"I don't think the previous management group was prepared for the amount of service that was required. They were overwhelmed, I think," Patino observes, referring to the Pucinni Restaurant Group from San Francisco that ran the 4,000-square-foot restaurant and bar until last February, when the San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre Hospitality took over for owners Diane Ogilvie and the Pinn Brothers Hotels. "We wanted to start fresh."

Except for Patino, who joined the group three months ago, most of the 27 members of the competent kitchen staff have been with the restaurant since the start. Where the major shake-up has occurred is in the service staff. Seventy-five percent of the servers, bus boys, bartenders and hosts, now numbering 35, are new. "A must for us is service," says new general manager Taryn Grant, alluding to a previous lack of service quality and an insufficient number of servers. "We want the community to come in and see how things have changed." The restaurant has gone out of its way to invite groups of local people to dine as guests of the management, believing that their positive experiences will enhance word-of-mouth advertising.

An obvious philosophical change is the restaurant's avoidance of the terms "front of the house" or "back of the house," differentiating between the kitchen and dining areas--a staff orientation that evidently caused problems. "We want to erase that 'front-back' mentality," Patino says. As a result, he and Grant share all of the decision-making. A celebration of the resulting changes will be in evidence on Thanksgiving Day.

Patino is preparing a four-course rustic Italian feast highlighted by a starter of grilled eggplant stuffed with ricotta cheese, butternut squash soup and a warm spinach salad with wild mushrooms and parmesan cheese. The turkey with Italian stuffing, cranberry compote, potato puree, Tuscan baked green beans and gravy is one of three choices. Among the desserts by pastry chef Chieko Wells is a warm cinnamon apple cobbler topped with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce. The prix fixe dinner, served from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., is $50 for adults and $20 for children under 12 years old.

Patino, 30, a veteran as chef in a variety of celebrated restaurants, is a believer in simple cooking to "show off" specific ingredients. He's particularly enthusiastic about the start of mushroom season this month. Last weekend, he went on a two-day camp-out and mushroom foray for chefs with "the Mushroom King," his fungi vendor. Wild porcinis are popping up all over, along with chanterelles. Patino will use his finds in his Thanksgiving recipes. He also has an order in for white truffles that he plans to use in a homemade ice cream.

Kuleto's is located at 210 East Main St. in Los Gatos. It is open daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and for dinner from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Call 408.354.8290 for reservations or visit www.kuletoslosgatos.com.