S
irio Maccioni, the founder of the legendary
Le Cirque restaurant, a temple of cuisine and
city-club to hosts of celebrities in the world of
business, fashion and the arts, does two things every
day: “In the morning I thank God I am Italian. And at
night I thank God I am Italian.”
Sirio’s native charm, good looks and outgoing
personality, all of which he attributes to his Italian
heritage, brought him fast success in New York.
But that was not so in the early days when a friend
presented him at the prestigious Paris restaurant
Maxims. He soon found it too large a challenge to
be the first and perhaps the last Italian in that
famous kitchen.
The Making of a Master
Sirio honed his craft at Home Lines Cruises, which he
considered “a perfect place to learn under the tutelage
of disciplined Captain Vespa, for whom I have fond
memories.” Home Lines was a leader in establishing
cruise dining equivalent to a land-based restaurant
with table-side service and a seductive pasta station at
the pool.
Once in New York, Sirio became a fixture at the
fabled Delmonico’s on Wall Street, where it is an art to
put the right people at the right tables. He even spent
some time in Cuba. “As a young man, I was never
afraid to move around to find a better job or one where
I felt I could learn something new,” Sirio remembered.
His social skills were mastered as maître d’hotel in the
late l960’s at The Colony Club, a denizen of New York’s
social set. “It was there that I fully realized that people
of society enjoyed being with people like them. It was
not so much about the food, but the food also had to be
good because people of success or wealth know the
difference. After The Colony, I felt I had all the right
ingredients to open my own place.”
LEFT
(from the top)
Sirio looks on at
Le Cirque; Sirio greeting Sophia
Loren, one of the many legendary
personalities to frequent Le
Cirque; Sirio with
The Affluent
Traveler’s
Jack Maraffi.
ADJACENT PAGE
(clockwise from top-left)
Cover
art for the 2007 documentary,
Le
Cirque: A Table in Heaven;
Sirio and
sons circa 1986; Le Cirque’s main
dining room; Sirio and sons circa
2009 (l-r: Marco, Mario and Mauro).
18
THE AFFLUENT TRAVELER
|
Travel Perspectives
TRAVEL PERSPECTIVES
TP
All photos courtesy of the Maccioni Restaurant Group (LC International LLC)
