Big Sky Resort Reunites with The Alinea Group for a Second Season of Alpine Dining
BIG SKY, Mont., August 19, 2026 – M by The Alinea Group, created in partnership with Big Sky Resort and led by Chef Grant Achatz, will return for a second winter season, running December 10, 2026 through April 3, 2027. The restaurant debuted last year during The Alinea Group’s 20th Anniversary World Tour, and its successful first season proved a simple idea: a great restaurant doesn’t need to be in a major city to draw a crowd. M remains the only restaurant in The Alinea Group's portfolio located outside a major city.
In this second season, a multi-course tasting menu takes guests on a journey through Chef Achatz's modernist cuisine, set against Big Sky's alpine landscape. The 2026-27 season will bring back several signature dishes alongside new courses that reflect The Alinea Group's well-known culinary innovation.
"What Chef Achatz and his team built last season went beyond amazing food," said Troy Nedved, president and COO of Big Sky Resort. "The culinary experience at M is unlike anything else in Big Sky, and we can't wait to show our guests what the team has in store for the second season."
Last season, Achatz built a concept around the mountain setting, and guests are still talking about dishes like the Osetra caviar-topped financier with spruce-tip-infused apple broth, and the ponderosa pine ice cream churned from a charred log. Year two carries the same concept forward, with new courses shaped by a deeper exploration of Montana's landscape.
"I still think about how much fun we had in Big Sky. The team we built up there worked like they'd been cooking side by side for years, not months. That kind of chemistry is rare, and it's why coming back feels less like round two and more like seeing old friends. Guests felt it too. People flew in from all over just for a night with us in the mountains, and getting to do that again with everybody is what I'm most excited about,” said Chef Achatz.
M returns to its custom space, designed by the award-winning studio Fettle. Anchored by a red travertine bar, earthy hues, and locally sourced wood beams, the interior ties the restaurant into the surrounding peaks and conifer forests.
M by The Alinea Group opens for the 2026-27 winter season on December 10, 2026, and runs Thursday – Monday through April 3, 2027. Reservations will open on September 24. To receive first access to reservations, subscribe to Big Sky Resort’s M by The Alinea Group email list.
About Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort is a world-class mountain destination, home to North America’s most technologically advanced lift network, including the iconic 75-passenger Lone Peak Tram. With 5,850 acres of terrain across 40 lifts and more than 300 trails, Big Sky offers an elevated mountain experience. Established in 1973, Big Sky Resort is located in the Northern Rockies of southwest Montana between Bozeman, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park. Big Sky Resort is owned by Boyne Resorts, the largest family-run, four-season resort company in North America.
About The Alinea Group
Founded in 2005 in Chicago, The Alinea Group is a trailblazer in modernist cuisine and hospitality. Its venues include Alinea, the shapeshifting Next, and award-winning cocktail bars The Aviary and The Office. For more information, please visit www.thealineagroup.com.
About Grant Achatz
Chef Grant Achatz is one of the world’s most celebrated and influential chefs, renowned for pushing the boundaries of modernist cuisine. Named Best Chef in the United States by the James Beard Foundation and honored by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, his culinary journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Co-founder of the iconic Alinea, Grant has redefined fine dining. His story of overcoming Stage IV tongue cancer, as told in his bestselling memoir Life, On the Line and Netflix’s Chef’s Table, is a testament to his relentless pursuit of innovation and resilience.
