When you’ve had decades of great experiences with someone in wine country, it’s wonderful to see them get the recognition they deserve. That’s exactly how we feel about Nick Peyton’s 2025 Service Award from The MICHELIN Guide California. It’s incredibly well deserved and maybe even long overdue.
When Peyton came on to the restaurant scene in the 70’s, the role of the front of house staff was essentially to perform cartoonishly snooty inaccessibility on behalf of the restaurant, and make guests feel they had to prove themselves to the restaurant to gain access. Contrary to this approach, Peyton has honed his craft over the years towards something welcoming and intimate that has culminated in the front of house experience at his second edition of Cyrus, nested in Sonoma County’s Geyserville.
For our readers who can remember the maitre d’ culture of the 1970’s, think back to what it was like. And if you’re too young to remember it personally, just think of the impression you got from cartoons – usually someone whose main modus operandi was to prevent you from feeling comfortable or competent in the restaurant you were trying to enjoy a meal in. Guests essentially had to prove their worthiness to the establishment.
One of Peyton’s cooler achievements has been turning this dynamic completely upside down. His project at Cyrus models the front of house experience after an informal visit to a friend’s house, where you have a drink in the hall or garden, and then a bit of the meal is made for you in the kitchen over conversation about the food and whatever else, and so on.
With this second iteration of Cyrus, arising from the ashes of the acclaimed Healdsburg original, Peyton and his partner, chef Douglas Keane, also reimagined what the boundaries between front of house and back of house could look like. In part, they wanted to make sure the back of house were earning a truly sustainable wage, and that there was an open crosspollination of skillsets and roles among the staff.
For example, when you sit down for your Kitchen Table experience, you’re really interacting with “back of house” staff, in the front of the house, at U-shaped counters that give guests a kitchen table experience as well as placing the chefs at the center of the action for questions and to show their skills as they prepare each bite.
So where other restaurants are creating special, exclusive events where guests can have a bite in the kitchen with the chef, Cyrus is just making this their informal normal. Reservations are limited, and are scheduled so that this special time at the Kitchen Table is always totally fresh, for both the guests and the house, and every experience is very personal. Peyton also operates from a place of authenticity in his approach – he expects exactitude in service, but with staff’s personalities totally present.
Stiff formality and inauthentic behavior haven’t been the only things that Peyton has tackled thoughtfully. He also started to notice that in lengthy 3 and 4 hour fine dining experiences, with many small courses, people at all kinds of restaurants were starting to get fidgety, or even to seem bored. It turns out that even in the face of really special and varied experiences, a lot of people don’t like to sit still in the same chair for several hours.
The solution? A Dining Journey, where guests move from one place to another, experiencing different physical dynamics. At Cyrus 2, this starts with a “guests choice” space called the Bubbles Lounge with comfortable leather lounge chairs, a garden to explore, and a bubbles and martini cart. Next is the Kitchen Table experience I’ve described above – seated, but very dynamic and entertaining, with lots of social activity. Then a Dining Room experience – plated foods in an east facing glass room with sweeping views of the Alexander Valley This is a leisurely space where the focus is more dialed into experiencing the food together with your friends. And, finally, your party migrates at their own pace to the Chocolate Room for a mysterious finale and gift to take home.
As always, we love to see this kind of attention paid to the details of the experience. Not only have the dishes been perfected, but the actual adventure itself has been refined through long thought. It’s really wonderful to see Nick Peyton get MICHELIN’s recognition, which is added to the restaurant’s overall MICHELIN star rating in terms of acclaim from the renowned organization.
It should be pointed out as well that this is after Peyton and Deane specifically went out of their way to stop chasing MICHELIN stars as they did with Cyrus’ first iteration in its home at Hotel Les Mars in Healdsburg and start following their own hearts and minds instead. While the old Cyrus certainly had its share of clout, it had its stressors as well. And the new Cyrus looks to be shaping up better – and happier – than ever. This is a poignant reminder to shoot for your own truths rather than trying to do what you think someone else wants you to do – because more often than you expect, that’s exactly where the real rewards lie.