Our Executive Chef

Anthony “Nash” Cognetti
Nash Cognetti began his culinary career at just 12 years old, working at the family-owned produce business in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Nash reports that as a rite of passage all the children in the Cognetti family, uncles and cousins alike, worked at the company as they were growing up.

While a student at the University of Vermont, he worked full time as a sous chef for Burlington Bay Café, a restaurant and retail fish market. Nash graduated from the University of Vermont in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. A post graduation road trip down the California Coast led Nash away from his formal education and into the kitchen. He hit pay dirt when he dined at Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur, introduced himself to the chef, and was hired on the spot as a line cook. The experience in Ventana’s four-star kitchen made Nash realize that his first passion is cooking. He moved to San Francisco and enrolled in the California Culinary Academy to formalize his education.

Upon his arrival in San Francisco, a providential meeting with James Ormsby of the Plumpjack Restaurant Group led to a series of positions with the Plumpjack organization: the upscale Plumpjack Café, Balboa Café, and Jack Falstaff. During this period, Nash also established an independent catering company, Rimini Group. He especially enjoyed doing charitable work through Rimini benefiting various organizations including the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Casa de las Madres.

In 2005 he yearned to live and work in California’s Wine Country. Nash found a home at the iconic Tra Vigne Restaurant in St. Helena where he became the Executive Chef the following year. For ten years, Tra Vigne was home — the perfect match for his outgoing personality, culinary talent and formal education. The restaurant was revered by locals and tourists alike.

During this period, Nash enhanced his culinary vision while working for the Michelin-starred Il Falconiere in Cortona, Italy. He also spent time cooking alongside famed Chef Francis Mallman in Argentina. Both experiences helped define a new culinary identity for Tra Vigne and Nash’s newest venture, Tre Posti Catering.

With the opening of Tre Posti in 2016, Nash has created a unique private event venue located in St. Helena, within the beautiful Napa Valley. Each menu he creates is tailored to the individual client, incorporating fresh, local sustainable ingredients. Tre Posti delivers a captivating culinary
experience combined with Wine Country ambiance.

Nash has been featured on television shows and film documentaries, and he is regularly a guest chef at Napa area winery and charity events. He was honored to be selected as a guest chef for the prestigious Naples Winter Wine Festival and the Sun Valley Center for the Arts Wine Auction.