Tim and Nancy Cushman — the husband-and-wife duo behind O Ya and Hojoko in Boston and several restaurants in New York City — will take on Chestnut Hill next, opening a “neighborhood restaurant” in 2019 at the Street, a shopping and dining development that also includes a forthcoming Chilacates as well as existing spots like Shake Shack, Ronsky’s, Aquitaine, and more.

 
Earlier today, Instagrammer Paige Christo posted an Instagram story including a shot of signage covering a window at the Street, signed by the Cushmans, aimed at “friends and neighbors” of the development. It read, in part:

 
We are truly excited to be coming back to Chestnut Hill. 20 years ago, when we moved back to Tim’s hometown of Boston after 18 years of living and working in restaurants in LA and Chicago, we found an apartment a mile away from here. Now 20 years later we are returning to open a new neighborhood restaurant…see you in 2019.

 
Both the Cushman camp and the Street camp declined to provide details at the moment as the project is still in the early stages, but a rep for the Street provided the following statement:

 
The Street in Chestnut Hill is excited to confirm that Chef Tim and Nancy are opening a new restaurant concept at The Street in 2019. There are no further details to share as the concept is still in development.

 
Both of the Cushmans’ existing Boston restaurants are Japanese; O Ya is one of the top sushi destinations in town, while Hojoko is more of a playful izakaya-style spot. O Ya also has a New York location. But the Cushmans’ other New York venues deviate from the theme — there’s the Roof at Park South (a rooftop cocktail bar) and Covina (a “new American restaurant with Mediterranean influences.”) So their Chestnut Hill plans are anyone’s guess.

 
The area will have a sushi void left by Oishii, which is closing this weekend after 20 years, so a new Japanese restaurant from the Cushmans wouldn’t be out of place in Chestnut Hill. On the other hand, paperwork filed with the state indicates that the duo recently formed an LLC under the name “Bianca on the Hill.” LLC names and restaurant names are frequently different, so the paperwork doesn’t prove anything, but if there’s the slightest chance that the LLC name hints at an Italian restaurant, Chestnut Hill is in luck: The pizza at Covina is excellent.

 
Japanese, Italian, or otherwise, stay tuned for something new from the Cushmans in 2019 at the Street.

 
By Rachel Leah Blumenthal