Will Guidara

William Guidara (born November 25, 1979) is an American restaurateur based in New York City. Along with chef Daniel Humm, Guidara co-owned the Make It Nice hospitality group, established in 2011, which owns and operates Eleven Madison Park, NoMad New York, NoMad Los Angeles, NoMad Las Vegas, NoMad Bar and Made Nice.

Background and career[]

A native of Sleepy Hollow, New York, Guidara graduated from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 2001. Guidara began his dining room career at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills. He then went on to various roles in Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, including at Tabla, Café 2 and the restaurants at the Museum of Modern Art.

In 2006 Guidara became the General Manager of Eleven Madison Park, where he and chef Daniel Humm led the transformation of the restaurant from a French brasserie to a fine dining destination.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Guidara and Humm purchased the restaurant from Union Square Hospitality Group.^[1] Under Guidara's leadership, the restaurant has garnered four stars from the New York Times, five stars from the Forbes Travel Guide, three Michelin Stars, and the #1 spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List.^{[citation needed]}

In 2012, Guidara and Humm opened NoMad New York and the separate NoMad Bar in 2014. At NoMad New York, they have received numerous accolades including three stars from the New York Times and one Michelin star. The property has also been credited with revitalizing the North of Madison Square Park neighborhood.^[2][3] In April 2017, Guidara and Humm opened Made Nice, a fast casual restaurant in New York's Nomad neighborhood. In 2018, Guidara and Humm opened NoMad Los Angeles, their first restaurant outside of New York City, followed by NoMad Las Vegas. In 2019, Guidara and Humm announced that they were ending their partnership, with Humm buying out Guidara. Guidara is planning to start his own restaurant group.^[4]

Guidara, along with Anthony Rudolf, is the co-founder of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality-focused symposium launched in 2014.^[5][6] He is also a founding member of the New York City Dining Room Collaborative^[7] and has been a guest speaker at the 92nd Street Y, Mistura and Mesamerica culinary festivals, Google,^[8] Cornell University, and The Culinary Institute of America.

Guidara is also the co-author of four books with Humm: Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook (Little Brown, 2011),^[9] I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes (Ten Speed, 2013),^[10] The NoMad Cookbook^[11] and Eleven Madison Park: the Next Chapter.^[12]

Awards[]

James Beard Foundation Awards

• 2016 James Beard Foundation Award – Outstanding Service, Eleven Madison Park
• 2014 James Beard Foundation Award – Outstanding Bar Program, NoMad New York
• 2008 James Beard Foundation Award – Outstanding Wine Service, Eleven Madison Park

The World's 50 Best Restaurants

• 2018 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 4, Eleven Madison Park
• 2017 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 1, Eleven Madison Park
• 2016 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 3, Eleven Madison Park
• 2015 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 5, Eleven Madison Park
• 2014 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 4, Eleven Madison Park
• 2013 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 5, Eleven Madison Park
• 2012 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 10, Eleven Madison Park
• 2011 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 24, Eleven Madison Park
• 2010 The World's 50 Best Restaurants – Number 50, Eleven Madison Park

The World's 50 Best Bars

• 2017 The World's 50 Best Bars – Number 3, The NoMad Bar
• 2016 The World's 50 Best Bars – Number 8, The NoMad Bar
• 2015 The World's 50 Best Bars – Number 24, The Elephant Bar at NoMad New York

Michelin

• 2018 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2018 Michelin Guide – One Star, NoMad New York
• 2017 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2017 Michelin Guide – One Star, NoMad New York
• 2016 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2016 Michelin Guide – One Star, NoMad New York
• 2015 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2015 Michelin Guide – One Star, NoMad New York
• 2014 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2014 Michelin Guide – One Star, NoMad New York
• 2013 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2013 Michelin Guide – One Star, NoMad New York
• 2012 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2011 Michelin Guide – Three Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2010 Michelin Guide – One Star, Eleven Madison Park

Additional Awards

• 2016 Wall Street Journal – Innovator Awards
• 2015 The New York Times – Four Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2012 The New York Times – Three Stars, NoMad New York
• 2010 Forbes Travel Guide – Five Stars, Eleven Madison Park
• 2009 The New York Times – Four Stars, Eleven Madison Park

Books[]

• 2017: Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter (Publisher: Ten Speed)
• 2015: The NoMad Cookbook (Publisher: Ten Speed)
• 2013: I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes (Publisher: Ten Speed)
• 2011: Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook (Publisher: Little Brown)

References[]