Lightner continues to dazzle with a dozen or so main courses on a set tasting menu.

NEWYORKER: Atera

Pulaski Superintendent Mel Lightner said the choice of music was not a political.

FORBES: How a Wisconsin High School Marching Band Became a Political Hot Potato

Lightner said the polka version is a favorite of the grandmother of Pulaski band director D.

FORBES: How a Wisconsin High School Marching Band Became a Political Hot Potato

Chef Matthew Lightner, of New York's Atera, is likewise attracted to nasturtiums' vivid saffron color and spicy taste.

WSJ: Petal Pushers: Chefs Pick Edible Flowers

Lightner is a Portland import, by way of the world-famous kitchens of Noma, in Denmark, and Mugaritz, in northern Spain.

NEWYORKER: Atera

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Candace Lightner.

CNN: Look to MADD in changing our gun culture

Lightner has a fondness for things found on forest floors, but his technical skill is what defines the food, which is showcased up front in a series of amuses inspired by the flavors and textures of snacks: crunchy, salty, sticky, chewy.

NEWYORKER: Atera

Lightner and a full-time forager provide Atera with wintergreen, nettles, other plants, and fungi, mainly from upstate New York, and one wall of its dining room has been transformed into a vertical herb garden, overflowing with aromatics like camphor, lavender, and mint.

NEWYORKER: Atera