Est. 20+ Years: Greater Napa Legacy Business Program

It’s fitting that the logo for Andie’s Cafe is a heart, because the business is all heart. For 30 years, Susie Kastella has run the tiny café next to the Classic Car Wash, originally with her grandmother and mother. Many customers have been coming since childhood and now bring their own kids. “We all help each other out when we need to.” Susie is still there most days, stepping in with an apron when an employee is out sick or has a class to attend. She donates meals for fundraisers and helps local teams earn money reselling breakfast burritos.

“My favorite part of the job is talking to customers,” she says. One of Susie’s favorite stories is a little girl who thought Susie lived at the café because she was always there in the mornings. Now, that little girl is grown up and brings her own children for breakfast before school.

Over the years, Susie has added a drive-thru and patio seating. Classic favorites like burgers, fries and shakes are offered alongside new items such as hearty salads and espresso drinks. When she retires, Susie hopes one of her employees will carry on the tradition—and the heart—of Andie’s Café so customers can continue to see a familiar face.

Story and photos by Priscillia de Muizon, Inkwell Story Studio.

Angèle founder Bettina Rouas instantly knew that the boarded-up building at the southern end of Main Street would become her restaurant’s home. “We literally tore off the plywood, walked in, and it was incredible—right on the Napa River. I fell in love immediately.”

Choosing to open a restaurant in what was then a sleepy downtown Napa was “a total gamble,” but Bettina’s vision and the drive instilled by her father quickly turned Angèle into a Napa culinary icon. With exposed wooden beams, white tablecloths, and luminous paintings of fresh produce, Angèle serves award-winning French cuisine in a setting both elegant and inviting. Charlie Brown from Evans and Brown painted all the original paintings for the restaurant.

The welcoming bar anchors the space, while the riverfront patio offers a cheerful counterpoint to the more intimate interior.

Loyal customers, community spirit, and a tight-knit staff has helped Angèle flourish. “We’ve endured fires, earthquake, and floods, but there’s a huge sense of community here. It’s really a family. One gentleman has come in twice a week, every week, since we’ve opened. Children we’ve known since they were in their mom’s bellies now come in on dates.”

Angèle is thriving 23 years in, and Bettina has no plans to slow down. “I love what I do.”

Story and photos by Priscillia de Muizon, Inkwell Story Studio.

When Gordon Huether moved back to Napa from San Francisco as a young adult, he returned to find that forty-five historic buildings downtown had been demolished, a shift that profoundly shaped his awareness of the built environment. Over the years, as he traveled the country designing large-scale public art installations, he developed strong opinions about urban landscapes and architecture. “Architecture, like music, art and literature, defines our time,” Gordon once wrote. The experience deepened his commitment to creating work that would endure in the public landscape.

That contribution would take the form of art. After falling in love with stained glass making as a teenager, Gordon decided he wanted to spend his career making large-scale works that leave a lasting, positive impact on people.

Over the course of his career, Gordon has completed more than 70 public art commissions and 175 private commissions. Working in glass, steel, aluminum, light, and salvaged materials, he synthesizes a site’s history, culture, and geography into sculptural works that reflect the spirit of a place. The studio itself has been an economic engine as well as a creative one. At its peak, Gordon employed forty-five people, managing design, fabrication, and installation for complex projects nationwide.

Although Gordon has worked on projects across the country, his ability to translate Napa’s history and identity into form has left a lasting mark on the city—including the Historic Napa Mill Gateway, crafted from historic and recycled steel, and The Basket outside the Archer Hotel, which honors Indigenous artisans and reflects the interwoven experiences of Napa’s community. Upcoming local commissions include the First Street Hotel and Hotel Oxbow.

Gordon’s passion for quality design extended beyond his art practice into civic service, including two decades on the Planning Commission. Yet it is his studio—the daily work of making, designing, and building—that represents the true continuity of his legacy in Napa, a creative enterprise that has shaped the city’s visual identity for decades.

Story and photos by Priscillia de Muizon, Inkwell Story Studio.

Founded in 1982 as MCA Architecture Planning Interiors by Stephen Cuddy and Dan McAuliffe, the firm grew into one of Napa’s most enduring design practices. After early offices in Sacramento and Fairfield, Cuddy relocated to Napa in 1998, where he established deep community roots.

By 2004, the firm designed and built its permanent home at 855 Bordeaux Way. In 2012, it rebranded as Napa Design Partners, welcoming a new generation of architects while carrying forward its legacy of thoughtful design.

Over the years, the firm has led projects for both public and private clients, from the County of Napa and UC Davis Medical Center to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Landmark local work includes the Historic Napa Mill and Hatt Buildings, home to the Napa River Inn, and Napa Square, a LEED Gold–certified downtown development.

“Our commitment has always been to integrity, creativity, and lasting impact,” says Cuddy.

The Napa River Inn sits at the heart of the Historic Napa Mill, once a bustling 19th-century hub for trade and agriculture. Bricks made from river clay and a four-story mill once defined the site’s industrial role.

By the 1990s, the property had fallen into disuse—until visionary developer Harry Price launched an ambitious adaptive reuse project. In 2000, the Inn opened with 66 rooms that blend historic features—original bricks, mill gates, reclaimed floors—with modern luxury.

Today, the Inn is a cornerstone of a walkable district filled with shops, restaurants, and cultural venues. “We’re proud that the Inn is more than a place to stay—it’s a space that brings people together,” says Sara Brooks, general manager since 2006. “Whether guests come for a concert, a wedding, or a wine country weekend, they’re stepping into something authentically Napa.”

Story by Priscillia de Muizon, Inkwell Story Studio. Photos courtesy Napa River Inn. Pictured: Sara Brooks, General Manager, and Elena Monterrosa, Executive Housekeeper.

For over 30 years, Small World Restaurant has been a cornerstone of downtown Napa. Its walls are adorned with photos of local leaders, city employees, and Little League teams it has sponsored. A large banner outside reads: “Together we are strong.” Mike named the restaurant “Small World” to have a community with all races. “I want people from everywhere in the world to eat here and to show how the world is so small.”

Owner “Mike” Ali Musa offers jobs to people in need because “every person in this community needs a chance.” Many of his staff have been with him for over twenty years. Small World also operates on an honor system: diners order their Middle-Eastern-inspired meal, enjoy it, then simply tell the cashier what they had and pay. “Trust your customers and they will trust you, too.”

Over the years the space has not changed much. Mike jokes “Like they say: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Mike was given a chance to purchase the space by his former landlord. “My goal was to own my own business. My luck ended up in this building.”

Today, his sons help to run the restaurant. “We’re going to keep serving the people of Napa Valley, hopefully for generations.”

Story and photo of Mike Musa by Priscillia de Muizon, Inkwell Story Studio. Group photographs provided by Mike Musa with sons Jaber Alimusa, Saleem Alimusa, and Rico Gramlich.

In 2002, Garret Murphy and Kim Erasmy opened Vintner’s Collective in Napa’s oldest stone building, the Pfeiffer Building (1875), on a quiet corner with little foot traffic. Their vision: a shared tasting room for boutique winemakers without a winery of their own.

Garret, a former pastry chef, curated exceptional small-lot wines, while Kim transformed the historic space—once a brewery, brothel, laundry, and butcher shop—into a warm, design-forward destination. The Collective helped pioneer the private tasting model, offering elegant lounges and a welcoming bar for walk-ins.

Through floods, economic downturns, and the 2014 earthquake—which left them operating from an Airstream—they never lost momentum. Kim famously covered missing windows at their re-opening with sky-blue screenprints.

Now a downtown mainstay, Vintner’s Collective thrives on word-of-mouth and local loyalty. “It’s French Laundry meets Cheers,” says Garret. After more than two decades, the building and the business are inseparable—a testament to creativity, resilience, and a deep love of wine.

Story and photos by Priscillia de Muizon, Inkwell Story Studio.
Photos of Garret Murphy and Kim Erasmy.

Priscillia de Muizon is the founder of Inkwell Story Studio, helping people and businesses share their stories through thoughtful, interview-based storytelling. Her work ranges from short profiles to full-length memoirs and legacy books. She is also the creator of Innovators of the Valley, a blog featuring imaginative people doing unconventional things in the Napa Valley.

Priscillia collaborates with Napa County Landmarks to share the stories behind historic structures and legacy businesses, celebrating the enduring spirit and unique character they bring to Napa. Priscillia grew up in St. Helena and lives in Napa with her husband and son.

For more information, visit Inkwell Story Studio.