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The NIGHT+DAY Urbie Awards

Night+Day cities are chosen because they have a vibrant nightlife scene, standard-setting and innovative restaurants, cutting-edge hotels, and enough attractions to keep one busy for six days without doing the same thing twice. In short, they are fun. The quintessential urbanista experience wouldn’t exist but for the creativity and talents of many people and organizations. In honor of all who have played a role in making these the world’s greatest cities, Night+Day is pleased to give special recognition, and our Urbie Awards, to individuals and organizations whose contribution is exemplary.

AMSTERDAM (2008):
Concrete Architectural Associates (Architecture and Interior Design)

As much as the Golden Age can be credited with giving this city its worldwide reputation as a hotbed for classic arts and culture, Rob Wagemans and his colleagues at Concrete Architectural Associates can be regarded as having cemented Amsterdam’s place in the global-cool modern consciousness. Their design for the now-famous SupperClub restaurant and lounge earned them instant accolades, and from that point onwards this city hasn’t looked the same.

Concrete’s design sensibilities mean that the décor shares top billing with gorgeous, worldly patrons, and the room—be it a restaurant, bar, lounge, dance club, or all-in-one space—is not only a staging ground for a chic evening of dining and dancing, but a scene-stealing backd rop for the emerging modern international culture. Nightclubs like the high-wattage More are instant classics, restaurants like Blender and Envy have appeal with the culinary savvy, hyper-stylish crowd, and conceptual dining-lounge spaces like the SupperClub Cruise ship transcend cultures as much as they do conventions.

Perhaps the greatest measure of Concrete’s contemporizing influence on Amsterdam’s public spaces is the proliferation of up-to-the-minute design beyond the traditional domain of restaurants and bars: Measure the city-wide embrace of Concrete’s work where even mundane retail spaces are rendered magnificent—the most obvious example being the stunning design for the Lairesse Pharmacy, which garnered Concrete a prestigious Lensvelt Architecture Prize. Their reputation has a global reach, and more recently their style does too: witness SupperClubs in Rome and San Francisco, and the Bremen, Germany’s Hotel ÜberFluss. But it’s Amsterdam that Wagemans loves, and as he’s said, “Everything that makes life worth living you can find here. ”

ATHENS (2008):
Petros Kostopoulos (Media Stylemaker) and Dakis Ioannou (Art Collector and Hotelier)

Petros Kostopoulos has risen from magazine editor and radio commentator to cultural innovator over the last decade, putting his own indelible mark on the aesthetics of the capital along the way. Through Klik, a groundbreaking magazine he edited, and later through Nitro and Downtown, titles published by his own Imako publishing group, he introduced Greeks to lifestyle concepts that helped reshape Athens from a London wannabe into a vibrant city with its own edgy personality. "We are trendsetters, almost pathologically giving birth to and searching for new ideas," he has said of his cadre of provocateurs. Okay, so Greek excess has taken lifestyle fads to a ridiculous extreme, giving outsiders the impression that Greek society, once politically aware, is now starstruck and preoccupied with celebrity gossip. But the fact that innovative chefs like Lefteris Lazarou came back to open Michelin-starred restaurants like Varoulko is largely the result of Kostopoulos’ ability to create a market for haute cuisine and trendy bars. Kostopoulos even served as Donald Trump on Greece’s version of the reality show, casting out hopeful apprentices with “Efiges,” slang for “You’re out.”

Dakis Ioannou, an art collector of international renown with a sharp eye for the avant-garde, proved his acumen as a connoisseur and businessman by endowing the city with landmark establishments like the Semiramis Hotel in Kefalari÷a place that has taken concept design to new levels with striking results. His DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art introduced intellectually starved young Greeks to Jeff Koons and proved that art, style, and leisure can happily coexist under the same roof÷in this case the oh-so-cool Cosmos bar-restaurant÷without being starchy.

CHICAGO (2008):
Terry Alexander (Restaurateur and Nightlife Impresario)

When Nebraska native Terry Alexander opened his first nightlife venture in Chicago, Bucktown’s Danny’s Tavern, in 1989, he tapped into the city’s desire for innovative entertainment void of pretension. He also pinpointed the next frontier in the city’s hot neighborhoods. Then an underdeveloped residential area, Bucktown is now the red-hot epicenter of Chicago’s dining and nightlife scenes.

Alexander worked as a waiter and bartender while studying journalism at Northwestern University, which gave him firsthand knowledge of what makes a restaurant, bar, or club successful: Get ahead of trends by creating a unique concept, and then translate those ideas to the customers so they feel like they’re part of the action. Alexander’s next p roject fulfilled these missions flawlessly. Mia Francesca was his first dining strategy, based on simple Italian dishes done well and served in a bustling, exciting trattoria environment. His plan paid off, and there are now 14 Mia Francesca locations throughout the Chicago area. This visionary restaurateur continues to launch new internationally known hot spots, including Sonotheque, a European-inspired lounge promoting local and international DJs; and his newest arrival, del Toro, a Surrealist dream of an authentic Spanish tapas cafe and wine bar.

CHICAGO (20010/11):
James Goeke (Events Planner)

In 2003, James Goeke left his roots in Missouri to put his degree in Mass Marketing to work in the Windy City. He now graces Chicago with his Southern charm as the go-to Special Events Planner.

For the past three years, Goeke has spearheaded the design of the must-attend social events throughout the city. He’s worked closely with premiere city publications—Time Out Chicago, CS Magazine—as well as fashion moguls and hotels to orchestrate exquisite events that make the heart of the social scene beat at full rate. His knack for throwing parties has always been a passion, and his ability to create the perfect party is a natural consequence of knowing what works. “There's nothing like the electricity in the air of a really great event. The most important element is making the guests understand why they are there,” says Goeke.

Many of his endeavors are philanthropic, and the one closest to his heart is Vital Bridges, an organization that provides nutritious meals to low-income men, women, and children living with HIV in the Chicago area. Goeke co-founded the junior auxiliary board that dovetails with the youth generation’s interest in helping raise money for the project. He created “Vital Nights,” a series of happy hours for young professionals that has helped raise about $25,000 in the last year. He believes that what makes Chicago stand out from other metropolitan areas is its Midwestern core values. As he puts it, “Collectively, the people of Chicago have great hearts and an intrinsic need to give back to society.”

Recently nominated for “One Man Chicago,” an award dedicated to career- and charity-focused men, Goeke is one of the most successful faces of the burgeoning Chicago scene.

D.C. (2008):
Abe and Irene Pollin (Philanthropists and Community Leaders)

D.C.’s Penn Quarter neighborhood today is a far, far cry from what it was just one decade ago, when this downtown district was a place of office buildings and not much else. Come sundown, most folks got the heck out of Dodge. Around that time, a couple named Abe and Irene Pollin, owners of the Washington Wizards basketball team and the Washington Capitals ice hockey team, decided to build a new sports center in the heart of downtown, financing the $200 million cost themselves. The MCI Center, now called the Verizon Center, opened on December 2, 1997, to a sellout crowd. “I had two goals when I decided to build this building,” says Abe Pollin. “The first was that if I was building in downtown Washington, the nation’s capital, it had to be the best building of its kind in the country.

The second was to be the catalyst that turned the city around.” And that’s exactly what happened. By constructing their sports arena in the middle of D.C.’s desolate downtown, the Pollins gave office workers an enticement to stay on after dark, and Washingtonians in other parts of the city good reason to head here. Entre p reneurs took notice of all this activity and started to set up shop; one savvy shop led to the next fine restaurant, which led to the next hot bar, which led to the next chic hotel, and pretty soon, an enormous new convention center had been built, sealing D.C.’s fate as a top-draw city. Visit the Penn Quarter today, and you’ll find yourself on the pulse of the capital’s hippest neighborhood, where fashionistas, urbanistas, and happy revelers fill the streets night and day. Abe and Irene Pollin, whose achievements in business, philanthropy, and public service are both legion and legendary, may perhaps be best known for building the Verizon Center and in so doing, spearheading Washington’s phoenixlike transformation from a deteriorating ruin into an urban star.

D.C. (2010):
José Andrés (Restaurateur)

If the way to a city’s heart is through its stomach, José Andrés had D.C. at “Jaleo.” Jaleo is the tapas restaurant at which Spaniard Andrés made his D.C. debut in 1993, alighting at age 23 with his big personality, creative culinary skills, and already-considerable experience working in Michelin-starred restaurants. The eatery that launched an ongoing “small plates” craze soon had star siblings, as Andrés followed up Jaleo’s success with Café Atlantico and its exquisitely avant-garde restaurant-within-a-restaurant, the six-seat Minibar; Zaytinya, serving Mediterranean cuisine; and Oyamel, renowned for its authentic Mexican fare.

Over the years, critics far and wide have hailed José Andrés as “the boy wonder of culinary Washington” (The New York Times), “the hero of the Spanish revolution” (Food & Wine), “Best Chef – MidAtlantic” (the James Beard Foundation), and among its “2009 Men of the Year” (GQ Magazine). Surely his name and face are familiar, for the unstoppable Andrés is everywhere at once, being profiled by 60 Minutes in May 2010, appearing regularly on television shows such as “David Letterman” and “Top Chef,” going bi-coastal with the opening of The Bazaar by José Andrés, the only LA restaurant to receive a four-star review from the Los Angeles Times. In his spare time, Andrés hosts and produces the PBS series Made in Spain and writes cookbooks.

Because Andrés is credited with popularizing Spanish cuisine in America, he is often called “Spain’s unofficial ambassador to the United States.” DCists might be forgiven for getting a bit proprietary, preferring to think of Andrés as D.C.’s ambassador. Not only did Andrés and his restaurants help build the capital into a dining destination, but they also helped transform a once desolate part of downtown, by drawing diners to his hotspot eateries in the now-hopping Penn Quarter. He feeds countless hipsters with concoctions such as datiles con tocino, translated on the menu as “fried dates wrapped in bacon that you will want to eat every day.” But more importantly, Andrés feeds the city’s hungry through his volunteer work at D.C. Central Kitchen.

D.C. hearts José and the feeling seems to be mutual. So, for that and all of the aforementioned reasons, José Andrés gets Night + Day’s D.C. Urbie.

LAS VEGAS (2008):
George Maloof Jr. (Hotelier)

Casino mogul and proud bachelor George Maloof Jr. epitomizes the “work hard, play hard” mantra that fuels Las Vegas. Maloof Jr., known as much for his business savvy as for his Playboy Playmate girlfriends, is a Steve Wynn for a new generation, living every bachelor or single businessman’s fantasy in both the board room and the bedroom. Maloof Jr. is the visionary tycoon behind The Palms Resort and, some would say, the brains behind the billion-dollar Maloof family empire , which includes the NBA Kings, the WNBA Monarchs, a beer distributorship, a film production company, and a record label. He parlayed the sale of the family’s Fiesta Hotel and Casino into the $270 million Palms in 2001. His goal was simple: Return the “sin” to Sin City. “I wanted to create a place that represented, to me, the real reason people came to Las Vegas,” Maloof Jr. has said, “That’s to come and party and have fun.”

While competitors focused on families and older folks, the Palms catered to the MTV generation, especially the hot, young, rich, and famous, using his family’s crossover connections to draw stars from the NBA, NFL, Hollywood, and hip-hop worlds. His first stroke of genius was allowing MTV to film its popular reality show The Real World here in 2002. The move put The Palms on the pop culture map. His latest venture (thus far) is the Palms’ 40-story Fantasy Towers, with the first Playboy Club in over 25 years. The $600 million expansion is a huge risk for the grandson of a Lebanese immigrant. “As they say in poker, ‘All in,’” has said Maloof, a former late-night gambler in his college days at UNLV. “We’re all in.”

LAS VEGAS (2010):
Cirque du Soleil

Since Cirque du Soleil arrived in Vegas in 1992, its combination of daring feats, spectacular costumes, and state-of-the-art custom-sets, has wowed audiences. The Quebec-based troupe is to the 21st century what Ringling Brothers was to the 19th century: This is what today’s circus looks like. And while there are still clowns, jugglers, and variety acts, the similarities stop there. Las Vegas’ seven Cirque du Soleil shows, from the Beatles-themed Love to the naughty, adults-only Zumanity, are extravagant masterpieces that have come to epitomize Vegas entertainment.

Cirque du Soleil started in 1984, with about 20 performers touring Quebec in what was intended to be “a dramatic mix of circus acts and street entertainment.” When the group made its debut in Sin City eight years later, it was still something of a struggling start-up, a group of contortionists, street performers, and acrobats performing under a blue and yellow big top. But with the opening of Mystere just a year later, the nouveau cirque had officially arrived. Today, the company employs 1,200 performers in more than 50 different countries. In Vegas alone, 450 performers have put on 22,271 shows for more than 33 million guests in the past 18 years.

While there are common elements in each performance, every show is different. The original, Mystere, is most like a traditional circus show, with strong men and an oversized baby-cum-ringmaster, while the newest, Viva Elvis, is more of a musical—a tribute to the King, with acrobatic interludes. And then there is “O” where variety acts meet artful splish-splashing and death-defying leaps into a 1.5 million-gallon pool. From a set perspective, Ka is perhaps the most spectacular, with two moving platforms, five stage lifts, 3,300 lights, and an 1800-pound boat.

The company’s founder, Guy Laliberte, a Quebecois accordion player and fire-eater-turned-billionaire-poker-player, has said that the circus is a great equalizer: “You can have all kinds of people forgetting about where they come from, forgetting their political differences, forgetting about their differences of color, and just being entertained and enjoying the same thing at the same moment.” Which is not so different from what Vegas is all about.

LONDON (2008):
David Collins (Interior Designer)

Designer David Collins has left his mark on London’s dining scene in no uncertain terms, and his work graces some of the capital’s most famous restaurants. His great talent lies in creating luxurious modern environments that are as memorable as the food without eclipsing it, and that’s reflected in the way the restaurant critics give him as many column inches in their reviews as they give the chef’s more ephemeral creations. His commissions are a roll-call of the city’s most glamorous destinations: The Blue Bar at the Berkeley, perhaps his most famous design; Claridge’s Bar; The Wolseley; Pétrus; Nobu Berkeley; J Sheekey; and so on. With their clever use of color and lighting to create just the right mood, these aren’t just desirable places to eat and drink; they’re sophisticated venues where it’s a pleasure to just be, or to see and be seen. Even better, his style is constantly evolving, making each new interior a much-anticipated and always delightful surprise. Even in a city blessed with so many talented chefs, hoteliers, and designers, David Collins thoroughly deserves the London Urbie for bringing so much fun and excitement to the important business of going out.

LOS ANGELES (2008):
Dodd Mitchell (Interior Designer)

If you’re sitting in the latest Los Angeles restaurant, hotel, or nightclub, and you’re feeling hip, sexy, and peaceful at the same time, the chances are pretty good that Dodd Mitchell did the interior design. The man who heads Dodd Mitchell Design, the firm responsible for the look of more than 20 sleek L.A. hot spots (Katana, Dolce, Sushi Roku, and the Roosevelt Hotel are a few of our favorites), is known for indulgent textures—black-leather tablecloths, red-velvet drapes, alligator-covered chairs, and mood-enhancing lighting (flattering light being a must in camera-ready Los Angeles).

Mitchell, a high school dropout who started as a floor sweeper at a design company, doesn’t limit himself. “I don’t have a formal education in this,” he has said, “so I don’t have any rules.” In the case of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel redesign, he was able to pay homage to the original ’20s architecture without being handcuffed by it. The attitude of the city often influences how Mitchell goes about his aesthetic decisions. He uses natural materials whenever possible to combat the superficial vibe that permeates the land that humility forgot. He also makes sure the space takes into account the stressful nature of life in the big city. “It’s always helpful for those with chaotic schedules to feel as if they are somewhere else,” Mitchell has said, “away from their troubles, escaping from daily stress while relaxing in the privacy of their own home.”

Until now, Dodd Mitchell has focused his creativity mostly on Los Angeles destinations. But his services are in demand elsewhere (Las Vegas, New York, Mexico, and Europe beckon—his schedule is booked years in advance), so L.A.’s residents and visitors alike should enjoy him while they can.

LOS ANGELES (2009/10):
Sam Nazarian (Impresario)

In a town full of hyphenates, Sam Nazarian takes the punctuation crown, compiling a list of job titles that make P. Diddy seem like a one-trick pony. The LA native is CEO of the SBE Entertainment Group as well as a real estate financier, hotelier, restaurateur, and film producer. His entrepreneurial drive landed him on the LA Times’s “Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California” list, and he was named among “The Influentials” in Los Angeles Magazine.

Not bad for an NYU dropout who left school to start his own telecommunications company, Platinum Wireless. He eventually sold it to diversify his family assets (his father Younes is cofounder of Qualcomm), delving into real estate, where he invested a reported $150 million to $200 million in houses, hotels, and downtown buildings. From there he moved onto nightclubs, using a long-term business plan in an industry built on a “get in, get out” scheme. “[Owning clubs] was an ego thing for investors,” Nazarian says. “They’d be in business for a year, and whether or not they made money didn’t matter.”

Nazarian treats his clubs like investments, running every facet of them in-house at his sleek SBE headquarters on Beverly Boulevard. Instead of renting his venues out to promoters, he joined forces with “it” party promoter Brent Bolthouse (of The Hills) to form the most powerful LA duo since Shaq and Kobe. His nightlife empire (Hyde, Area, S Bar, Foxtail, Katsuya, XIV, and Bazaar) now stretches across the city, not only helping to revitalize Hollywood, but also reshaping the way the world looks at LA.
“When it comes to hotels, clubs, or restaurants, Los Angeles hasn’t always been on par with other cities like New York or Chicago,” Nazarian admits. “People are now taking Los Angeles a lot more seriously on many different fronts. And that’s exciting to me.”

MEXICO CITY (2008):
Carlos Slim (Developer and Community Leader)

Downtown Mexico City used to be a bit of a dive, but one man—Carlos Slim—changed that and helped usher in new development and a sense of sophistication that has transformed the heart of the Distrito Federal ( D. F.), as the locals call the city, into a world-class destination. Slim is best known as a business tycoon and the wealthiest person in Latin America, not to mention one of the richest in the world. His visionary father began buying inexpensive colonial buildings that would later become desirable property when Slim was just a boy. Slim inherited this property, along with his father’s real estate acumen. He continued to hunt down bargains that could be turned profitable with time, effort, and foresight, including the now-famous Sanborns, a chain of stores and restaurants that he purchased because “they were very cheap.”

In 2001, Slim turned his energy toward fixing up downtown Mexico City by creating the Fundación del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México (Mexico City Historic Downtown Foundation), which recently celebrated five years of working alongside the government in what is now being called the most important Latin American downtown renovation.

Indeed, downtown today is a bustling, trendsetting area where people both live and visit. Buildings and public areas have been restored, streets and sidewalks replaced, and new lighting and security systems installed. More and more cultural events—like concerts, art exhibitions, and culinary festivals—are taking place downtown. These happenings have attracted art galleries and young artists to the area, and helped transform it into a cultural hub.

Slim once said, “You can’t wait until you die to leave a legacy,” and he has made certain to live that motto by creating a downtown that is as vibrant and sophisticated as that of any capital city in the world.

MIAMI (2008):
Jack Penrod (Nightlife Impresario)

Jack Penrod has not only watched South Florida go from a sun-and-fun capital to a sophisticated global getaway for Beautiful People—he’s responsible for engineering much of its transformation. Penrod catered to beer-drinking, fun-loving spring breakers when he opened his first beach club in Fort Lauderdale in 1983, soon expanding into other bars and hotels. He then set his sights south, debuting Penrod’s Beach Club on the tip of South Beach in 1988. The area was hardly home to the eye candy it hosts today—Miami Beach was then a decrepit retirement community dubbed God’s Waiting Room. But Penrod, envisioning a sexy beach destination, marketed the palmy sands to those who knew him best: college kids. And once he built it, they started to come.

A decade later, South Beach had become a magnet for trendy Beach
partygoers and an expanding population of European models, photographers, and fashion-industry folks. Penrod opened Nikki Beach at the same location, and the recipe proved irresistible. Cool tepees amid swaying coconut palms, cozy lounge chairs, and warm ocean breezes provided an ideal backdrop for weekend beach parties, attracting gorgeous, scantily clad visitors, celebrities, and jet-setters. In 2000, he added Pearl Restaurant & Lounge, a sophisticated, upscale dining and nightlife venue, to the sprawling beachfront party place, giving visitors the best of both worlds—casual beach parties and an elite see-and-beseen restaurant lounge where the Cristal flows freely.

Today, Jack Penrod has taken his lounge party clubs global, with Nikki Beach clubs located in Los Cabos, Sardinia, Marbella, Puerto Vallarta, St. Barts, and midtown Manhattan, among other stellar destinations. But it all started in South Beach, where the original Nikki Beach remains the destination of choice for beautiful people who want to spend lazy afternoons and nonstop nights in a dreamy haze of surf, sand, and skin.

MIAMI (2010):
Lee Brian Schrager (Restaurateur)

Even before South Beach exploded as a hot, hip, global destination, Lee Brian Schrager was there. He opened the bar Torpedo in 1988, followed by the health food restaurant Chow, and next teamed up with Mickey Rourke to open the dinner club Spot. But it was his work shaping the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival that has distinguished his career, transforming a stretch of sandy beach on the Atlantic into a star-studded, high-energy destination event for food and wine lovers everywhere.

Now entering its tenth year, the annual festival began as a one-day event at Florida International University, showcasing wines and dishes from local chefs. Schrager, then director of Special Events and Media Relations at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, renamed the event and relocated it to South Beach, adding a series of dinners, seminars, a Grand Tasting, and a live auction. By 2006, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival was one of the best-known festivals of its type in the country, and in 2007, Food Network became its title sponsor. In 2010, more than 50,000 wine and food lovers attended the four-day festival, which raised $2.2 million for FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The 2011 Festival will celebrate the release of the official Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival cookbook, written by Schrager with Julie Mautner, and featuring a foreword by Anthony Bourdain. Schrager’s name is also on the Lee Brian Schrager Excellence in Leadership Award at the FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, a scholarship awarded to three students who demonstrate outstanding leadership.

Through the festival, Schrager has not only heightened awareness of greater Miami as a culinary destination to outsiders, but also raised the bar for local chefs and restaurateurs, inspiring them to reach new heights.

NEW ORLEANS (2008):
Donald Harrison Jr. Tipitinaâs Foundation (Musician and Community Leader)

New Orleans would not be New Orleans without its music—from jazz to brass bands, it’s sound that moves the soul of the Crescent City. In this time of post-Katrina uncertainty, music is the thread that connects the past, present, and future—the constant that runs throughout the town’s evolution and brings hope for rebirth. Donald Harrison Jr., who directs the Tipitina’s Foundation, which supports both professional and aspiring musicians, is a leader in protecting New Orleans’ musical heritage.

A native New Orleanian and graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts/NOCCA Academy and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Harrison is an accomplished musician who spent the early years of his career in New York. His music mixes a wide range of influences— bebop, R&B, funk, traditional jazz, hip-hop, and Mardi Gras Indian chants—into a style he calls “nouveau swing.” In recent years, Harrison has returned home and taken on his father’s role as a Mardi Gras Indian Chief of the Congo Nation tribe. He fronts his own group and holds down saxophone duties in the seminal funk band the Headhunters.

In his offstage role as director of the Tipitina’s Foundation, with its mission to “work diligently to uplift the music community of New Orleans,” Harrison leads all musical instruction for the foundation, hosts regular “ Master’s Seminars” at the Uptown Tipitina’s club, and acts as artistic director for the Tipitina’s Internship Program, which helps aspiring New Orleans area high school musicians. The Foundation’s Instruments A-Comin’ program raises awareness about public music education and donates musical instruments to area schools. On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Foundation donated $500,000 worth of new instruments to help rebuild music programs in the city’s devastated schools. It also created an Artists’ Relief initiative to help provide for musicians’ immediate needs. Says Harrison, long ago a young local hopeful himself, “The Tipitina’s Foundation has proved vital and necessary to the growth of New Orleans, especially for the city’s youth.”

NEW ORLEANS (2009/10):
Emeril Lagasse (Restaurateur)

Emeril Lagasse is known for his big personality on TV, but the “Bam” man has also been quietly working to ensure the culinary future of New Orleans. Through his Emeril Lagasse Foundation and the annual Carnival du Vin auction and gala, he’s raised more than $8 million to benefit children’s arts, culinary, and education programs in New Orleans and across the Gulf South. And he’s had some help from a few friends, such as Michael Mina, Thomas Keller, and Mario Batali, who each cooked a course at the most recent Carnival du Vin dinner. “I’m amazed and inspired by how passionate today’s youth are about food and cooking,” Lagasse says. Lagasse paid for the creation of an advanced culinary training center at Café Reconcile, a program that teaches job skills to inner-city youth and also serves a fine plate of white beans and shrimp. He started a culinary curriculum at NOCCA (New Orleans Center for Creative Arts), a public high school for the arts that trained Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., and actor Wendell Pierce of The Wire. And Lagasse built the outdoor classroom at New Orleans’ Edible Schoolyard, the first extension of Alice Waters’ Berkeley-based garden, which teaches children to eat well. “It’s my hope to inspire the future generation and help provide them with the tools they need to grow into creative, happy, and productive people,” he says. “We have to give back in order for things to evolve.”

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NEW YORK (2008):
Steve Hanson (Restaurateur)

There are some great restaurateurs in New York City, but when it comes to well-conceived, service-oriented eateries that appeal equally to foodies and scenesters, few compare to Urbie recipient Steve Hanson.

To have a successful restaurant in the Big Apple is quite an achievement. To have opened 15 restaurants, a thriving nightclub, and a successful health club in New York City alone over the past 18 years is awesome. Hanson and his BR Guest group never seem to run out of energy or ideas. (Hanson’s empire outside of the city includes, among others, Las Vegas’s Fiamma and the Blue Water Grill in Chicago.)

What’s most impressive about Hanson’s endeavors is that they exemplify the importance of teaming ambition with adventure. Whether it be Barca 18’s Spanish cuisine, Vento’s Italian entrees, the fresh fish of Blue Fin, Ruby Foo’s inventive take on Chinese dining, or the Dos Caminos Mexican eateries, no two of his ventures are alike.

Another remarkable characteristic of New York’s Urbie winner is his continuing drive to give back to the community that’s been so good to him. Hanson is a board member for both City Harvest and the Exploring Program, two non-profit groups that connect high school students with professional role models in the businesses that interest them most.

“While New York City is the most exciting restaurant scene in the world, it is also the most competitive,” says the New York University graduate. His mantra: “Remember to always go that extra mile for your guests.” It works.

NEW YORK (2009/10):
Keith McNally (Restaurateur)

What’s the secret to longevity in a city that changes with every New York minute? Ask prolific restaurateur and Urbie recipient Keith McNally, whose restaurants aren’t just stylish, but also have serious staying power. Spend a weekend in New York, and chances are you’ll dine and drink (and flirt) at least once, if not several times, in one of McNally's perennially popular hangouts. And, like most New Yorkers, you’ll return again and again. Although he claims not to have any formula for his success, he says "I just build places that I'd like to go to—simple as that. But I hate snobbery and everything that's connected to it in the restaurant world."

McNally has unveiled his savvy formula—plush, lively venues oozing European character, reasonably priced brasserie fare, and expertly mixed cocktails—across Manhattan, from the elegant, Parisian-tinged Balthazar in Soho, the grande dame of his empire, to the happening Schiller's Liquor Bar on the Lower East Side, to his latest creation, the breezy, buzzy trattoria, Morandi, which opened in 2007 in the West Village.
He says,
McNally's forte also lies in predicting the rise of trendy neighborhoods: His hip French Pastis was one of the first top-notch restaurants to open its doors in the Meatpacking District. "When I opened Pastis, the area was desolate. There was no one on the streets except transvestites and hookers (and various well-to-do people picking them up). But I liked the area enormously because of its bleakness and because it very much reminded me of Europe." Now, nearly ten years on, it's still the hottest restaurant in what has become the hottest after-dark district in what many would say is the hottest city in the world. Not bad.

London-born McNally’s success could well lie in the fact that he’s done it all, from oyster-shucker to maitre d', until he introduced his first restaurant—the Odeon—in 1980. Proof that this Urbie winner has made it? Every restaurant McNally has opened is still operating. In fickle New York, that’s nothing short of a miracle.

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PARIS (2008):
Gilbert and Jean-Louis Costes (Hoteliers and Restaurateurs)

Lipp, the Deux Magots, and the Café de Flore were all started by entrepreneurs from the inhospitable Aveyron region. But all this is nothing compared to the empire created by the Costes family. Brothers Gilbert and Jean-Louis moved up to Paris and worked as a waiter and bartender respectively in their twenties. Now, with seven prestigious addresses and part ownership of around 20 others, they’ve created a name that’s synonymous with Parisian chic and glamour. The Costes brothers can be credited for changing the very face of Paris restauration and hotelery.

The firstborn was the Philippe Starck–designed Café Costes in 1984. It closed in 1993, but Paris was hooked. Soon after, Hôtel Costes, Café Beaubourg, Café de la Musique, Café Marly, Café de l’Esplanade, and Georges restaurant on top of the Centre Pompidou proved the Costes had conquered the capital. Their winning formula was all-day dining on light, international-flavored cuisine; staff who all look like models; and spectacular design. Models, fashion designers, and film stars flocked to drape themselves on the tasseled velvet banquettes. The Costes also secured some fabulous locations: few of the world’s museums can boast people-watching like that of Café Marly or Georges. To top it all, Hôtel Costes started bringing out its own musical compilations, which traveled worldwide as ambassadors of Parisian lounge culture. Now there’s also the high-fashion Costes magazine.

From morning coffee at the new Le Village café to late-night cocktails around the Hôtel Costes bar, the in-crowd loves Costes just as much as it did ten years ago. To join the club, just swish through those dark glass doors and order a dry martini.

SAN FRANCISCO (2008):
Kimpton Hotel Group (Hotelier)

When Bill Kimpton opened his first boutique hotel in San Francisco in 1981, he launched a trend that has changed the way visitors stay in the City by the Bay, and in fact, around the world.

Kimpton Hotel Group is known for its commitment to rejuvenating older properties and turning them into stylish, contemporary haunts for sophisticated travelers. “Our guests are as individual in personality and style as our hotels,” explains Kimpton CEO Tom LaTour. "In the past, most travelers were either on the road for business or pleasure. Today, however, many guests want to combine diverse elements of work and play into a single visit.”

Kimpton boutiques share five elements—care, comfort, style, flavor, and fun—recognizable by public spaces that encourage guests to socialize, nightly wine and cheese gatherings, destination restaurants, and even a pet goldfish to keep you company for the duration of your stay. They take the “home away from home” philosophy to heart by emphasizing comfort and convenience—yoga accessories, deluxe pillows, exercise equipment in the room, and extra-long beds for tall guests. “We build strong emotional connections with our guests one interaction at a time,” says Latour. Although Kimpton himself passed away, the boutique concept he pioneered continues to grow, and there are now 39 Kimpton properties in the United States and Canada.

SAN FRANCISCO (2009/10):
Chip Conley (Hotelier)

In 1987, 26-year-old visionary Chip Conley opened the grunge-meets-glam Phoenix, today one of San Francisco's most iconic hotels, in the heart of the Tenderloin. With next to no experience and a driving wish to individualize the travel industry, Conley created a home away from home for a who's who of international celebrities. Even then, no one could know that the Phoenix would someday rise to the top of a hotel empire—now Joie de Vivre Hospitality, California’s largest boutique hotelier.

Hanging tight to his core belief that a traveler's favorite hotel is a reflection of his or her personality, Conley and his team have conjured a variety of idiosyncratic experiences—from the "post-hip" luxury four-star Hotel Vitale to the newer Hotel Tomo, a vividly hued Japantown must-stay for young gaming and anime lovers. This sense of individuality, and an unflinching creative dogma, sets Joie de Vivre apart. With an innovative design program, Conley's approach defines a new hotel by a congruent newsstand magazine (i.e., the Phoenix Hotel equals Rolling Stone) and establishes five creative adjectives that will distinguish its style, design, and services. The result is nearly 35 California hotels, each with distinct appeal, plus an online "matchmaker" to connect travelers with their perfect retreat. Stylish nightlife options and customized amenities add to Joie de Vivre's je ne sais quoi.

In 1993, Conley founded the annual Celebrity Pool Toss to benefit the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) and is still dedicated today to the needs of the San Francisco community. Committed to keeping the city at the cutting edge of hospitality design, Conley is among the most influential leaders in the travel industry and is changing the face of San Francisco for the better.

In San Francisco, we recommend the following JDV properties: Hotel Vitale, Hotel Tomo, Phoenix Hotel, and Kabuki Springs and Spa.

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SYDNEY (2008):
Jørn Utzon (Architect)

The most distinctive architectural feature in Australia is undoubtedly the Sydney Opera House, and since its creation, it has changed the way the world views this city. The building, with its famous curving, white-sailed roof, was the result of a design competition in the 1950s, aimed at giving Sydney a centerpiece for the performing arts. No one realized just how iconic it would eventually become.

The renowned Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, is the creator behind this landmark, and a man credited with changing the way Australians think about architecture and design. He has said that he likes “to be on the edge of the possible.” When he first put forward his plan for a building modeled after a ship at full sail, the judges loved it. However, there was one problem: It was beyond the capabilities of engineering at the time. By 1961, Utzon had solved the problem of how to build the most distinguishing feature—the “sails”—and construction began. But it was far from smooth sailing. Utzon fought with the government of New South Wales about everything from payment to interior design. The building was eventually completed in 1973, but the interior had strayed so far from Utzon’s vision that he vowed never to return to Australia to see his finished project.

Then, in 1999 Utzon was re-engaged as the Opera House’s architect, charged with re-designing the interiors in line with his original plans. Utzon produced a bold proposal for the building exterior too. He urged that the Western foyers be opened up onto a new colonnade. This would extend and enliven public areas, and develop closer links between the building and the harbor. It would also extend his imprint on this city far into the future.

TORONTO (2008):
Piers Handling (Community Leader)

Piers Handling has transformed staid and respectable Toronto into a sexy and desirable city—not just in the eyes of the numerous travelers and tourists who come to the largest city in Canada, but to the residents whose traditionally cautious nature has made it such a conservative metropolis for the past 20 years. With his effortless grace and presence as the artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival, Handling has transformed a small regional festival into a world-renowned event. Handling attended the world’s film hot spots every year—Hollywood, Cannes, New York—and cajoled the movers and shakers into putting Toronto on their annual schedule to showcase their films in the number three movie market in North America. For ten days each September, heavyweight producers, dazzling red-carpet mainstays, and obsessed movie viewers crowd the streets. And Toronto has a chance to preen before the world. Having ascended the ranks to become artistic director of the festival in 1994 and now in transition to become its CEO, Handling continues his promotion of TIFF and the city of Toronto to a global network of influencers. TIFF’s glow extends far beyond the festival itself. Residents are taking renewed pride in their hometown, and the entire city is experiencing a renaissance: the downtown core is vibrant with trendy condos, upscale shopping, and lively nightlife. The arts scene is thriving. Impressive restoration projects have created the underground glories of the Gladstone and Drake Hotels. The Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts gave the city a huge cultural boost. The redevelopment of forgotten 19th-century relics like the Distillery District and the Brickworks have encouraged restoration, while on the horizon sits the reinvention of the Art Gallery of Ontario by native son Frank Gehry. Thanks to Handling’s shining the spotlight on Toronto, the city has fallen in love with itself again—and is more eager than ever before to show off to the world.

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