Lark's Johnathan Sundstrom Knows Good Food

Lark Restaurant, one of the hottest restaurants in Seattle, is home to executive chef, Johnathan Sundstrom. Originally from Salt Lake City, Sundstrom first received his culinary training in a traditional Japanese restaurant and sushi bar before formally studying the culinary arts at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont.

After graduating with honors, he went on to work at some of the best hotel restaurants in the country: Laguna Niguel at the Ritz-Carlton, Club XIX at the Lodge at Pebble Beach, and the Stein Ericksen Lodge. Sundstrom then toured New York and San Francisco's finest kitchens with acclaimed chefs Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongericheten.

After coming to Seattle with a new sense of purpose and culinary understanding, Sundstrom worked at Raison d'être Café, where he first established contacts with local farmers. Then he joined Dahlia Lounge's team where he was promoted to sous chef after just one year, and then executive chef the next year. Finally, before Lark, he took the top spot at the former Earth & Ocean and earned Food and Wine Magazine's Best New Chef for 2001.

Upon opening Lark in 2003, he began focusing on his culinary artistry, and has perfected it, making him one of the most renowned chefs in Seattle. He has been awarded Rising Stars Chef Award for 2003, and nominated as Best Chef Northwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2005 and 2006 before officially winning in 2007. His culinary style can be found in Lark's fan-favorite dishes, such as the crispy Liberty Farm duck leg served with baby artichokes and green chickpeas, squab served with bacon, morel mushrooms and thyme, and roasted eel with saba and potato salad.