Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group Appoints Michael Anthony to Helm Untitled and the Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum of American Art
The Award-Winning Chef of Gramercy Tavern Will Oversee USHG’s Newest Properties
at the Whitney’s New, Renzo Piano-Designed Meatpacking Building
CONTACT: Lauren Hobbs, lhobbs@ushgnyc.com, 646-747-7274 or Helen Goodman, hgoodman@ushgnyc.com, 646-747-7194
December 19, 2014
Union Square Hospitality Group has announced that Chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern will be Executive Chef and Managing Director of Untitled and the Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum of American Art, opening in the Meatpacking District on May 1, 2015. Anthony will oversee all operations and food and beverage at the Whitney, and will continue to serve as Executive Chef/Partner of Gramercy Tavern.
The original Untitled, the restaurant at the Whitney’s Upper East Side, Marcel Breuer-designed building, ended three years of service in mid-October to prepare for the move downtown. Untitled’s new downtown iteration, located within the ground level of the Whitney’s new building, designed by Renzo Piano and adjacent to the High Line, will also have a street entrance on Gansevoort Street.
Anthony has helmed Gramercy Tavern as Executive Chef for eight years, during which time he led the restaurant to achieve three stars in the New York Times, two James Beard Awards including “Best Chef: New York City,” and a recurring spot at the top of Zagat’s Most Popular list of restaurants in New York City. He has also fostered a tremendous culture of mentorship at the restaurant, enabling his existing team to grow. With the opening of Untitled, Gramercy Tavern Executive Sous Chef, Howard Kalachnikoff, will be promoted to the position of Chef de Cuisine of Gramercy Tavern.
Anthony has garnered wide acclaim for his intensely seasonal, nuanced style of cooking, which celebrates local ingredients and American culinary traditions. The menu at the new Untitled will provide a fresh venue for Anthony’s beloved style of cooking, with the added inspiration of a world-class American art museum to call home.
“It’s a privilege to follow the Whitney to its stunning new home, and I can’t think of anyone better poised to rise to the occasion than Michael Anthony,” said USHG CEO Danny Meyer. “I am excited to see how Mike uses the Whitney as a frame for what he puts on the plate.”
“I’m thrilled not only to have the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing renaissance of the Meatpacking District, but also to draw inspiration from this incredible monument to American art, and express my cooking within the context of our North East region, but adapted to this exciting new corner of our city,” said Chef Michael Anthony. “And I couldn’t be more proud that this next step in my career will create exciting new growth opportunities for many of my colleagues from Gramercy Tavern.”
Untitled, as well as the more casual Studio Cafe located on the eighth floor of the museum, will open on May 1, 2015.
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About Union Square Hospitality Group
Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) was founded by Danny Meyer and includes some of New York City’s most beloved restaurants: Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, Shake Shack, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 (located at the Museum of Modern Art), Maialino, Untitled at the Whitney Museum of American Art, North End Grill, and Marta. The company also includes Union Square Events, a catering, sports, and events business, and Hospitality Quotient, a learning business empowering companies to transform their business through the power of hospitality. Each USHG restaurant is lovingly hand crafted and distinctive, and each strives to distinguish itself for warm hospitality and consistent excellence. Danny, his restaurants and chefs have earned an unprecedented 25 James Beard Awards, including: Outstanding Restaurant of the Year; Outstanding Service; Outstanding Wine Service; Humanitarian of the Year; Who’s Who of Food & Beverage; and Best Restaurant Design. Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern are perennially ranked on the top of the ‘Most Popular’ list in the Zagat Survey, with Union Square Cafe holding the #1 spot nine times.
About the Whitney
The Whitney Museum of American Art is the world’s leading museum of twentieth-century and contemporary art of the United States. Founded by sculptor and arts patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in 1914 as the Whitney Studio Club, and established as a museum in 1930, the Whitney Museum of American Art was first located on West 8th Street in Greenwich Village. After moving uptown to West 54th Street in 1954, the Museum was housed for nearly fifty years, from 1966 to 2014, in a building designed by Marcel Breuer on Madison Avenue at 75th Street. On May 1, 2015, the Whitney returns downtown to open its new home, designed by Renzo Piano, at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington Streets in the Meatpacking District, adjacent to the southern entrance of the High Line. The new building, which has generated immense anticipation and support, will enable the Whitney to expand its exhibition series, to show far more works from its renowned permanent collection (which now comprises over 21,000 works by more than 3,000 artists), to offer a greater variety of performances and programs, and to welcome many more visitors as the Museum continues to grow and evolve.
USHG ANNOUNCEMENT
