Who

Friedman owns gastropub the Spotted Pig, the endlessly-hyped eatery patronized—and co-owned by—a long list of celebrities.

Backstory

The oldest of four children, Friedman was raised in LA and enrolled at UC Berkeley before dropping out and working as a concert promoter in San Francisco. He soon moved to New York, took a job in the music industry, and ended up spending two decades as an A&R exec at Clive Davis's Arista and as a music manager handling acts like UB40 and The Smiths. (Some diehard Smiths fans actually blame him for the band's 1987 breakup.) At the age of 40, Friedman says he had an "identity crisis," prompting him to quit the music business. With some help from pal Mario Batali and his partner Joe Bastianich, in February 2004 the novice restaurateur opened the Spotted Pig in the Village with chef April Bloomfield. Although the Pig recently celebrated its fourth birthday—making it middle-aged in restaurant years—it's proven enduringly hot, and continues to attract bona fide celebrities, social strivers, and even serious foodies.

Of note

Because of Friedman's record industry ties, many music bigwigs are investors in the Pig, including Bono, Trent Reznor (Friedman used to manage Nine Inch Nails), and Courtney Love. Friedman's landlord is none other than Jay-Z, who purchased 314 West 11th Street after he started showing up to the restaurant nightly. The restaurant's boldfaced regulars don't have to mix with the hoi polloi, though; they're whisked to private rooms on the second and third floors, out of sight of most diners.

Friedman and Bloomfield are hoping to strike gold once again with their next venture, a British seafood restaurant called the John Dory, which will be located next door to partner Mario Batali's Del Posto and feature sidewalk seating under the High Line. In the meantime, he recently debuted a West Street bar/restaurant called the Rusty Knot with fellow scene-monger Taavo Somer.

Personal

The unmarried Friedman lives on Greenwich Street, not far from the restaurant. He also has a place in East Hampton.