Barton G. Weiss (born May 15, 1956) is a Miami-based event

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

, producer, restaurateur, author,

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

, and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Early life

Weiss was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on May 15, 1956, the son of Norman and Eleanor Weiss.

Career

Weiss lived in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

before moving to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and founding his

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event production business in 1993. Weiss is a former professional

ice skater Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be perfo ...

. After his athletic career ended, he moved into costume and set design. His previous clients included

Chita Rivera Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero (January 23, 1933 – January 30, 2024), known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awa ...

and Cher. In 1993, Weiss moved to

to help a friend produce a charity gala, which led him to form his own events production company. His restaurants are recognized as a "Willy Wonka-style" dining experience.

Barton G.

Barton G. provides events management and production, weddings, off-site catering, destination management, and restaurants. In addition to private clients, the company has created more than 20,000 events for celebrities, Fortune 500 companies, and sports associations, including

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

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Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australi ...

, the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

, and PGA.

Barton G. The Restaurant - Miami

He opened Barton G. The Restaurant (previous Kerry Simon's Starfish) in 2002. It's known for its theatrical, over-the-top presentations. The restaurant has been described as “the Cirque de Soleil meets Ultra Music Festival meets the Indy 500 of the dining world - with the quality and flavors of a Michelin-Starred restaurant.” In 2017, the restaurant was included in OpenTable's list of the country's top 100 "hot spots."

Barton G. The Restaurant - Los Angeles

Following the success of the Miami location, Weiss opened the second location of Barton G. The Restaurant in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in June 2014.

Barton G. The Restaurant - Chicago

A third Barton G. restaurant opened in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, in February 2019, inside the former Sullivan's Steakhouse on N. Dearborn. It closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Ventures

In 2009, Weiss opened Prelude by Barton G. located inside the

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. According to Arts Management Magazine, the Arsht C ...

. In 2010, he took over operations of the Casa Casuarina Versace Mansion to open The Villa by Barton G., a boutique hotel and restaurant destination.

Media

Weiss has appeared as a guest judge, and guest blogger for Bravo's

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo in March 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs ...

. He was an inaugural member of Town and Country magazine's Wedding Advisory Board.

Philanthropy

Weiss co-founded the Barton G. Weiss Kids Hear Now Foundation with Jill Viner (former wife of

Cliff Viner Clifford G. Viner (born 1948)Busi ...

) in 2009 when he learned his daughter was born deaf and would require cochlear implants. Partnering with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for the past 20 years, the Cochlear Implant Program has helped restore hearing to more than 1,000 deaf children and adults. The Barton G. Kids Hear Now Cochlear Implant Family Resource Center, which opened in 2010 and is housed at the UHealth Ear Institute, emphasizes the viability of cochlear implants and auditory verbal therapy as an option for deaf children to become part of the hearing world.

Personal life

Weiss is divorced from Bobby Alpert; they have two children.

Books

* ''The Big Dish: Recipes to Dazzle and Amaze from America's Most Spectacular Restaurant'',

References

External links

Official Website
*
The Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation

The Big Dish: Recipes to Dazzle and Amaze from America's Most Spectacular Restaurant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Barton G. American restaurateurs Living people 1956 births