kō•än
With Keller Estate and Lombardi Wines
Sponsored by Danis Construction


Winery
Keller Estate


Winery
Lombardi Wines
Founded in 2013, Tony and Christine Lombardi began a passion project that honors a rich family history of wine, food and tradition. Together, with winemaker Cabell Coursey, they craft small lots of chardonnay and pinot noir from some of the finest vineyards in Sonoma Coast. The Pinot Noir is from a family of growers in Petaluma, where the Lombardi Family has been since 1947.
In 2015, Tony started a boutique consulting company offering Marketing, Public Relations and Wholesale services to the benefit of small to mid-size wine companies in need of this expertise. With over twenty-five years of experience in management, production, sales, marketing and public relations, Lombardi Marketing is a trusted source to the benefit of wineries operating in the luxury wine category. Current and Past Clients include: A.P. VIN, Arista Winery, Flanagan Vineyards, Pellegrini Wine Company, Jigar & Sedition Wines, Ram’s Gate Winery, Roger Roessler Wines, and Three Sticks Wines.
When he’s not busy promoting the incredible stories of exceptional Sonoma County wine, Tony enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine and sons, Andrew and Aidan.
Restaurant
kō•än
kō•än seeks to bring stories, food and people together with a focus on humble, tranquil, “food for thought,” kō•än will bring a renewed energy and feel to to the Triangle dining scene. kō•än’s menu is focused on sharing food that celebrates the unsung heroes of Southeast Asian cuisine.
The kitchen at kō•än will be led by Executive Chef Drew Smith, formerly of Raleigh’s bu•ku and so•ca, and winner of 2019’s Cooking for a Classic dining competition. Smith’s menu and vision for kō•än includes an array of small plates meant for sharing like Cauliflower 65, Duck Bao and Lobster Gyoza, along with large plates like NC Thai Fried Snapper and Green Tea Smoked Duck. Expect to find inventive bowls on the menu as well like the kō•än Hot Pot brimming with lobster, cod, shrimp and local vegetables or the Vietnamese Pho with Wagyu Beef Short Rib.
For trusting, food-loving patrons, kō•än plans to offer an omakase menu developed by Smith that will offer 5- and 7-course tasting menus with wine pairings. There will be limited availability each evening.
“This space and the kō•än concept represent an amazing medium in which Smith can share a story with everyone, whether they’ve traveled or experienced the Asian culture or not. An experience at kō•än can be quite adventurous with octopus and snails, or approachable with dumplings and ramen. Our guests are going to experience a part of me, my story and the reason I will always be humbled and inspired by Asian cuisine,” Smith shares.

