Depot Hotel

About Us

Depot Hotel

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Serving Sonoma since 1985.

About Us Our Chefs

Owner and Chef-Proprietor Michael Ghilarducci was born in the Italian-speaking area of North Beach known as "Little Italy." At the age of eleven he began working in the kitchens of his father's restaurant. After graduation from the culinary program at City College of San Francisco and formal training in the Classical French tradition, Chef Ghilarducci has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in San Francisco. With his wife Gia, he owned three restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area, before purchasing the historic Depot Hotel building in 1985, opening the DEPOT HOTEL RESTAURANT.

In 1987, Chef Ghilarducci and his wife Gia founded their cooking school and have been teaching cooking classes in Sonoma ever since. Chef Ghilarducci has continued to teach in Sonoma, Provence, Argentina, and Italy. In 2001, the Ghilarduccis began a program of week-long cooking classes in Europe—in Provence, Umbria, and Paris, as well as on Crystal Cruise Lines. In 2002, Chef Ghilarducci had the pleasure of joining Jacques Pepin for a week of joint cooking classes at Chateau Villette outside of Paris.

In 2008, Chef Antonio Ghilarducci, son of Gia and Michael, joined the professional team at the DEPOT HOTEL RESTAURANT as Executive Chef. After graduating culinary school in San Francisco, and extensive travel throughout Europe, Chef Antonio comes to the DEPOT HOTEL RESTAURANT after honing his skills at some of Northern California’s best restaurants including: La Folie, The French Laundry, Redd and El Dorado Kitchen. With that background, he has developed a very loyal following of enthusiastic culinary fans in his own right.

The current menu at the DEPOT RESTAURANT reflects the excitement Chef Antonio feels for rustic French and Italian cuisine. The current menu focuses on rustic, straightforward Tuscan country food using local Sonoma ingredients and classic European cooking techniques.

In the year 2011, the staff at the DEPOT HOTEL RESTAURANT celebrated the beginning of their 26th year of continuous operation. The family also enjoys yearly trips to Tuscany to visit their family home near Lucca. The Ghilarduccis also have a vineyard in Lake County where they bottle their own Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Fumé Blanc.