Michael Leviton

A six-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee, recipient of awards from Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Gourmet and Saveur, and National Board Chair of the Chefs Collaborative, Michael Leviton is a chef dedicated to the simple and pure preparation of local and sustainable ingredients in harmony with the seasons.

After working alongside some of the world’s best chefs in New York City and San Francisco, including Joyce Goldstein at Square One, Eric Ripert and Gilbert Le Coze at Le Bernadin, and Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque, Leviton returned to his hometown of Newton in 1999 and opened Lumière. A celebrated neighborhood bistro, Lumière quickly became known as one of the best restaurants in the Boston area. In Lumière’s first two years in business, the restaurant was recognized as one of the Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appétit, and Michael was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine.

Thirteen years since opening and countless accolades later, Leviton continues his work at Lumière, where he maintains his lifelong passion for local ingredients and sustainability. This dedication resulted in his 2010 appointment as Chair of Chefs Collaborative, a national nonprofit network of chefs committed to local foods and fostering a sustainable food supply. As Chair, Leviton leads by example, encouraging both the restaurant industry and the average consumer to act on a small level by shopping locally in order to impact the way food is raised, grown and distributed globally.

In late spring of 2011, Leviton opened Area Four, a bakery/coffee house and bar/oven in Cambridge’s tech-driven neighborhood of the same name. An evolution of his philosophy on the dining experience, Area Four is stripped down to the basics – an undeterred commitment to the best ingredients, techniques and preparations within an unpretentious, comfortable atmosphere.



Since opening in late spring of 2011, Area Four has garnered recognition from national publications like Bon Appétit, Esquire and GQ, as well as the following accolades:

“Best Pizza in Boston” – Eater.com
“Best of Boston: Neighborhood Eats” – Boston magazine
“Boston’s Best Neighborhood Restaurant/Bar” – The Improper Bostonian
Boston’s 50 Best Restaurants, Boston magazine (2012)


Prior to Area Four, Leviton’s accolades for Lumière include:

Best New Restaurant, Bon Appétit (1999)
Best New Restaurant and Best New Chef, Boston magazine (1999)
Best New Chefs in America, Food & Wine (2000)
Best Restaurant in America, Gourmet (2002)
The Saveur 100, Saveur (2002)
Alan Richman’s Perfect Meal, GQ (2002)
Distinguished Restaurants of North America (2005-2007)
Six consecutive nominations for the James Beard Foundation Awards (2005-2010)
Best of Boston, Boston magazine (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012)
Boston’s 50 Best Restaurants, Boston magazine (2009, 2011, 2012)