Hospitality Design - October 2015 - 26

from the editor

a fare to remember

STACY SHOEMAKER RAUEN < Editor in Chief
stacy.shoemaker@emeraldexpo.com
646.668.3751
MICHAEL ADAMS < Editorial Director
michael.adams@emeraldexpo.com
646.668.3690
JONATHAN MARSLAND < Creative Director
jonathan.marsland@emeraldexpo.com
646.668.3733

Photo by JEFFREY MOSIER

Each year, the fine dining category is one of the most popular in our annual

HD Awards. For the past few years, it has also been one of the most challenging.
The reason: as more high-end restaurants do away with white tablecloths and other
traditional formalities, the line between upscale and casual dining-at least in terms
of design-continues to be blurred, forcing the judges to stop and ask, "Is this fine
dining?" Because each project is anonymous, we confirm price point and assure
them that it fits the criteria, but the dialogue continues. (They even made a separate
category, fine dining redefined, for one restaurant-the Grey in Savannah-this year.)
The question is, does the less formal design create an authentic, memorable, standout
experience that still warrants the price point?
Because in the end, an experience is what guests
want today.
So when working on this, our annual
Restaurant Issue, we tried to show a variety of
experiences-from a futuristic look in Vegas to
an at-home feel for a pizza joint in Paris; from
high-end to fast-casual standouts, the latter of
which, including a food court in Australia and a
noodle shop in China, are raising the bar in terms
of design. It seems as though no matter what end
of the spectrum a restaurant falls on, the design's
main job is to highlight and complement the chef's
cuisine. We sat down with eight innovative chefs-
James Beard honorees, Food & Wine magazinecelebrated, who together have worked for a who's who of kitchen masters-to gain
insight on how they got their start, lessons learned, food philosophies, and, of course,
their thoughts on the importance of design.
Arguably one of the industry's most prolific chefs, known only by his first name,
Nobu, happens to be one of our 2015 Platinum Circle Awards honorees, who are
showcased starting on page 121. He, along with Gary Dollens of Hyatt Hotels and
Kemper Hyers of Starwood Capital, are being inducted into our most prestigious
group for their astounding career achievements, and we are awarding design giant
HBA with our HD Visionary Award for 50 years of innovation. We hope you can help
us fête them at a black tie gala on November 10th at the Conrad New York (for tickets,
visit hdplatinumcircle.com). It is sure to be an evening to remember.

Stacy Shoemaker Rauen

Editor in Chief
stacy.shoemaker@emeraldexpo.com
@StacyRauen

hd editorial advisory board
Andrew Alford AJ Capital Partners Jeffrey Beers Jeffrey Beers International Malcolm Berg EoA Mark Boekenheide
Related Companies Glen Coben Glen & Co. Meghann Day HBA Gary Dollens Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Deborah
Lloyd Forrest ForrestPerkins William Harris AvroKO Kemper Hyers Starwood Capital Amy Hulbert Best Western
International Tom Ito Gensler Ted Jacobs Starwood Hotels & Resorts Gulla Jonsdottir Gulla Jonsdottir Architecture
& Design Helen Jorgensen Host Hotels & Resorts Jon Kastl Champalimaud Aliya Khan Neuehouse Studio Raul
Leal Virgin Hotels Scott Lee SB Architects Tony Machado Morgans Hotel Group Lisa McClung INT LLC Julia
Monk HOK Will Meyer Meyer Davis Studio Alessandro Munge Munge Leung Barry Nidiffer Chartres Lodging
Group Lionel Ohayon ICRAVE Robert Polacek Puccini Group Thomas Schoos Schoos Design Lisa Simeone Simeone
Deary Design Group Kellie Sirna Studio 11 Design Sam Suleman Equinox Hospitality Shawn Sullivan Rockwell Group
Michael Suomi Stonehill & Taylor Roger Thomas Wynn Design & Development Larry Traxler Hilton Worldwide
Audra Tuskes Lightstone Group Joel Villalon BraytonHughes Design Studios Anne Wilkinson BAMO Glenn Wilson
Marriott International

KATHLEEN KERVIN < Managing Editor
kathleen.kervin@emeraldexpo.com
646.668.3728
ALISSA PONCHIONE < Associate Editor
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646.668.3749
CHRISTOPHER DESANTIS < Online Editor
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GRACE CASEY < Production Manager
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Hospitality Design - October 2015

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