Meet The Host
River Klass
River Klass is a perpetual motion machine. He manages eighty head of cattle, rides rodeo and is an avid downhill skier. He is also the owner/operator of two successful restaurants in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California.
He loves his horses and cattle, was raised in Connecticut and learned to eat in Paris. His first job at 14 was in a small café in Westport, CT and he has had a restaurant job ever since; through college, in Paris, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. In 1992, at the tender age of 29, he opened his first restaurant, GROUNDS, in Murphys, CA. Eight years later, he opened his second restaurant, Firewood, located next door to GROUNDS.
Many years ago, River got a couple of calves to share his horse pasture. This adventure grew into a herd happily grazing on over a thousand acres in Calaveras County. Along with his wife, Marci Klass, and partners, these small beginnings have developed into Calaveras Cowgirl Beef, where they sell finished beef online and deliver locally.