About Us
KAPPO is an intimate 12-seat chef’s counter offering a tasting experience inspired by California’s landscape, located in the Stanford Shopping Center.
Under the direction of Executive Chef Nikolas Neuwirt, whose journey spans Michelin-starred kitchens in Denmark, France, and California. KAPPO reimagines the rich heritage of Japanese cuisine through a modern, Californian lens. Drawing from his experience at Niku Steakhouse, Prelude, and Birdsong, Chef Nik crafts immersive menus that celebrate pristine seasonal produce, ancient fermentation techniques, and live-fire cooking.
Chef Nik
Nik’s journey began amid the maple forests of coastal New England, where every changing season revealed a new bounty. That early reverence for nature’s rhythms led him across the Atlantic to France and Italy, apprenticing in Bologna and Paris.
In the Michelin-starred restaurants of Denmark and California, Nik spent a decade refining his craft under the culinary world’s most exacting standards. He found harmony between Nordic precision and California’s bountiful produce and coastlines, shaping a cuisine that champions pure, unadorned flavors presented with thoughtful artistry.
Beyond the kitchen, Nik ventures into the forest, foraging mushrooms, berries, and wild greens that lend each dish a rooted sense of place. An avid diver and fisherman, he slips beneath California’s kelp forests to harvest sea urchins, seaweeds, and color schemes to weave into his nature forward menus.
Today, Nik melds these wildly diverse influences into immersive, seasonal menus, and unforgettable experiences.

