A Fresh Dining Adventure in Napa Valley is Unraveling the Mystique of Caviar

This summer, Yountville welcomed its latest culinary gem from renowned chef Thomas Keller. Regiis Ova Caviar & Champagne Lounge initially launched as a pop-up in summer 2021, quickly captivating diners with its celebratory spirit. Now, it joins Keller’s esteemed Yountville lineup, which features the iconic Bouchon Bistro, Ad Hoc, and the French Laundry.

The lounge embodies the vision behind Keller’s caviar venture, Regiis Ova, co-founded with caviar expert Shaoching Bishop in 2017: to champion sustainable caviar farming while offering chefs premium caviar at accessible prices. Additionally, it fills a void that Keller and Bishop identified in downtown Yountville.

“We aimed to create a space that celebrated fun and this exquisite product in a lively setting,” Bishop explains. She emphasizes that caviar can be an everyday indulgence; it simply needs to be demystified—and the lounge offers just that.

“Our production volume allows us to maintain the quality and consistency we provide to our clients and guests,” Bishop notes, underscoring the brand’s constraints regarding quantity and raising awareness about the dwindling sturgeon population, which often drives up the desirability of the product.

“The sturgeon farms we collaborate with strictly follow the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora [CITES],” Bishop explains. This guarantees that “the conservation of sturgeon and proper labeling for each tin are enforced to prevent the sale of illegal, wild caviar and allows us to trace each tin back to a specific fish.”

With nearly two decades in the caviar industry, Bishop has a wealth of experience. She previously served as managing director and CEO of Sterling Caviar, as well as general manager of TNC Holding Co., one of the caviar industry’s oldest brands. She focuses on ensuring flavor complexity, freshness, and firm textures while emphasizing that quality begins at the source.

Regiis Ova sources sturgeon globally, from Europe, Asia, to North and South America. Bishop highlights how a farm in Asia supports healthy sturgeon populations by releasing millions of juveniles into the wild. “Other farms, like ours in South America,” Bishop adds, “utilize local krill fish as feed, making it a more sustainable choice than importing feed.”

Furthermore, “It’s essential that we collaborate with farms whose values align with ours,” Bishop emphasizes, which is why Regiis Ova partners with sturgeon farmers with whom they have cultivated personal relationships over the past 15 years.

The inviting lounge in Yountville was crafted by San Francisco interior designer Ken Fulk, renowned for his playful yet elegant designs, such as the Cloud Club in the Chrysler Building and Casa Grande in Mexico. Guests are greeted by a biophilic terrace where olive trees provide shade for sleek seating and abundant ceramic planters harmonize with the jade-hued walls. The ambiance is dark and regal yet maintains a casual feel, mirroring the menu that features small plates like French onion dip topped with caviar and served with kettle-fried potato chips, along with educational caviar flights for the curious.

“Regiis Ova presents four varieties of caviar, each sourced from a distinct sturgeon species,” Bishop notes about the offerings available at the lounge and sold directly to restaurants globally. These include Ossetra, the most recognized species worldwide; hybrid caviar, a blend of kaluga and Amur sturgeon; Siberian; and white sturgeon caviar. “The diversity of species results in a wide array of caviars, each providing a unique flavor, texture, firmness, and color,” she explains.

So don’t hesitate to engage, ask questions, and sample new dishes to fully grasp and appreciate the subtleties of the tiny glistening pearls known as caviar, or as Regiis Ova’s Latin translates, royal eggs.