really miss the team we had both in the front of the house and the kitchen when we closed Cyrus. I'm really excited about putting another team together with a progressive staffing model that will make this a real job for people, and not just a starter job."