Restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, owner and Maître d of one of New York’s most iconic restaurants Le Cirque, has died at the age of 88.
Maccoini’s Le Cirque was a seminal fine dining restaurant, a bastion of old world class, impeccable service and classic French Cuisine, it launched generations of chefs’ careers, including Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, Geoffrey Zakarian, Jacques Torres, and Michael Lomonaco. It was a frequent haunt of the New York elite, presidents celebrities like Sofia Loren and Frank Sinatra and even the Pope.

While the restaurant functioned as an ambassadorial residence of French gastronomy, never hid is Italianess, which shone brightly, welcoming guests to the plush dining room and giving people reason to return. It was the energy, commitment to excellence but above all Maccioni’s extraordinary gift with people that saw the restaurant thrive for 45 years in three different locations.