Beau Monde duo taking over NYC's Tavern on the Green
To the Upper West Side.
Jim Caiola and David Salama, owners of the Queen Village creperie Beau Monde, today were named the future operators of the Central Park landmark Tavern on the Green. They will maintain Beau Monde, their rep says.
The city of New York will award the pair a 20-year license term to run an informal restaurant and outdoor cafe; it's just west of the Sheep Meadow near 67th Street.
They've hired Caiola's Johnson & Wales classmate Katy Sparks as executive chef. She was a 1998 "Top Ten Best New Chef in America" by Food & Wine Magazine and her experience includes the Quilted Giraffe, Mesa Grill, Bolo, and Quilty's,
They don't get the keys for nearly a year. Tavern on the Green is expected to reopen in fall 2013. By law, the city had to announce the arrangement by today.
Founded in 1934 and operated by a series of restaurateurs, Tavern on the Green been closed since 2009, when renovations were announced.
Photo: via CentralPark.org