Carpe Diem - speaking of seizing the day...
Carpe Diem - speaking of seizing the day...

Carpe Diem - speaking of seizing the day...
Carpe Diem – speaking of seizing the day…

Food and Wine - San Francisco, Napa and Northern California

Nothing says commitment quite like a tattoo. Find out what exactly that’s all about in this episode of Stark Insider TV as I continue my journey through downtown Napa and across wine country. This time it’s Carpe Diem. I stop by the new, popular wine bar to check out some of the bites and sample some of their wines.

Co-owner Steve Distler, a former high school teacher from New York, describes what it’s like to make the transition from the classroom to restaurateur.

“I just thought where else in the world would I rather be than Napa Valley?” he says. “I could’ve gone to Italy, my mother’s from there.”

And speaking of Italy, Steve also talks about the importance of fostering a culture that celebrates friends and family. “The Italian culture, you know, what they do is drink the wine from the area… they don’t sit and analyse for two hours.”

He met up with Sonoma natives Scott and Stephanie Kendall, and now the three are enjoying every second by “Seizing the Day” and, in their words, “living out our dreams together.”

Carpe Diem Wine Bar Napa

The Carpe Diem wine bar is modern, with an open concept bar area to the left of the entrance, and relaxed dining area to the right. It’s one of several new places opening downtown here in Napa, and helping the area itself become a tourist destination.

Branding 101

Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of this story is Steve’s tattoo which you’ll get a glimpse of here in this video. Now that’s seizing the day!

Loni Stark
Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, psychology researcher, and technologist whose work explores the intersection of identity, creativity, and technology. A self-professed foodie and adventure travel enthusiast, she collaborates on visual storytelling projects with Clinton Stark for Stark Insider. Her insights are shaped by her role at Adobe, influencing her explorations into the human-tech relationship. It's been said her laugh can still be heard from San Jose up to the Golden Gate Bridge—unless sushi, her culinary Kryptonite, has momentarily silenced her.