Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque

by Peter J. Elliot and Sirio Maccioni

Book Overview

Sirio Maccioni is a living legend, a restaurateur extraordinaire who has wined and dined high society in New York for nearly half a century. Along the way, he helped launch the careers of many illustrious chefs - David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, and Jacques Torres among them - and befriended a host of celebrities in the arts, politics, and business, from Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa to Nancy Reagan and Ivana Trump. Now Maccioni lets us into his world,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471204560
• ISBN13: 9780471204565
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Brave and Fascinating

Thank you Mr. Maccione for writing your life story. I have always wanted to eat at Le Cirque and since I never get to New York I will probably not have that pleasure, but I now feel that I have been there through your wonderful writing. You are a true survivor and your family looks beautiful, happy and successful. Le Cirque is a legend and you both deserve your place in history.

The Greatest Show On Earth

If this isn't a story about small town boy does good, I don't know what is. I read the book while touring Tuscany, which made it even more special. If you love good food and have an appreciation for what it takes to run a restaurant, then you will love this book. Sirio is truly the ringmaster of the greatest show on earth. The restaurant business either makes you a better person or it gobbles you up and spits you out. Every night is showtime and the next person through the door is your biggest fan or your worst critic. Nobody knows that better than Sirio Maccioni and in the Tuscan hillsides he is practically a national treasure. It seems everybody knows Sirio, or wants to know him and for good reason. Italians love food and they love people. Sirio knows both better than anyone and he has given himself up to a life of entertaining others. Believe it or not, that is a huge sacrifice. Yes, he gets enjoyment from seeing others enjoy themselves but that often comes with huge personal sacrifices and tons of self discipline. He is the best and he gives people the inspiration to be their very best. The restaurant business is unlike any other. From waiters to chefs to busboys and bartenders, every night is showtime and if you put on a sour face you turn off the crowd and crash in a flaming ball of fire. This is not a cookbook, it is a documentary. It is one of the best stories I have ever read about life, living and the pursuit of happiness. This book is about making yourself a better person and how to succeed in one of the toughest businesses in the world. I read a book a week and I don't believe in negative reviews. If you don't have something good to say, don't say it. I have read this book twice and I can't remember doing that very often. We booked a room at the Palace before Christmas and my daughter Jennifer, got to experience Le Cirque. Two weeks later from Rome, we booked the Palace and tried to make reservations at Le Cirque only to find out that it had closed. Let me tell you that I am not alone when I say that the restaurant world is waiting to see where the next greatest show on earth will take place. Sirio can't possibly abandon Manhattan. It is, after all, the greatest stage for the best ringmaster the restaurant business has ever known. I can't wait to buy tickets!!! Ciao Bella William H. Addeo

Response from the Author

To ZYBYSKO aka Tibet. Nowhere in the book did I even mention the original owner of Lutece, so I'm not sure how you can accuse me of not getting his name right. I never said Mr. Jacobs was a refugee. I write clearly that he had a successful and honored career helping refugees. I have his partners and friends, on record, in the book, giving their opinions of him. Alsace and its surrounding areas are some of the most important ski areas in Europe and the story in question happens in the New York, not in Europe. The restaurants I mention as being family owned, of course, were and are. What other definition would one give for restaurants that are solely owned by a husband and wife. And lastly, Mr. Maccioni when he created Le Cirque, never dreamed he would have restaurants elsewhere in the world.

What "A Year In Provence" did for the culinary travelogue...

... so "Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque" does for the culinary biography.Part biography of a food maestro, part chronicle of a celebrated restaurant, part food fable, part window onto American aristocratic society, "Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque" is a must-read for cognoscenti of all flavors. For cuisine fiends and the people who love them (like myself), chillin with restauranteur Sirio Maccioni is immensely more enjoyable than chillin creme brulee .... trust me."Sirio..."'s recipe for success contains merely two ingredients: a darn good story + a darn good presentation. The darn good story is a "ragazzo" to riches tale that goes from Mussolini's italy to Giuliani's NYC, with some glamorous stops along the way. Of course, Sirio Maccioni's life IS le Cirque and his climb to the top of FoodWorld's Mount Everest makes this book a page-turner."Sirio..."'s unique presentation also helps make the book a winner. Sirio's grandfatherly stream-of-consciousness recollections are surrounded by a bed of traditional biography (authored by Bloomberg food critic Peter Elliot in an easily digestible pithy style).All this is then smothered with a layer of baroque recipes that will have your lips smackin' for 400+ pages. The continual interspersing of Sirio, Elliot, and the recipes is rarely jarring and the stylistic flip-flopping keeps the narrative lively and the reader interested.Using the formula that made le Cirque, the restaurant, a success... exceptional food served with flair... le Cirque the book, is a feast for lovers of food, biography, or society. Thankfully, for us all, no reservations are needed to get this Dish served up tastefully. Bon Appetit.

Great Tuscan Tale

A wonderful memoir of a great life! Great New York stories and bits of gossip. Would make a good beach read too!