Legendary restaurateur Sirio Maccioni has died at the age of 88, Page Six has learned.
We are told the Le Cirque founder passed away in his hometown in Tuscany, Italy, on Sunday.
His son Mauro Maccioni confirmed the news to Page Six, telling us, “My father had been fading for a while, he passed from natural causes last night at his birth town of Montecatini [Terme] in Tuscany surrounded by family and everyone from the town who loved him.”
He added, “We fully intend to continue his legacy with the restaurant.”
Working his way to New York as a waiter on a trans-Atlantic cruise liner, Sirio dazzled New York with his charm.
He worked at the Colony Club as a maître d’hôtel in the late 1960s, then in 1974, opened what would become a New York landmark, Le Cirque at the Mayfair Hotel. The restaurant moved to the New York Palace in 1997, and in 2006 it opened in a new space at the Bloomberg Building on East 58th Street.
The Post referred to Le Cirque as “the city’s premier showplace for the era’s excess and glamour” during the ’80s. Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, with wives Ivana and Marla Maples, and Barbara Walters were regulars. Even before that, Frank Sinatra gave his review of each meal by being handed a sheet of paper at the end and writing “yes” or “no” as to whether he approved of his meal.
Le Cirque launched the careers of top chefs including Daniel Boulud, David Bouley and Jacques Torres, acting as a power hub during its more than 40-year run.
When the restaurant finally closed in 2017, Sirio recalled some of its greatest moments to The Post, like how Henry Kissinger pretended not to love dessert. “So we would hide him a crème brûlée behind the bar … he’d take a trip to the bathroom and eat some pieces of the creme brûlée on his way back,” Sirio said.
He launched other ventures in New York, the Hamptons, Las Vegas, the Dominican Republic, New Delhi and Abu Dhabi, which were run with his wife, Egidiana, and sons Mario, Marco and Mauro.
Mauro has been looking at a way to bring Le Cirque back to New York, telling us as recently as last August he was looking at spaces on the Upper East Side.
Tributes are pouring in for Maccioni. Broadcaster Bill O’Shaughnessy said, “Maestro Sirio was a dazzling star and respected all over the world, no restaurant would ever not have a table for you if you said Sirio had sent you. He was really our greatest restaurateur. Mario Cuomo used to say, ‘You are right, he looks just like John Wayne,’ Mario adored him.”
Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian posted a picture of himself with Sirio in the kitchen, writing, “I was just a line cook Circa early 1980’s, at the age of 24 In the kitchens of Le Cirque NYC. Sirio Maccioni on the far left in the suit ran the most sophisticated and notable restaurant for over 30 years … He was and will forever be our mentor. An exacting host, a loyal human and more importantly, a second father to me for the five years I was fortunate enough to work under him. I had no idea the significance this magical place would have on me and the list of careers he touched is enormous.”
He ended his tribute, writing, “May you Rest In Peace to a great man and leader, you now have the best table in the house.”
Daniel Boulud wrote, “A true legend in our business has passed away. My heart and thoughts go to him and the Maccioni family in New York and Montecatini! I had the chance to be Sirio’s chef @lecirquenyc for 6 years 86 to 92. [sic] I owe him all the respect and admiration for all that he did for me and my career as a chef.”
He continued, “No one in the business was more elegant, savvy, and confident in running the dining room of #lecirque. Sirio always gave me a lot of energy to cook my heart out in the kitchen. He gave me the chance to learn how to be a great chef, and a great host … My love and condolences go to his family and loved ones!”