NOSTRANA LLC

What NOSTRANA LLC does

Nostrana LLC is a privately held, Portland, Oregon-based restaurant group founded in October 2005 by Chef Cathy Whims and David West. The company operates three Portland restaurants under Chef Whims's ownership: the flagship Nostrana, an elemental regional Italian restaurant built around wood-fired cooking; Oven & Shaker, an urban pizza and cocktail spot; and Enoteca Nostrana, a modern wine bar and private event space. The flagship is housed in a redeveloped 1955 former Kienow's grocery store in the Buckman neighborhood featuring 25-foot barrel-vaulted ceilings, and serves dinner Monday through Saturday with reservations primarily via OpenTable.

The company generates revenue from five primary streams: full-service dinner service at Nostrana; private event hosting (26–40 seated / up to 100 standing) managed through Tripleseat and Enoteca Nostrana; physical and electronic gift cards sold in denominations from $25 to $500 with no expiration; specialty retail products including Olio Nuovo olive oil at $59/liter on a pre-order basis; and the l'Orto Nostrano kitchen garden space used for wine tastings and events. Ancillary offerings include the "Travel with Cathy" Italy culinary tour program co-hosted with Bluone Food and Wine Tours. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer — the company does not use third-party delivery platforms — with reservations, gift cards, and retail products transacted through the company website powered by BentoBox.

The business model is asset-light and operator-led, with competitive advantage grounded in Chef Cathy Whims's six James Beard Best Chef Northwest nominations, two decades of operator relationships with Pacific Northwest farmers and ranchers, and a portfolio of press accolades including The Oregonian's 2006 Restaurant of the Year, Robb Report's 50 Best Pizzerias in America (2025), and 50 Top Pizza USA (2025). The company is Good Food 100 and James Beard Smart Catch certified for responsible sourcing. Nostrana is privately held by its founders with no disclosed institutional investment, acquisition activity, or expansion outside Portland, Oregon.

Name

NOSTRANA LLC

Legal name

Nostrana LLC

Website

https://nostrana.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nostrana LLC is a privately held Portland, Oregon restaurant group founded in 2005 by Chef Cathy Whims and David West, operating three Portland restaurants (Nostrana, Oven & Shaker, Enoteca Nostrana) plus ancillary gift card, retail, and Italy culinary tour programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Italian Restaurant and Hospitality Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary & Wine Travel Agencies (THAKAFAH), Exclusive Dining Access & Chef’s Table Reservations (HSACAMAJ)

Keywords

• Italian restaurant dining
• Wood-fired pizza
• Private dining events
• Culinary travel tours
• Specialty food retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dinner Service: Full-service dinner restaurant offering wood-fired pizzas, seasonal pastas, meat and fish dishes. Currently serving dinner Monday through Saturday with varying hours.
2. Private Events and Private Dining: Private event hosting in partnership with Enoteca Nostrana wine bar, accommodating 26-40 seated guests and up to 100 for standing receptions. Booked via Tripleseat.
3. Gift Cards: Electronic and physical gift cards sold in denominations from $25 to $500. Gift cards do not expire.
4. Retail Products: Sale of specialty food products including Olio Nuovo (new olive oil) at $59 per liter, pre-order only.
5. Enoteca Nostrana Wine Bar: Modern wine bar adjacent to Nostrana offering wine tastings and events in the l'Orto Nostrano kitchen garden space.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nostrana LLC operates wood-fired, regional Italian restaurants in Portland, Oregon, led by Founding Chef/Owner Cathy Whims. The flagship Nostrana restaurant serves dinner Monday through Saturday featuring hand-tossed pizzas, seasonal pastas, and meat and fish dishes built on locally sourced Pacific Northwest ingredients. The company also operates Enoteca Nostrana (wine bar and event space), Oven & Shaker (pizza and cocktails), hosts private dining events, sells gift cards and specialty retail products (Olio Nuovo olive oil), and co-hosts culinary tours of Italy with Bluone Food and Wine Tours.

Product overview

Nostrana LLC operates a portfolio of Portland, Oregon restaurants centered on elemental regional Italian cuisine. The core offering is Nostrana restaurant (flagship), complemented by Enoteca Nostrana (wine bar/event space) and Oven & Shaker (urban pizza spot). Ancillary products include e-gift cards, physical gift cards, and Olio Nuovo olive oil. The company also offers culinary travel experiences to Italy through 'Travel with Cathy' tours, and maintains a private event garden space called l'Orto Nostrano.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nostrana Restaurant Flagship regional Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon serving wood-fired hand-tossed pizzas, creative seasonal pastas, and meat and fish dishes during dinner service Monday through Saturday.
• Enoteca Nostrana Private Dining & Wine Bar Modern Italian wine bar and private event space adjacent to Nostrana offering Italian and Northwest wines, tastings, and private dining for 26-40 seated guests or up to 100 standing receptions.
• Oven & Shaker Urban pizza and cocktail spot operated by Chef Cathy Whims as a sister concept to Nostrana in Portland, Oregon.
• Physical Gift Cards Physical Nostrana gift cards with personalized presenters, available for shipment or pickup in fixed denominations from $25 to $500. Gift cards do not expire.
• E-Gift Cards Electronic Nostrana gift cards delivered via email or text message, available for immediate or scheduled future delivery in fixed denominations from $25 to $500.
• Olio Nuovo Olive Oil Premium one-liter Olio Nuovo (new) olive oil personally picked by Chef Cathy Whims, available by pre-order only at $59.00 per liter through the Nostrana online store.
• Travel with Cathy (Italy Culinary Tours) Group culinary tours of Italy co-hosted by Chef Cathy Whims with Bluone Food and Wine Tours, featuring multi-day itineraries through regions such as Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo with truffle hunting, pasta-making classes, wine tastings, and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants.
• l'Orto Nostrano Garden Events Kitchen garden and private event space adjacent to Nostrana where guests can attend wine tastings, happy hours, and sunset spritzes or book private events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 years of continuous operation as a premier Italian restaurant in Portland

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bluone Food and Wine ToursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBluone Food and Wine Tours co-hosts culinary tours of Italy with Chef Cathy Whims. The partnership offers group tours through different Italian regions, including Autumn in Bologna (October 2026, 7 days/6 nights, €3150 per person) featuring truffle hunting, pasta classes, and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. Cathy Whims serves as co-host and culinary guide for these experiences.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oven & Shaker: Sister concept also owned and operated by Chef Cathy Whims in Portland, offering wood-fired pizza and cocktails. Directly comparable as a chef-driven Italian-leaning concept under shared ownership, providing a useful benchmark for Nostrana's adjacent positioning.
• Frasca Food and Wine: James Beard-recognized Italian-focused restaurant in Boulder, Colorado, with strong regional Italian cuisine and wine program. Directly comparable as a chef-driven, regional-Italian fine-dining concept with wine-centric identity and national press profile.
• Le Pigeon: Chef-driven, James Beard-recognized Portland restaurant focused on bold, ingredient-forward cuisine. Comparable as a peer Portland fine-dining destination with similar chef-owner identity, critical acclaim, and local sourcing ethos.
• Pok Pok: Andy Ricker's iconic Portland-based restaurant brand that scaled from a single location to a multi-city concept. Comparable as a chef-driven Portland restaurant that leveraged regional cuisine identity into national brand recognition.
• Atera: New York City tasting-menu restaurant known for chef-driven, ingredient-focused cuisine. Comparable as a small-format, chef-led fine-dining concept with similar reliance on culinary talent and critical recognition for positioning.
• Roberta's: Brooklyn-based wood-fired pizza pioneer that scaled from a single Bushwick restaurant into a multi-location, nationally recognized brand. Comparable as a chef-led wood-fired pizza operation with cult following and expansion ambitions.

Broad incumbents

• Osteria Mozza: Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's Los Angeles flagship for upscale regional Italian cuisine. Comparable as a benchmark for chef-led Italian dining with strong wine program, though at significantly larger scale and broader market presence.
• Quince: San Francisco fine-dining institution with a strong Italian-influenced identity and James Beard recognition. Comparable as a long-tenured, chef-driven, Italian-leaning fine-dining establishment with national press footprint.

Regional players

• The Bachelor Farmer: Minneapolis Scandinavian-focused restaurant with strong farm-to-table sourcing ethos. Comparable as a chef-owned, regionally-rooted fine-dining concept emphasizing local sourcing and seasonal menus, though in a different regional cuisine.

Emerging players

• Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based bakery and food brand that scaled from a single bakery into a multi-location, nationally distributed operation. Comparable for the retail-product and brand-extension angle (baked goods/gift items), though in a different food category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nostranapdx
• Facebookfacebook.com/Nostrana
• Instagraminstagram.com/nostranapdx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nostrana-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NOSTRANA LLC