Darryl Bell- Executive Chef & Co- Owner

Chef Darryl moved to California to join Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro and rose over seven years to the Executive Sous Chef position. Other kitchens he’s been fortunate to have been a part of are Alinea in Chicago, Etoile in Yountville and most recently as the Chef De Cuisine of Press in St. Helena.

Darryl embarked on his first entrepreneurial venture 10 years ago when he decided to commercialize his BBQ sauce. Named after its area code, 816 BBQ Sauce had Kansas City written all over it. Inspired by the city’s style of sauce and an obsession with balancing flavors, Darryl created a sauce with layers of sweet, acid and heat.

While having a meaningful career in fine dining restaurants, there is no denying that barbecue continues to draw his heart and soul back to itself. Working with the ever-changing force of smoke and fire. Accepting they’re alive; they’re not stagnant. Seeing them transform textures, aromas and flavors. It’s always a new experience, one that takes him back home. Sharing this sentiment and experience with Napa diners is to this date the most exciting and important step in his career.

Jeremy Threat- Co- Owner

Born and raised in the Napa Valley, Jeremy was exposed to hospitality at an early age. He was very fortunate to get experience working in both the wine and luxury hotel industry. These experiences provided him with a strong foundation of wine knowledge and customer service skills that would help accelerate his advancement when he joined the restaurant industry.

However, it was during his time as a restaurant manager that he honed most of his important skill—financial acumen. As most people enter the restaurant industry because of their passion for service, food or wine, being a “numbers person” is uncommon. But numbers had always fascinated him and he found he had a rare knack for understanding the story behind the data.

Prior to starting Shieldwall, Jeremy spent 5 years in charge of Bouchon & Bouchon Bakery with the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. This was followed by his time as CEO/President of Vine Solutions, Inc., which provides advisory, human resources, accounting and payroll support to approximately 200 restaurants throughout Northern and Southern California. During the past 10 years, he has worked with nearly 400 unique restaurants, which allows him to provide rare benchmarking and insight to help clients improve their profitability without compromising what makes them special.