Sirio Maccioni wins James Beard award

Man who brought crème brûlée to US masses given lifetime award.

THE man credited with popularising crème brûlée among American diners and the owner of the iconic New York City restaurant Le Cirque has been named the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, known as the Oscars of the food world.

Restaurateur and New York personality Sirio Maccioni joins Cecilia Chiang, Wolfgang Puck, Jacques Pépin and Alice Waters as the latest lifetime achievement recipient, whose body of work is deemed to have had a positive, long-lasting impact on the way Americans eat and think about food.

“Charming guests and indulging their palates for nearly half a century, Sirio has not only set a precedent for fine dining but helped launch the careers of some of the country’s most talented chefs” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation.

Indeed, Maccioni’s list of protegés span some of today’s hottest chefs, including Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, Jacques Torres and Geoffrey Zakarian.

But for the regular New York diner, perhaps his greatest contribution is bringing the classic French dessert of creme brulee to American palates and creating a dish that’s now ubiquitous on many Italian menus but remains Le Cirque’s signature dish – pasta primavera, prepared tableside.

Though the dish isn’t on the menu, the restaurant will serve it upon request.

After 40 years, Le Cirque remains a dining destination for tourists and has expanded globally with outposts in the Dominican Republic and India.

This year, the family plans to open their first restaurants in the Middle East with Circo at the InterContintental Abu Dhabi and Le Cirque at the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre.

Maccioni will be honoured at the Lincoln Center in New York on May 5. Finalists of the James Beard Foundation Awards will be announced on March 18. – AFP Relaxnews