When Finn Walter began thinking about what kind of restaurant he wanted to build in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas, he knew that he wanted to create something that reflected the city itself. Although he’d cooked in kitchens around the world, the plan was always to return home. “I wanted to learn everything and come back with a different perspective,” he says. His restaurant, The Nicolett, would incorporate the colors, scents, tastes, and feelings that make Lubbock special. It would pay homage to Lubbock’s aesthetic past, the town’s unique history, even the particular way some herbs grow in the area. The Nicolett—one of BA’s 50 Best New Restaurants in 2022—is exceptional, Walter says, because “you can only have this experience here.”
In his search for designers to build out his…
