With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Barbara Hom has been General Manager at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, consultant and opening chef of a major Sheraton Hotel in the Wine Country, and is one of the founders of the exclusive Sonoma County Chef's Tasting. Hom's international experiences are reflected in her menus along with her Asian origins, European technique, and California style, resulting in a cuisine she likes to call “Global Eclectic”. 

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She has consulted with groups ranging from Geyser Peak Winery to Westin Hotels and Four Seasons. In addition, she has served on the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Board of Directors and was owner and chef of the widely acclaimed Fans Restaurant which was reviewed in The New York Times and the LA Times.  She received 4 stars from the restaurant critic Michael Bauer in The San Francisco Chronicle and also won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence two consecutive years for the wine list she compiled for the restaurant.

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Among the dozens of wineries who have invited Barbara to create winemaker dinners and special events are Michele Schlumberger, Matanzas Creek, Chateau Montelena, Davis Bynum, Chateau Souvereign, Hanzell, RMS Shramsberg, Chateau St Jean, Quivera, Fetzer Vineyards, Joseph Swan, and Arrowood. She’s also catered to the palates of some of the world most powerful at the Bohemian Grove.

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She was winery chef for Associated Vintage Group as well as Mark West Estate and Vineyards where she was developing the highly innovative Full Flavor Spectrum, a new perspective on food and wine pairing. She traveled with the Wimbledon Wine Group across the United States to teach the Flavor Spectrum to their clients. International journeys include trips to Thailand and Bali where she trained the food and beverage staff at the Four Seasons Hotel and the JW Marriott to be able to match their Asian cuisine to the wines.

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Besides Barbara Hom’s culinary expertise she has extensive experience in building design and construction. Her first experience with redesign involved remodeling a retail store into a 40-seat restaurant. She oversaw the installation of the entire kitchen, dining room, and ADA bathroom. Her second project was, at that time, a 77-year-old farmhouse she had purchased in the 1970’s.  She leveled off the roof line and added the second floor with a three-peaked ceiling. Barbara then renovated a 20’ by 70’ barn on the property into a two-bedroom home with peaked ceilings, hardwood floor, and open kitchen floor plan. After that, she was hired as a consultant and/or project manager for several home renovations in the area. 

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In 1999 Barbara was brought as a consultant by a hotel group who were building a Sheraton Hotel in wine country, but was quickly hired as the Director of Food and Beverage. She oversaw the construction, design, purchasing, and budget of the entire department which included a 2,000-square-foot kitchen, a 400-square-foot auxiliary kitchen, two banquet rooms, a 60-seat dining room, pool dining area, 30-seat bar/lounge, and a coffee bar. She was intimately involved with all aspects, including  meetings with contractors, vendors, designers, architects and became the point person for the entire project.

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In the hotel’s food and beverage department, she built a culinary team, a strong front of the house staff, and a banquet department capable of servicing the 8,000-square-feet of dining rooms. Known for her blending of fresh local seasonal products and traditional ingredients, Barbara created a Pan Asian menu that garnered four stars from the local critics only four weeks after opening.  After blind tasting all the wines, she developed a 230 selection global wine list that won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in its first year.

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Since then, she has worked on many commercial projects, including the patio, outdoor dining area of the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena ( the building formerly was the famous Christian Brothers Winery ), where she also served as Barbara the General Manager. There, she supervised over 80 team members as well as taught the culinary students the art of good service and fine dining. Barbara was also involved in the renovation of the M Hotel Restaurant on Catalina Island, the Jenner Inn by the Sea, and  Fort Ross Winery.

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Currently, Barbara’s most recent projects include consulting for a newly-opened local brewery and brewpub as well as working with prestigious pinot producer Fort Ross Vineyards. When not working, she enjoys gardening on her farm in Sebastopol.