Sons & Daughters Is Redefining Fine Dining Culture, For the Better
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The success of Sons & Daughters can be measured in accolades—two Michelin stars, a Michelin Green Star, and a recent James Beard Award nomination for Best Chef California for chef Harrison Cheney—but inside the restaurant, it’s collaboration, education, and shared ownership that have become the forefront of the restaurant’s identity.
The San Francisco restaurant, helmed by Cheney since 2023, serves New Nordic cuisine with influences from the surrounding Bay Area. Cheney, who takes my call from the dining room in a matching olive-green t-shirt and apron, has helped cultivate an environment where the dining experience feels deeply personally and the team behind it feels equally connected to the work.
Though the menu changes based on Northern California seasonality, one thing remains constant: Each meal begins not simply with a menu, but a conversation. Guests are introduced to the sourcing, seasonality, and philosophies behind the dishes. That storytelling often changes the way guests think about ingredients they have once overlooked.
“We use sorrel and we choose to make an ice cream and we have guests come in and they say, ‘I’ve got a garden full of sorrel, and I see it as a weed.’” He personally guides them with new ideas: “Tear it, put it in a salad or juice it and, you know, make an ice cream or season some yogurt with it or something.”
That same sense of curiosity and education extends to the culture of the restaurant itself. “The future of sustainability is education. It’s about investing in the future talent to keep this industry going and educating them on why it’s important not to waste, why it’s important to use the branches, the fruit, the seeds, the leaves of a plant,” he says.
Despite it being a relatively small, intimate crew, the team has more than doubled in the last two years to 19 employees — a growth that reflects the restaurant’s emphasis on a workplace where people feel supported and challenged. Rather than dividing staff into separate AM or PM teams, the restaurant strategically has one team where every staff member touches each part of the process from preparation to service.
“I mean, it’s key, right? Like, imagine if you said you were a ceramicist and all you did was put the plates in the kiln,” says Cheney.
Sons & Daughters relocated in November to a place that is “beautiful and elegant and natural and full of redwood and pine all over.” Cheney feels that this move reflects years of hard work, growth, and the chance to finally give the team the restaurant they deserve.
Equally as important to the team structure is protecting balance between work and life in an industry known for burnout. “I don’t want anyone working 15-hour days. I don’t want to be that person in 10 years, and I have a list of accolades, and I miss my child growing up and my wife.”
I don’t want anyone working 15-hour days. I don’t want to be that person in 10 years— Harrison Cheney, Sons & Daughters
In the spirit of balance, however, the accolades, of course, matter. This recent James Beard nomination for Best Chef means a lot to Cheney who is originally from the UK. “For me to come here and to be representing the UK and to be named nominated for the Best Chef California, I think is insane. It makes me extremely proud.”
Despite this being an individual nomination, Cheney is quick to redirect praise back to the team around him. “My name’s in the headlights, but they’re the ones that make this happen.”
He recalls gathering the team after the restaurant earned its second Michelin star and asking if the staff believed they could one day earn three. “Every single person put their hands up,” he said. “It gives me goosebumps every time I talk about that.”
“When you’re invested in something, it becomes yours.”
