Jim Caiola and David Salama, owners of the Queen Village creperie Beau Monde, on Thursday were named the future operators of the Central Park landmark Tavern on the Green. They will maintain Beau Monde, their rep says.
New York will award the pair a 20-year license term to run an informal restaurant and outdoor café; it's just west of the Sheep Meadow near 67th Street.
They've hired Caiola's Johnson & Wales classmate Katy Sparks as executive chef. She was named a 1998 "Top Ten Best New Chef in America" by Food & Wine Magazine, and her experience includes the Quilted Giraffe, Mesa Grill, Bolo, and Quilty's, in New York. Caiola and Salama won the contract with a detailed operational plan for an attractive venue with a locally sourced menu and a focus on the park. It will include outdoor seating for 200 to 300 as well as take-out service.
