The sons of farmers in California's Central Valley, childhood friends Jeff Mall and Scott Silva took off on unique career paths that prepared them to eventually come together again as owners and proprietors of Healdsburg's popular dining establishment ZIN Restaurant & Wine Bar.

     Jeff is the on-hand Executive Chef at ZIN, a position he has been working towards since his teenage years. After high School, Jeff attended the University of San Francisco where he earned a degree in Hospitality Management. He then went on graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After graduation, Jeff moved back to Northern California and began working with chef/mentors of different disciplines, such as, Jeremiah Tower and Mark Franz at Stars Oakvill, Bradley Ogden at Lark Creel/Walnut Creek, Joe Rombi at Joe Rombi's La Mia Cucina in Pacific Grove, and Anne and David Gingrass at Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco. This variety of experience helped Jeff to develop his own vision of American home cooking.

     Scott also received a degree in Hospitality Management at the University of San Francisco, and then continued his education internationally, studying food and wine pairings at Ecole Hoteliere Lausanne in Switzerland. He was able to expand his knowledge at the Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco, where he was the food and beverage manager, and then he moved on to Relais and Chateaux Resort, Timber Lake Ranch in Cazaderro, where he familiarized himself with the Wine Counties fine dining scene. Scott's expertise is reflected in ZIN's renowned Wine Bar, which showcases Sonoma Counties finest.