Chez Noir
A European-Inspired Bistro in Carmel-by-the-Sea
An elevated, community-driven restaurant rooted in coastal California cuisine, Chez Noir is the passion project of husband-and-wife team Chef Jonny Black and Monique Black. Tucked away in the village-like streets of Carmel-by-the-Sea, guests will discover a modern, seafood-centric menu showcasing pristine ingredients sourced from throughout the Monterey Peninsula.
Rather than a traditional take on fine dining, Chez Noir offers everyday luxury through an abundance of micro-seasonal ingredients, thoughtfully prepared, and the warm hospitality of a family-run restaurant.
From baked goods, to charcuterie, preserved produce, dry-aged fish and fresh pastas, each dish shines with the flavors of housemade ingredients inspired by Chef Black’s Michelin-starred experience and ongoing exploration of French and northern Spanish cuisines. Whether served in the restaurant’s intimate dining room, at the eight-seat bar or in the exterior courtyard, the restaurant’s transportive, terroir-driven approach elevates an unassuming neighborhood haunt to destination dining status.
The Team
Chef Jonny Black
Co-owner + Executive Chef
Born in the Bay Area and raised in Virginia, Chef Black was exposed to the diversity of regional, coastal American cuisines at a young age. He received a full scholarship to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating with honors in 2007. He then moved to New York City, where he strengthened his skills as an opening member of the team at Allen & Delancey and Corton, before transitioning to Chef de Partie at Per Se.
After six years in New York, Black spent three months staging in Europe at Noma, Relae, In de Wulf and The Clove Club. These experiences inspired the menu at Governor restaurant in Brooklyn, where Black stepped into his first Chef de Cuisine role. When the restaurant was, unexpectedly, destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, Black saw an opportunity to head west, joining the Quince team in San Francisco as Chef de Cuisine.
After three years in San Francisco, Black returned to the east coast, opening Pineapple & Pearls in Washington D.C. as Executive Sous Chef. He played a pivotal role in the menu design and concept, helping the restaurant earn two Michelin stars in its first year. Eventually, Black was drawn back to California by the opportunity to work alongside Dominique Crenn as her first ever Executive Chef. There, he oversaw culinary operations for Atelier Crenn, Petit Crenn and the opening of Bar Crenn—the first of which earned its third Michelin star during his tenure, while Bar Crenn earned its first.
In 2019, Chef Black relocated from San Francisco to the Monterey Bay, assuming the role of Executive Chef at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California. With a vision for opening his own family-run restaurant in the tight knit community, he spent nearly two years observing the inner workings of the region’s dining culture and gaining an appreciation of the hyper-regional seafood and produce available throughout the Monterey Peninsula. In opening Chez Noir, he looks forward to sharing his passion for both modern European-influenced cuisine and California’s coastal bounty, blending technical expertise with a nuanced celebration of thoughtfully sourced raw ingredients.
Monique Black
Co-owner
Originally from Washington D.C., Monique began her hospitality career as a line cook in New York City. Serendipitously, two of her roles—at Colonie, a popular brunch restaurant, and Governor, a fine dining concept run by Noma and Per Se alum Brad McDonald—placed Black centerstage within an open kitchen. She soon realized this format allowed her personality to shine, with many return guests requesting to be seated at her station. Upon the closing of Governor (due to Hurricane Sandy), Black began contemplating a shift to front-of-house, ultimately relocating to San Francisco to work at Quince.
Initially hired as a runner, Black was quickly promoted to captain due to her interest in Chef Michael Tusk’s obsessive attention to sourcing and thoughtful hospitality. She remained at the restaurant for three and a half years before relocating to Washington D.C., where she joined the front-of-house team at two-Michelin-starred Pineapple & Pearls in Capitol Hill. Eventually, Black returned with her growing family to the Bay area and joined the small front-of-house team at Coi, which had just earned its third Michelin star. Under celebrated chef Daniel Patterson, she continued to evolve her appreciation of California’s pristine and even rare seasonal ingredients, staying at the restaurant until the birth of her second child. Taking a brief sabbatical from hospitality to support her growing family, she and her husband, Chef Jonny Black relocated to Carmel-by-the-Sea with the vision of developing their own family-run restaurant. With the opening of Chez Noir, she looks forward to returning to the front-of-house, cultivating a unique blend of bar-setting cuisine and a relaxed, inviting ambiance for both Carmel locals and visitors to the region.
Nate Cohen
General Manager
As a native of the Monterey Peninsula, Cohen brings a uniquely rooted perspective to his role as General Manager at Chez Noir. Exposed to winemaking at an early age, he first worked for his aunt and uncle at Böeté Winery, a small, family-run operation in the Carmel Valley. From harvesting to blending, this hands-on experience instilled an early appreciation for the technical aspects of winegrowing and the dedication of the artisans who shepherd grapes from vine to bottle.
Craving exposure to the larger world of hospitality, Cohen went on to work at several local food businesses, including Aubergine—today, Carmel’s other Michelin-starred restaurant. This led to opportunities in and around Los Angeles, including a few years at Michael’s, a California culinary institution in Santa Monica. There, he was exposed to the emerging world of natural wine and the community of importers, sommeliers and winemakers supporting that movement. Moving back to Monterey in 2019, Cohen launched and ran the first exclusively natural wine retail program on the peninsula at Elroy’s Fine Foods. It was there that he was introduced to Jonny and Monique Black and was immediately drawn to their vision for a European-influenced neighborhood restaurant. At Chez Noir, he showcases his appreciation of organic and biodynamic wines with a program that highlights high-quality French and Spanish imports alongside a select list of noteworthy west coast producers.
