The Black Wine Guy Experience Episode 44 - Drew Nieporent

“You Talk’n to Me?” Drew Nieporent on Longevity and Relevance in the NYC Restaurant Scene.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Drew started down his road to restauranteur as a young man in the 1960s. He went on to earn a degree from the School of Hotel Management at Ivy league, Cornell University while working on cruise ships. By 1985 he had opened his first restaurant, Montrachet, which earned three stars from the NYTimes and a coveted Michelin star, keeping its rating for decades. Drew formed his first of many celebrity partnerships in 1990 when he opened Tribeca Grill in 1990 with Robert DeNiro. The now NY landmark restaurant attracted an all star roster of investors including Bill Murray, Sean Penn, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Making 1994 a defining year in Nieporent’s decades long success story, he once again partnered with Robert DeNiro and renowned sushi chef, Nobu Matsuhisa, to open Nobu NYC, Next Door Nobu, and Nobu Fifty-Seven - all of which earned a three star rating from the NYTimes. Nobu NYC was voted “Best Restaurant in America” by the James Beard Foundation. Later that year, Drew yet again cemented his place in history when he became one of the first bi-coastal restaurateurs opening Rubicon in San Francisco with Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, and Francis Ford Coppola. And of course, Myriad's excellence in wine service is widely acknowledged as it’s only restaurant group to earn three coveted Grand Awards from Wine Spectator Magazine. In 2005, Myriad opened Crush Wine & Spirits, which was named the best new wine shop by Food & Wine Magazine. ​​
Over the last 30 years, Myriad has opened and operated over 39 restaurants around the world, including Seattle, Louisville, Providence, Boca Raton, London, San Francisco, Moscow, Citi Field, home of the New York Mets in Flushing, New York. MJ and Drew discuss Drew’s early years and how going out to dinner frequently in NYC with his father as a kid helped hone his eventual career path. Drew shares some of what it takes to have so many successful restaurants still open and thriving globally. This episode is packed with tales from a life lived truly without paralleles.
A huge thank you to Drew Nieporent!
Follow him on IG at @drewnieporent
Check out Myriad restaurant group at www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/
This episode’s in studio wine:
Albarino
Corsica
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Until next time, cheers to the mavericks, philosophers, deep thinkers and wine drinkers!
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