Sirio Maccioni (5 April 1932 – 20 April 2020) was an Italian

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

and author known for opening Le Cirque.

Biography

Maccioni got his start at Oscar's Delmonico, Delmonico's. Owner Oscar Tucci once stated, "Sirio and with Tony May will be some of the greatest restaurateurs that will come out of

Delmonico's Delmonico's is a series of restaurants that have operated in New York City, and Greenwich, Connecticut, with the present version located at 56 Beaver Street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Manhattan. The origin ...

." Maccioni was featured in '' Le Cirque: A Table In Heaven'', a 2007 American documentary film. He was awarded the Impresario dell’Anno (Entrepreneur of the Year) award at Affreschi Toscani. Maccioni was known for Le Cirque, his award-winning flagship French restaurant and other ventures in New York City,

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, the

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and

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, which were run with his wife Egidiana “Egi” and sons Mario, Marco, and Mauro. In June 2004, Maccioni published his autobiography, ''Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque'' with

Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately-held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, Charles Ze ...

's restaurant critic Peter Elliot. On television, he was featured as a guest judge on ''

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'', the 48th Annual

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Pageant and as himself in ''

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'', '' Behind Closed Doors'' and ''Eat This New York''. Maccioni and his family were also featured in a behind-the-scenes documentary film '' Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven'', which details Le Cirque's 2006 move from the Palace Hotel to the Bloomberg building on East 58th St. Maccioni and several recipes from his restaurants are featured in Egidiana Maccioni's ''The Maccioni Family Cookbook''. In 2012, Sirio Maccioni authored ''A Table at Le Cirque'' with Pamela Fiori, published by Rizzoli. Maccioni has been credited as the creator of pasta primavera, though that attribution has been challenged.

Personal life

Maccioni was married to Egidiana Maccioni and the couple have three sons: Mario, a graduate of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, Marco, a graduate of

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, and Mauro, a graduate of

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. He died at his home in

Montecatini Terme Montecatini Terme (Montecatini-Terme, according to Italian National Institute of Statistics, ISTAT documentation) is an Italian ''comune'' (municipality) of inhabitants in the province of Pistoia, in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It ...

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, on 20 April 2020. His death was unrelated to the

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Restaurants

Over his career, Maccioni operated the following restaurants: *Le Cirque first opened at the Mayfair Regent Hotel in 1974. It closed and reopened as Le Cirque 2000 at the Helmsley Palace Hotel in 1997. The latest installation opened in 2006 in the Bloomberg Tower building at One Beacon Court (151 East 58th Street). * Le Cirque Las Vegas at Bellagio Hotel * Le Cirque New Delhi (The Leela, New Delhi) *Le Cirque Cafe (58th St./Third Ave.) *The Beach Club by Le Cirque (Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic) *Circo New York (120 West 55th street, between Sixth & Seventh Aves.) *Circo Las Vegas at the Bellagio (hotel and casino) *Circo Abu Dhabi *Sirio Ristorante (The Aria Resort and Casino)
Sirio Ristorante at The Pierre Hotel

Awards

*Impresario dell’ Anno (Entrepreneur of the Year) award at Affreschi Toscani

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. *1995 - Sirio Maccioni deemed a “Living Landmark” by the New York Landmarks Conservancy,Sirio Maccioni Named Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree for 2014
/ref> *2000: Joe Baum Lifetime Achievement Award from The Food Allergy Initiative. *2002- Father of the Year, National Father's Day Committee *2003- Fine Dining Legend Winner Nation's Restaurant News *2007:

Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...

One-Star for Le Cirque in

. *2012: Sirio Maccioni honored at Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival. *2013: Sirio Maccioni awarded First "Euro-Toques Italia International Award" by Eurotoques Italy association in Montecatini Terme. *2013: Sirio Maccioni and Family inducted into Esquire Magazine's 2013 Restaurant "Hall of Fame" *2013: Sirio Maccioni to receive "Pioneer Award" by The Best of Silver State Awards in Nevada. *2014:

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

, Lifetime Achievement

References

External links

Le Cirque websiteCirco websiteSirio Ristorante websiteThe Beach Club by Le Cirque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maccioni, Sirio 1932 births 2020 deaths Italian restaurateurs People from Montecatini Terme James Beard Foundation Award winners