Thomas McNaughton
Thomas McNaughton, Co-Chef and CEO of Flour + Water Hospitality Group, grew up in Southern New Jersey where he began working in local kitchens at the age of 15. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, then gained valuable experience working for Bay Area restaurants La Folie, Gary Danko and Quince. Along his culinary journey he also worked at a number of Michelin-rated restaurants in France, Germany and Italy, falling head over heels in love with the hand-rolled pastas of Bologna and the nonne that produce them.
Thomas opened his first restaurant, Flour + Water, in 2009 and expanded the restaurant group within the same block in SF’s Mission District with Penny Roma, Flour + Water Pasta Shop, and Trick Dog. With the addition of Flour + Water Pizzeria in 2019 and the launch of an organic dried pasta line, Flour + Water Foods, in 2022, Thomas’s passion for Italian cuisine with a distinctly Northern California influence continues to develop.
