Peter X. Kelly
{{short description|American restaurateur and chef}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
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| name = Peter X. Kelly
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1959|06|03}}
| birth_place = Yonkers, New York
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| occupation = Restaurateur, chef
| years_active = 1983- present
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| known_for = Running Freelance Cafe in Piermont, New York, Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar in Congers and previously Xaviars X2O on the Hudson in Yonkers
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Peter X. Kelly (born June 3, 1959){{cite news|last1=Frumkin|first1=Paul|title=Peter Kelly: "X: marks the spot for chef with impromptu talents|work=Business Library|date=September 25, 2000}}{{cite web|url=http://food.lohudblogs.com/2010/11/07/veteran-chefs-keeping-it-fresh-peter-x-kelly-at-xaviars/|title=Veteran Chefs Keeping It Fresh: Peter X. Kelly at Xaviars - lohudfood|website=food.lohudblogs.com}} is a restaurateur and chef. He runs the Xaviars Restaurant Group, which owns and manages Xaviars and Freelance Cafe in Piermont, New York, Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar in Congers and Xaviars X2O on the Hudson in Yonkers. The name of the group is based on Peter Kelly's middle name, Xavier. He is a self-taught chef, and {{as of|2015|lc=y}}, has spent about 30 years cooking professionally in the Hudson Valley.
Early life and family
He was born and grew up in Yonkers and Croton-on-Hudson, New York, in an Irish Catholic family{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Peter X.|title=X-Planations: Chef Peter X. Kelly Welcomes You To His World|url=http://briarcliff.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/x-planations-chef-peter-x-kelly-welcomes-you-his-world|newspaper=Briarcliff Daily Voice|date=March 12, 2015|accessdate=March 20, 2015}} where he was the tenth of twelve children.{{Cite web |url=http://www.xaviars.com/about.html |title=Xaviars Restaurant Group - Piermont, Congers & Yonkers, New York |access-date=January 20, 2011 |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718125759/http://www.xaviars.com/about.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://hudsonvalley.metromix.com/restaurants/essay_photo_gallery/veteran-hudson-valley-chefs/2324076/photo/2324140|title=Metromix from Hudson Valley profile of Peter Kelly|publisher=}} He had worked nearly full-time since he was twelve, working to deliver newspapers, shovel snow, stock shelves, or mow lawns.
He studied business at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, and started out in the food industry by washing dishes at a small German restaurant where everything was made in-house. He worked in numerous restaurants in New York including top restaurants such as Laurent in New York City and Plumbush in Cold Spring before going to France to pursue his interest in cuisine. He ate at Michelin three-star restaurants for inspiration.
Career
In 1983, when he was 23 years old, he opened his first restaurant, Xaviars at Garrison, where he served as the head chef; he had no kitchen training or culinary school education. He closed that location in 2002. He has opened other restaurants as his business has grown, including Xaviars in Piermont in 1987 and Freelance Cafe in 1989.
His restaurants have received high praise; Xaviars has received a 29 out of 30 by Zagat. Other ratings and awards include The New York Times's highest rating (Extraordinary), The Mobil Travel Guide Four Star Award, The Dirona Award, Restaurant News Dining Hall of Fame, the Wine Spectator "Best of Award of Excellence", and New York State Restaurateur of The Year 1998. In 2003 Westchester Magazine awarded him the Best Chef award.{{cite web|url=http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/Westchester-Resources/Best-of-Westchester/index.php/category/Local+Media+and+People/bestof/Best+of+Westchester+2003/name/Peter-X-Kelly/listing/16045/|title=Best of Westchester|website=www.westchestermagazine.com}} In 2010 he won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast for his Xaviars at Piermont.{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Liz|date=March 22, 2010|url=http://food.lohudblogs.com/2010/03/22/peter-x-kelly-makes-the-short-list-for-the-james-beard-award-for-best-chef-northeast/|title=Peter X. Kelly Makes the Short List for the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Northeast - lohudfood|website=food.lohudblogs.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807131816/http://food.lohudblogs.com/2010/03/22/peter-x-kelly-makes-the-short-list-for-the-james-beard-award-for-best-chef-northeast/|archive-date=August 7, 2020}}{{cite web |url=http://www.jbfawards.com/winners.html |title=James Beard Foundation Awards 2010 |accessdate=2015-02-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528150448/http://www.jbfawards.com/winners.html |archivedate=2010-05-28 }} Kelly is in Nation's Restaurant News Fine dining Hall of Fame. He has given a commencement address at the Culinary Institute of America.
Kelly has appeared on television, radio and print media, including an appearance on Iron Chef America (Season 4: (2007) episode 10){{cite web|url=http://www.reality-tv-online.com/blog/iron-chef-america-bobby-flay-vs-peter-kelly/|title=Iron Chef America: Bobby Flay vs. Peter Kelly|website=www.reality-tv-online.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123105945/http://www.reality-tv-online.com/blog/iron-chef-america-bobby-flay-vs-peter-kelly/|archive-date=January 23, 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/iron-chef-america/flay-vs-kelly/index.html |title=Flay vs. Kelly |website=Food Network |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129101924/http://www.foodnetwork.com/iron-chef-america/flay-vs-kelly/index.html |archive-date=January 29, 2009}}{{cite web |last=Kelly |first=Peter |date=June 1, 2007 |url=http://www.lohud.com/article/20070531/CUSTOM02/305310022/WEB-EXCLUSIVE-Peter-Kelly-s-Iron-Chef-Recipe |title=WEB EXCLUSIVE: Peter Kelly's Iron Chef Recipe |website=LoHud.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925092558/http://www.lohud.com/article/20070531/CUSTOM02/305310022/WEB-EXCLUSIVE-Peter-Kelly-s-Iron-Chef-Recipe |archive-date=September 25, 2011}} where he beat Bobby Flay. He was also a host in Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" program's profile of the Hudson Valley with Bill Murray.{{cite web | url=http://www.spike.com/video/bill-murray-on/3337209 | title=Paramount Network }} In the 1990s he became a vintner, his wine is known as "Silenus" (after the tutor of Bacchus in Greek mythology). In 1999, became the founding chef and culinary director for Impromptu Gourmet. He is one of few to receive a New York Times four-star "review outside of Manhattan over the last 40 years. Kelly plans to sell Xaviars and Freelance Cafe, effective late 2016.{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Liz|title=Chef Peter X. Kelly selling Piermont restaurants|newspaper=The Journal News|url=http://www.lohud.com/story/life/food/restaurants/2016/09/11/peter-kelly-selling-piermont-restaurants/90229260/|date=September 11, 2016|accessdate=September 20, 2016}}
In 2008, he opened X20 – Xaviar’s on the Hudson in Yonkers. After years of financial instability, it filed for bankruptcy and was seized by the New York State Tax Department in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Parolisi |first=Mark |date=2023-05-10 |title=X20 Restaurant Filed for Bankruptcy; Will Still Operate For Now |url=https://www.theyonkersledger.com/culture/x20-restaurant-filed-for-bankruptcy-will-still-operate-for-now/3488/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=The Yonkers Ledger |language=en-US}} The restaurant would later reopen after filing for bankruptcy protection, his second since 2019.{{cite news |last1=Muchnick |first1=Jeanne |title=X20 in Yonkers is open for business, under bankruptcy protection |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/life/food/2023/05/10/x20-xaviars-on-the-hudson-yonkers-ny-restaurant-reopens-bankruptcy-protection/70203154007/ |work=The Journal News |date=May 10, 2023}} Kelly closed X2O - Xaviars on the Hudson on September 29, 2024.{{cite news |last1=Muchnick |first1=Jeanne |title=Yonkers fine dining restaurant closes after 16 years. |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/life/food/restaurants/2024/10/04/yonkers-ny-westchester-restaurant-known-for-fine-dining-special-events-closes/75512364007/ |website=Lohud |publisher=Rockland/Westchester Journal News |date=October 4, 2024|access-date=December 28, 2024}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.xaviars.com The Xaviars Restaurant Group website]
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