Lydia Shire Biography

Chef Lydia Shire was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, and raised by artist parents. Her first recollections of life in the kitchen are of peeling garlic with her father when she was four years old. Shire was back in the kitchen as a young bride, this time preparing for her husband and three children. Then she made her move, starting as a salad girl at the legendary Maison Robert, slicing pate and cracking oysters. Then it was back to Maison Robert as a Line Cook after attending London's Cordon Bleu Cooking School. Shire became Head Chef at this famous dining room three and a half years later, and history was being written. Shire earned great acclaim and coveted Four Star reviews at some of Boston's most exclusive restaurants, including Harvest, Caf Plaza at The Copley Plaza Hotel, and Parker's at the Parker House Hotel. In 1982, she established Seasons at the Bostonian Hotel, where the restaurant and chef earned national acclaim for 'excellence' and 'daring,' two adjectives that perfectly describe Shire. Shire was selected to launch the new Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills as Executive Chef in the fall of 1986, making her the first female Executive Chef in the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Company. Shire's ultimate ambition of starting her own restaurant in Boston was unaffected by the heat and glitter of California. With the launch of BIBA ('Back in Boston Again') in 1989, she achieved her ambition. Shire's BIBA restaurant was at the forefront of world cuisine. Shire, a chef with vision and talent, presented a bold and daring menu organized by food types (fish, offal, meat, starch, legumina and sweets). The likes of BIBA had never been seen in Boston before. Shire was named America's Best Chef - Northeast and Who's Who of Food & Beverage by the James Beard Foundation in 1991, based on critical acclaim. Shire was named one of America's Top Ten Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine in the same year. Shire won the coveted Ivy Award for up-and-coming trendsetters in 1994. In 1996, the James Beard Foundation recognized her once more, nominating her as one of America's Top Five Chefs. Shire stunned 'proper Bostonians' when she dared to take over the city's renowned Locke-Ober in 2001, opening Pignoli to great reviews. Shire brought the richness and great legacy of outstanding American and European food back to the restaurant. She made history yet again as the chef/owner of this establishment that had proudly barred women from its dining room for the previous ninety-seven years. Shire's passion for life is fuelled by her love of travel and her keen eye for excellence. She has traveled thousands of miles throughout the world, adding to her collections of copper, silver, antique children's clothing, and photographs at her house and restaurants. Shire's enthusiasm for quality and originality shines through in all she does, both within and beyond the restaurant. Shire's kitchen has proven to be a fruitful training ground for some of the city's greatest culinary talent since he was a seasoned pro from a young age. With the launch of Blue Sky at the Atlantic House Hotel on York Beach in Maine and Scampo in Boston's Liberty Hotel, a national historic monument that was previously the legendary Charles Street Jail, she maintains her devotion to hard labor and unlimited imagination.

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