June 29, 2016
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards Feature Eleven Madison Park and Connections to La Pecora Bianca
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards took place earlier this month at Cipriani Ballroom on Wall Street and the names at the top of the list featured strong NoMad connections.
Coming in at number one on the list was the famous Italian restaurant Osteria Francescana, helmed by chef Massimo Bottura. If that name sounds familiar, it is because NoMad’s own Italian eatery La Pecora Bianca has a significant relationship to Osteria Francescana.
La Pecora Bianca’s executive chef Simone Bonelli worked for many years at Osteria Francescana directly under Massimo Bottura dating as far back as 2001. Bonelli cooked in the now famous kitchen until 2008, rising to sous chef while the restaurant earned two Michelin stars. Osteria Francescana claimed the number two spot on the top 50 list in 2015 before earning the top spot this year.
In other great news for the NoMad restaurant scene, our own Eleven Madison Park claimed its place as the third finest restaurant in the world, rising two spots from its number five position in 2015. Eleven Madison Park, helmed by Will Guidara and Swiss-born head chef Daniel Humm, is known for its integration of front and back-of-house, carefully crafted tasting menu, and glorious art deco dining space. The co-owners Guidara and Humm were actually introduced to one another by restaurateur Danny Meyer, and they purchased Eleven Madison Park from him in 2011.
If there was any question, the results of this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards confirm NoMad as one of the world’s culinary destinations.