The Food Seen
Adam D. Tihany, restaurant designer
On today's episode of THE FOOD SEEN, Adam D. Tihany has made quite a mark on the interior of New York City. He's designed some of the top restaurants and hotels in the world, but it all begin here in 1981, when Tihany designed La Couple, New York's first grand café. Since then has worked on Sirio Maccioni's Le Cirque 2000, Thomas Keller's Per Se, Daniel Boulud's namesake Daniel. His book, TIHANY: Iconic Hotel and Restaurant Interiors archives, and celebrates projects from around the globe like the Westin Chosun in Seoul, Heston Blumenthal's Dinner in London, One & Only Cape Town South Africa, and the Mandarian Oriental in Las Vegas. But what does Tihany first see when he walks into a restaurant? Where's his favorite seat to dine at? What modern materials are being used to build beautiful new dining spaces? Now, Tihany sets his sights on the sea, designing the future in ultra-luxury cruise liners. What will Tihany design next? This program was brought to you by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.
"I think the beauty of Italy is the fact that 'made in Italy' is not a product, it's a way of doing things." [11:00]
"I wanted to do everything I was doing in Italy in this microcosm of restaurant design." [18:00]
"We are extremely proud of the fact that we go to huge lengths to try and understand the DNA of every place that we work at." [26:00]
"It's important that you understand where you come from to understand where you're going to." [26:00]
"The first impression that captures your imagination and tells you a little bit about what the experience is going to be has to do with two things. It has to do with light and the sense of smell." [34:00]
"The success of good lighting, [is that] whether you are in the sea or the air [the lighting] is controlled." [42:00]
--Adam D. Tihany on THE FOOD SEEN