Three New York Chefs Land At Iconic Cultural Institutions

Wondering where all the chefs have gone? During the pandemic in New York City alone, thousands of restaurants closed and many employees in the industry were forced to reinvent themselves. Turns out, three of our favorite chefs are now overseeing the culinary offerings at three iconic New York cultural institutions.

Bill Telepan at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“We made a lobster roll for the American Wing,” said Chef Bill Telepan, standing in front of a Roman marble statue of a wounded warrior, circa A.D. 138-181. It took me a second to understand what he meant.

When last we met, he was surrounded by pots and pans in the kitchen at Oceana, the midtown seafood mecca he helmed after the close of Telepan, his much-beloved bistro on the Upper West Side. Today, as the Culinary Director at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and an employee of Bon Appétit Management Company), he presides over several kitchens and dining rooms.

It’s a new kind of adventure for Bill Telepan, who since 2008, remains the executive chef for Wellness in the Schools, fighting for schoolchildren’s access to healthier meals nationwide.

I’d been on museum tours before, but this recent one led me through a different route! From the staff cafeterias to the bustling Eatery and the members’ Balcony Lounge, we roamed the Met culinary maze.

“When are we getting the eggplant sandwich back?” asked a staff member, as we strolled through one of the staff cafeterias. Our food choices can support the environment, touted a large sign, while another described a recipe for pumpkin soup. In the hallway between kitchens, another sign warns Yield to art in transit, but it is unclear whether art refers to a painting or a tray of the pecan and chocolate cookies the chef adapted from his mother’s recipe.

At the Eatery, museum visitors can choose between classic American fare or dishes inspired by current exhibitions. For the opening of Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room, Telepan consulted with culinary historian Jessica B. Harris whose book, High on the Hog was made into a Netflix documentary last year.

This summer, the members-only Balcony Lounge will be completely refurbished, with a new menu including a raw bar and a charcuterie deck.

Scott Q. Campbell at the Metropolitan Opera

Whether you remember Chef Campbell from Vince & Eddies, Avenue or SQC, you’ll be happy to know that as the Executive Chef, employed by the Patina Group, he now oversees all the food at the Metropolitan Opera. What that means is that it’s time to pick your favorite opera and book a table at the Grand Tier Restaurant, head to Lincoln Center towards the end of the afternoon (doors open two hours before the performances) and get ready for a quintessential New York experience.

Climb the curved double staircase, turn towards the stunning wall of windows and sit at your table, under the watchful eye of Marc Chagall’s towering 30 feet by 36 feet mural, The Source of Music. Soon, Chef Campbell appears, greeting regulars and discussing the cast of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

A music lover and longtime New York Philharmonic subscriber, Campbell has kept the classics, beef tenderloin mignon and seared salmon on the menu, but brought some of his seasonal new-American dishes such as a delicious apple and butternut squash soup. Everything except the bread is made on the premises. On gala evenings, he lets the music theme influence the choice of dishes.

Campbell was familiar with pre-theater timing of course, but at the Grand Tier, he seems to play the role of a conductor, guiding diners through impeccable rhythm. As soon as the bell rings, we head toward the hall, leaving coats on our chairs. It’s a mad dash, at intermission, to rush toward the dining room again where our desserts and coffees await!

Christopher Engel at The Neue Galerie

For twenty years, Ronald Lauder’s Neue Galerie has offered locals and travelers an artistic time capsule dedicated to German and Austrian art and design between 1890 and 1940.

At Café Sabarsky, named for the late co-founder of the museum, the décor clearly says Vienna, turn of the century. Lunch gets very busy with lines extending outside the building, but it’s another quintessential New York experience to dine here, at the corner of 86^th Street and Fifth Avenue, surrounded by Josef Hoffman’s light fixtures and furniture by Adolf Loos.

Chef Engel was born near Frankfurt, but you may remember him from Wallsé or Aureole. He has kept the old menu but added his own touches.

“A schnitzel is a schnitzel,” he said, laughing, “but the best ingredients can make a difference.”

Ronald Lauder dines there often and remembers his mother’s Central European cooking vividly. Chef and co-founder discuss new specials, often working together until both are satisfied. On a recent visit, I tasted an ethereal crêpe filled with smoked trout mousse and served with horseradish crème fraîche. Specials included seared duck breast served with red cabbage and sole dabbed in light almond cream sauce.

Pair them with the well-curated list of wines and spirits, but make sure to leave some space for sachertorte, apple strudel or perhaps a slice of the Adele, the golden cake made with passion fruit and coconut mousse, and named, you guessed it, for Adele Bloch-Bauer whose portrait by Gustav Klimt was the focus of the movie Woman in Gold, and hangs one floor above the Café.