This week on Taste Matters, Mitchell Davis sits down with chef Matt Lightner at his NYC restaurant, Atera. Tune in to hear Mitchell and Matt discuss the food at Atera, and why Matt aims to make small, austere dishes that showcase creativity. Learn why the kitchen and the dining room interact so frequently at Atera, and how the restaurant combines refined food with casual dining. Why are NYC chefs spoiled by the glut of ingredients? Find out how Matt was intellectually nurtured by Basque cooking, and why a good chef needs to eat bad food. How do Mitchell and Matt define American cuisine? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of Taste Matters! Thanks to our sponsor, Of A Kind.

“Any good chef that wants to do a menu like this has a narrative. That’s the goal.” [7:10]

“New York chefs are very lucky because there is such a large market here that you are able to get such a wealth of ingredients.” [10:15]

“You have to eat bad food before you can appreciate good food.” [22:15]

— Matt Lightner on Taste Matters