Who

Along with his twin brother Eric, Bruce Bromberg is the restaurateur behind the Blue Ribbon restaurants, bakery, and sushi bar.

Backstory

Bruce worked at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor and at New Jersey's Bernards Inn before moving to Paris to attend the famed Cordon Bleu culinary school. After working in the kitchens of a handful of notable two and three stars restaurants in Europe, he returned to the States and teamed up with his brother in 1992 to open the first Blue Ribbon restaurant. (The name is the English translation of "Cordon Bleu," in case you didn't pick up on that.) It didn't take long for the restaurant to make an impression, and three years later, the brothers opened Blue Ribbon Sushi a few doors down on Sullivan Street. It was also in 1995 that the Brombergs came upon an abandoned brick oven in the basement of a bodega at 35 Downing Street. (The oven hadn't been operated in more than 70 years.) After restoring (and presumably cleaning) the industrial-sized oven, they opened the Blue Ribbon Bakery in 1997. In the years since, they've opened nearly half a dozen other culinary venues around town.

Of note

Blue Ribbon's eclectic menu and long hours (it's open until 4am every night) have made it a popular spot for restaurant industry folks over the years; chefs in the area often stop by after finishing their shifts. The cred with chefs and serious diners alike has helped the Brombergs build their mini-empire: In addition to their restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn, they also own Blue Ribbon Market, which houses the city's first and only honey bar. (Customers can choose from a variety of raw, Mexican honeys and either take it home in a bottle or have it drizzled over toast.) In 2007, they also opened a new eating/drinking venue, the Downing Street Bar, as well as the long-delayed Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill, inside Jason Pomeranc's hotel 6 Columbus on West 58th Street.

Off hours

Bruce and Eric are cycling fanatics; they sponsor an elite amateur bike racing team. They're into music, too, and own a professional recording studio in the financial district.

Personal

Bruce and his wife, Kerry-Ann, live in Chelsea, in an apartment they bought $1.45 million in 2006.

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