Michelin-Starred Chef Matthew Lightner Will Open Ninebark In Napa

Matthew Lightner, the Noma-trained chef who earned two Michelin stars during his time at Atera in New York City, has announced his newest project.

Lightner, who previously suggested that he planned to stay in New York City, will instead serve as the head of West Coast culinary operations for AvroKO, the hospitality and design group that includes Dominique Ansel Kitchen, Beauty & Essex, General Assembly, and Saxon + Parole, to name a few.

The first of Lightner's projects with the hospitality group will be Ninebark, in Napa, California.

The upcoming restaurant will serve "California-focused, market-forward cuisine," especially unique seafood: scallops with bottarga, seaweed, and buttermilk, and savory porridge with smoked fish.

Expect Lightner, who apprenticed at Noma in Copenhagen and then spent 18 months at Mugaritz in Spain, to use innovative cooking techniques like smoking items with local hardwood and shrubs and marinating with herbal and floral broths.

The three-story restaurant will also feature a garden-driven design, including a "goods and produce" wall and a rooftop garden-style dining area.

Ninebark is slated to open August 1.