Kitchen Confidential: Matthew Lightner Creates Culinary Magic in Napa

Photo Credit: Kelsey McClellan

Sometimes a space, location and chef come together in perfect harmony to create a restaurant that’s so deliciously innovative it’s unlike any other eatery out there. The Napa Valley is sprinkled with this type of memorable, almost magical restaurant. Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and Christopher Kostow’s The Restaurant at Meadowood are prime examples of culinary institutions that receive accolade after accolade and are beloved by both critics and locals. Although it’s only six months old, NINEBARK, from chef Matthew Lightner and hospitality group AvroKO, falls into this coveted category of restaurants. The space was once Fagiani’s, a three-story cocktail lounge and liquor store that was closed for 37 years. A murder that took place on the premises remained unsolved until 2011. In 2012, AvroKO took over the property that’s located in the heart of downtown Napa right across the street from the river, and renamed the space, The Thomas and Fagiani’s Bar. However, the firm decided to revamp the entire building and concept when acclaimed chef Lightner came on board. The Midwestern native made his name at Portland’s Castagna before taking New York by storm with Atera, his two Michelin-starred restaurant. Unlike the stereotypical loud, brash chef, Lightner is soft spoken and a champion of seasonal ingredients and exploratory preparations. Combine Lightner’s kitchen prowess with a stunningly designed interior and superb cocktail and wine lists, and the resulting NINEBARK is a revelation. It’s also three restaurants in one: the ground floor is a casual bar, the middle floor is a more upscale dining room and the rooftop is a happening lounge where Napa’s “It” crowd samples scrumptious fare like carrot-pimento dip and salt cod beignets. Between foraging for tender vegetables and planning the menu for the family-style Sunday Suppers, chef Lightner sat down with us to discuss his cross-country move and the inspiration behind his famed pickle plate.

Why did you decide to come back to the West Coast to cook?
California has always been in the back of my head, even when I left for Spain years ago. Since I’ve spent so much time in the Pacific Northwest, the Bay Area was always of interest to me. My philosophy on life is that it’s a series of opportunities and situations that are guided by timing, and when several of those things fell in line, I made the decision to move to Napa. Napa fulfills so many of my check boxes: proximity to the Bay Area acting as a gateway to the valleys and in the backyards of both San Francisco and Marin, the base for a lot of environmental diversity, the history, the opportunity for growth, and the people.

Sleepy downtown Napa is a complete 180 from New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. What about Napa appealed to you?
Napa, in general, is exciting just due to the amount of produce available year-round and the truly unique and many artisanal products and producers that are based in this part of the country. Downtown Napa specifically was a draw because I was really looking to cook for the people who lived and worked in Napa. Downtown Napa is where those folks dine, drink and hang out. I wanted to be part of their community.

What are the main differences between cooking in New York and cooking in Napa?
Again, both places have great products available, but they definitely have different products and vendors who are producing unique items to their region. I was excited to work with a new slew of ingredients. Also, the style of cooking at my restaurant in New York, Atera, and here in Napa at NINEBARK is very different. Atera was a very composed, tasting-menu style of dining, and I was ready to move on to something a bit more casual and approachable without losing that same innovation and inventiveness in the dishes. We call it “wine country cuisine,” which is what folks are looking for in Napa.