Sirio Maccioni was known as the “King of Italian food in America” for inaugurating new recipes that became instant classics. The “Italian John Wayne” for his charismatic command of glitzy dining rooms filled with a jet-set clientele. And affectionately, the “Grande Maestro,” to a generation of chefs turned restaurateurs, like Daniel Boulud and Lidia Bastianich.
On April 5, the New York City legendary restaurateur of Le Cirque, passed away at his home in Tuscany. He was 88 years old.
Born in the town where he died, Montecatini, Tuscany, Maccioni came from humble yet ambitious roots. Orphaned by the age of eight, he was raised by his grandmother. He attended F Martini Institute at the end of World War II.
“I never had a dream to come to America,” he said in an interview with the James Beard Foundation in 2014, “but I got a job on a cruise ship.” Crossing the Atlantic, Maccioni held on to the advice of his grandmother, who encouraged him to do everything better than everyone else.
His ascent began at the Colony Club in New York City during the 1960s, where, as the restaurant’s maître d’, he caught the attention of Life Magazine. From there, he opened Le Cirque in 1974 at the Mayfair Hotel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
He seemed a master of everything. It was impossible not to notice Maccioni’s passion and perseverance, and his innate knack for pairing people and food. He generously shared these key ingredients with those who desired to climb the summit of the hospitality world.
“I am successful, because I believe in the people that come to my restaurant,” he once said. Super models, presidents, real estate scions, and even the pope, flocked to his restaurant, knowing Maccioni would make them cared for and special.
To be a successful maître d’, Maccioni ardently advocated that waiters learn the rhythms of the kitchen–how to filet a fish, how to serve pasta under lamplight–just as they must master languages, study gastronomy and history. This was how they could anticipate the tastes of their clientele. This was the way to please guests and to leave an impression.
Once he served Pope John Paul II risotto, fish and a white chocolate dessert prepared by the pastry chef of that time, Jacques Torres. He promised the pope that there would always be a table reserved for his holiness. Pope John Paul replied, “How do you book a table in heaven?”
But perhaps just as important were the lessons Maccioni taught the chefs in Le Cirque’s kitchen. Many have gone on to open multi-starred Michelin restaurants of their own. This week an outpouring of reminiscences and love came from the generation of chefs Maccioni mentored and taught the art of hospitality.
“No one in the business was more elegant, savvy, and confident in running the dining room of La Cirque. Sirio always gave me a lot of energy to cook my heart out in the kitchen,” said Michelin Chef Daniel Boulud, who worked for him for six years. “He gave me a chance to learn how to be a great chef and a great host.”
Le Cirque relocated to the New York Palace Hotel, whence it was renamed “Le Cirque 2000,” to accommodate larger crowds. Then, in 2006, Le Cirque reopened again, this time in the Bloomberg building on East 58th street. During his lifetime, Maccioni earned the James Beard Foundation’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” and four stars from the New York Times.
In Tuscany, his wife, Mrs. Egidiana née Palmieri Maccioni, a former opera star who sang at Carnegie Hall, and their sons Mauro, Mario and Marco are mourning the loss. The family still operates several Le Cirque restaurants across the country and around the world.