Lumière Chef Michael Leviton Will Sell Restaurant

Michael Leviton, chef and owner of the 16-year-old West Newton French bistro Lumière, has decided to sell the restaurant to his chef de cuisine and will leave at the end of February, according to The Boston Globe.

Chef Jordan Bailey will take over the farm-to-table restaurant (1293 Washington St.) and most of the staff is expected to stay on.

"This decision has been years in the making and is still loaded with mixed emotions. But, while I still have very little idea of what is next, I am excited by the opportunities and for the prospect of a more ‘normal' existence with my very patient family," Leviton told the Globe.

Leviton, who was co-owner of Area Four in Cambridge and A4 Pizza in Somerville, sold his stake in both restaurants back in June. A4 closed in August due to an electrical fire and recently announced it would not reopen in the same location, instead opting to find a different space. Leviton also spent two years running Persephone in Fort Point alongside Michael Krupp, his former partner at Area Four. It closed in 2009.

Additionally, Leviton is an instructor for Boston University's culinary arts certificate program and is on a seafood watch task force at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.