La Paulée 2023 Chefs
Daniel Boulud DANIEL, New York, NY
Sam Clonts Sixty Three Clinton, New York, NY
David Kinch Mentone, Aptos, CA
Gabriel Kreuther Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY
Stephen Lewandowski Townhouse, Greenwich, CT
Melissa Rodriguez Al Coro, New York, NY
Michel Troisgros & Léo Troisgros Maison Troisgros, Ouches, France
Samuel Clonts is the co-owner and Michelin-starred executive chef of Sixty Three Clinton, a new restaurant serving modern, seasonal American fare with global influences located at 63 Clinton Street on the Lower East Side. Sam leads the team at Sixty Three Clinton alongside his longtime friend and business partner Raymond Trinh.
Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Sam enrolled in his high school’s culinary arts class while simultaneously working as a dishwasher at the local neighborhood restaurant. By the time he turned 18, he had worked his way up from chef de partie at The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain just Northwest of Tucson, overseeing multiple kitchen stations before graduating high school.
Drawn to New York City’s world-class hospitality industry, Sam left Arizona for Manhattan, studying at the Institute of Culinary Education while working at The Ritz-Carlton Battery Park. Towards the end of 2011, a holiday dinner with friends brought him to three Michelin-starred Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare; by January 2012, Sam began an externship there and over the course of the next five years worked his way up in the famed kitchen. Early on, Sam called Raymond - whom he’d met years earlier while in high school - to join him at Brooklyn Fare. The two have worked side by side ever since. In early 2017, he left Brooklyn Fare for an opportunity to join Uchu Hospitality as Bar Uchu’s executive chef, while Raymond came on board as the restaurant’s team captain overseeing all front and back of house operations. By October 2017, Sam’s cooking earned Bar Uchu a Michelin star, making him the youngest, starred American chef at 26 years old.
David Kinch, the internationally recognized chef known for his exceptional restaurant Manresa, forged a distinctive culinary path putting him at the forefront of a contemporary California cuisine. Over two decades, Manresa received extensive accolades before closing its doors at the end of 2022. Highlights include three Michelin stars for seven consecutive years, a Five Star Forbes Travel Award, and membership in prestigious organizations such as Relais & Chateaux and Les Grande Tables du Monde. In addition to Manresa, Kinch has cultivated other successful culinary projects that continue today, including Manresa Bread, The Bywater, and his newest restaurant, Mentone.
Kinch is consistently recognized on a local, national, and global level, including his international peers voting him into the Top 25 of the World’s Best Chefs 2020 via Le Chef Magazine.
Kinch won an Emmy for his role on the PBS series “The Mind of a Chef.” His first cookbook, “Manresa: An Edible Reflection” landed on the New York Times “Best Sellers List” in 2013, and his second cookbook “At Home in the Kitchen: Simple Recipes from a Chef’s Night Off,” debuted March 2021. Kinch is also the subject of an award-winning documentary “A Chef’s Voyage,” which chronicles the Manresa team’s journey to France for three culinary residencies at legendary Michelin-starred restaurants.
During the first decade of his career, Gabriel created culinary delights at Michelin-starred kitchens throughout Germany, France and Switzerland before bringing his talent to The States. Gabriel began at La Caravelle & Restaurant Jean-George Central Park before going on to his roles as Executive Chef of the much lauded Atelier in the Ritz-Carlton and The Modern, where his cooking received numerous accolades throughout his nearly decade-long tenure. A long-standing member & mentor for the prestigious Bocuse d'Or USA Culinary Council and current Gold winners of the World Competition, Kreuther was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2003 and received a 2009 James Beard Foundation award for "Best Chef: New York City."
In June 2015, Gabriel opened the eponymous restaurant, Gabriel Kreuther. Here, Gabriel combines his classic French training and Alsatian heritage with his love of New York City to create a comfortably luxurious experience in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Just a few of the wonderful accolades Gabriel Kreuther Restaurant has already received include, The AAA 5 Diamond Award, Best New Restaurant of the Year by New York's Village Voice, 3 Stars from the NY Times & Two Michelin Stars, as well as being a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux.
In fall 2016 Gabriel opened Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate with Pastry Chef Marc Aumont, where the pair unify New York inspired flavors with French techniques, quality ingredients, the finest craftsmanship, and beautiful packaging to create unique chocolates, pastries, and retails treats next door to the restaurant and across from Bryant Park.
As the Executive Chef and Partner of Townhouse, Stephen J. Lewandowski inspires his staff with his passion for fresh ingredients. His ingenuity in the kitchen is stimulated by his belief that food should not be overworked, but rather appreciated for its simplicity and natural perfection. This philosophy is evident in Chef Lewandowski’s innovative seasonal menus that showcase local and sustainable ingredients.
Chef Lewandowski’s globe-trotting (Stephen traveled throughout the world with Regent Seven Seas Cruises as a celebrated guest chef) culinary style modernizes and elevates traditional American cuisine at Townhouse to modern coastal dining. He focuses on full-flavored dishes that allow the often-unusual ingredients of foreign culinary styles to shine. His menus bring regional specialties to the forefront, incorporating local ingredients into both classic and innovative preparations, with results that have critics across the region taking note.
As a young boy growing up in Union Beach, New Jersey, Lewandowski discovered a love of cooking, almost by accident at an early age. “I grew up in a large family that possessed a zest for life. My dad loved to cook, and I loved nothing more than cooking with him on Sundays for a big group of family and friends. These intimate gatherings helped me recognize my passion for cooking and sharing food,” he remembers. The real eye opener came when he had an opportunity to visit the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. “It was just so inspiring to experience the passion other cooks brought to the process.”
Following his passion for cooking, Lewandowski applied to Culinary Institute of America and graduated in 1995 and sought opportunities to further develop his own creativity.
Lewandowski’s culinary repertoire flourished as a line cook under Executive Chef Alfred Portale at Gotham Bar and Grill, followed by the Ritz-Carlton New York on Central Park South, where he was Chef de Cuisine of its high-end Fantino restaurant, where he developed and refined his culinary technique. He proceeded to Boston’s five-star Ritz-Carlton where he served at Executive Banquet Manager. It was there he extended his skills to all outlets of the hotel, pleasing the palettes of former President George H.W. Bush, Queen Noor of Jordan and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. After spending three years with Ritz-Carlton, Lewandowski went on to take the role of Executive Sous Chef at the Peabody Orlando, where he oversaw five restaurants and 64,000 square feet of banquet space.
In 2000, Lewandowski went on to take the role of Chef de Cuisine at Tribeca Grill, working under Executive Chef Don Pintabona. At Tribeca Grill, Lewandowski was exposed to Pintabona’s inventive menus, vivid flavors and simply delicious fare that complemented the restaurant’s Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning list and earned his first Executive Chef position at a fine dining restaurant in 2002.
Recognizing Lewandowski’s vast culinary range, Drew Nieporent, co-owner of Tribeca Grill and the founder and inspiration behind Myriad Restaurant Group, offered Lewandowski the role of Corporate Chef in 2005. In this new role, Lewandowski oversaw the development of operations for all of the company’s restaurants (Nobu, Mai House, Tribeca Grill, Centrico and Corton) and played an instrumental role in designing and opening the client kitchens of Myriad Hospitality Services, including projects like: The Daily Burger at Madison Square Garden; the 350-seat Acela Club, located in left field at Citi Field in New York; Proof on Main in the historic 21C Historic Hotel and Museum in Louisville, Kentucky; Lucca at the five-star Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida and The Coach House, at the Charlotte Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard.
Lewandowski brought his culinary expertise and creative vision from New York City to Connecticut in 2012 opening the Harlan restaurants – Harlan Social in Stamford, Harlan Publick in Norwalk, Harlan Haus in Bridgeport and Harlan Brasserie in Hartford.
Following a successful seven-year endeavor at The Harlan Restaurants, he met Dana Cifone in 2019 and together, opened Townhouse, Greenwich, Connecticut’s newest dining destination and private event space in late January 2020.
When he’s not in the kitchen, Lewandowski focuses his attention on a number of local, regional, national and international events. Annually, he participates in the La Paulée Mondiale, the legendary wine gathering celebrating the wines and winemakers of Burgundy, Founded and produced by award-winning sommelier Daniel Johnnes, Wine Director for all of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants. He also donates his talents to the Kristen Ann Car Foundation, the first foundation formed to exclusively address, gain understanding and provide treatment for sarcoma cancers. After the World Trade Center tragedy, Lewandowski, along with Charlie Palmer, Daniel Boulud, Scott Byran, and Don Pintabona prepared a five-course wine pairing menu that raised close to $1,000,000 for the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. He has participated in numerous Food and Wine Festivals from coast to coast.
Lewandowski’s work has gained national attention from such publications as The New York Times, The Hartford Courant, Wine Spectator, Cooking Light, and Martha Stewart Living. He has appeared on popular cooking segments on ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s The Today Show, WCBS-TV News and Toni On! television travel series which is broadcast on WLNY as well as WCBS-TV. He has been a featured chef at the James Beard House numerous times and cooked for former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela; South African cleric, Desmond Tutu; former President Bill Clinton; Robert DeNiro; Bill Murray; Sean Penn; Mikhail Baryshnikov; Bruce Springsteen; Jay-Z and Beyonce to name a few.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, Melissa Rodriguez started her professional culinary career with Elaine Bell Catering and at Oceana. In 2006, she was hired as a line cook at Daniel Boulud’s flagship Restaurant Daniel, where she quickly rose the ranks to sous chef. After five years at Daniel, Melissa joined the team at Del Posto where she was soon promoted to Chef de Cuisine. Two years later, Melissa was named Executive Chef, making her the first woman at the helm of a restaurant awarded four stars by the New York Times. Like most New York restaurants, Del Posto closed in March 2019. In the summer of 2020, Melissa partnered with Restaurateur Jeff Katz–with whom she worked for almost a decade at Del Posto–to acquire the space previously occupied by Del Posto at 85 Tenth Avenue. In 2022, the team opened a trio of restaurants in that space: a Michelin two-star Italian restaurant called Al Coro; a subterranean cocktail bar called Discolo; and a pizza restaurant next door called Mel’s.
Michel Troisgros • Léo Troisgros
Maison Troisgros
Michel (middle) & Léo (right) with César (left)
Michel Troisgros
Michel Troisgros was born in Roanne on April 2, 1958. Son of Pierre and Olympe Troisgros, his youth was shared between the family restaurant Maison Troisgros and the house of his grandmother, who was Italian. After training at the Hotel School of Grenoble where he meet his future wife Marie-Pierre, he interned with some of the best chefs in Europe and abroad, including Roger Vergé, Alain Chapel, Taillevent, Chez Panisse, and Michel Guérard. Returning to Roanne in early 1983, a succession plan began to form, with Michel working jointly with his parents until 1996, at which point he took full control of Maison Troisgros. In 2008, Zagat named Maison Troisgros Best Restaurant in the World. The Troisgros family opened La Colline du Colombier, a country inn in Iguerande, in 2008 and moved their flagship establishment, Maison Troisgros, to Ouches in 2017, on a 17 hectare estate a few kilometers from Roanne.
In 2018, Maison Troisgros celebrated 50 consecutive years with 3 Michelin stars.
Michel has published 7 cookbooks and is a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur and l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has been the President of Samsung’s Club des Chefs since 2014, has hosted a number of industry conferences, and has cooked at prestigious dinners in every corner of the world.
Michel and his wife Marie-Pierre have 3 children : Marion (1983), César (1986) and Léo (1993). The 2 boys are also chefs, while their daughter runs an equestrian center.
Léo Troisgros
Léo Troisgros, born February 26, 1993 in Roanne, is the younger son of Michel and Marie-Pierre Troisgros. He is a chef.
Léo trained at the Institut Paul Bocuse before continuint his culinary apprenticeship at Guy Savoy in Paris, Benoît Violier in Crissier, Switzerland, Alexandre Gauthier in Montreuil, and “Lorenz” in Berlin, Germany. In 2017, he participated in the opening of the new Maison Troisgros in Ouches. He then spent 9 months as sous-chef at the family’s country inn La Colline du Colombier.
In 2018, he spent time in Tokyo during the collaboration of Yuichi Gogo and Michel Troisgros.
In the Troisgros family restaurant, Léo has worked as Saucier and Rôtisseur.
Léo is known for his curiosity, and loves sports, cities, and travel. He has a great understanding of Japanese cuisine, and has a unifying personality.