café musée café musée
 
café musée
A management portrait

Debbie Branby, Owner
Debbie has enjoyed a lifetime love affair with food and wine.

She grew up cooking alongside her grandmother and mother as the family moved from Spokane to San Diego and finally to Reno, Nevada in the early 1970s. After college, she lived in San Francisco and California’s wine country, both of which clearly influenced her sense of culinary style.

After moving back to Reno in 1980, Debbie opened a specialty wine and cheese boutique called The Cheese Board & Wine Seller, which has evolved over the years into a popular lunch restaurant and catering company.

In recent years, Debbie has served as a director on the board of the National Caterers Association and the International Caterers Association. In 2004, she was invited by fellow board member Frank Puleo of New York’s Framboise Catering to learn about world-class corporate catering at the Athens Olympics, where Puleo was managing events for major sponsors of the games. Through the years, Debbie’s love of fine food, wine, and travel have taken her to the far corners of America, Europe, and the South Pacific.

Kaimi Coonrad, Executive Chef
Kaimi, who hails from Hawaii, grew up in a cooking-oriented family that traveled the world and exposed him to diverse ethnic cuisines, from the tastes of the Pacific Rim to the exotic fare of western Africa.

Kaimi earned his stripes in kitchens ranging from the Island Fish House and the Westin Wailea Beach Resort in Maui to Robert’s Market in Woodside, the University Club in Palo Alto, the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores, and Silver Legacy’s Sterlings restaurant.

He has also trained at both the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. After moving to Portola to serve as Chef at Alpine Hills Country Club, Kaimi and his family were drawn to northern Nevada by its wonderful quality of life.

Kaimi oversees the day-to-day culinary operations of Café Musée and all catered events in the Nevada Museum of Art. He is also responsible for all food operations at our sister restaurant, The Cheese Board, located just across the street at 247 California Avenue.

Krista Kintop Phillips, Event Coordinator
Krista was born and raised in Reno, Nevada and received her bachelor's degree from UNR in art and design. After years of experience in the food industry, she joined the Cheese Board team in 2006 as the assistant manager to Cafe Musée and shares the same passion for food and wine that embodies the Cheese Board and Cafe Musée.

As the events coordinator, she uses her experience and enthusiasm to bring your vision into realization.

Krista not only enjoys food, but also art and travel and most of all spending time with her husband, Jeremy, family and friends.