About
Le Bilboquet originally opened in New York City’s Upper East Side as a 38-seat hotspot in 1986. After 27 years of success, the restaurant relocated to a larger space on East 60th Street in Manhattan in October 2013.
In Atlanta, Philippe Delgrange, founder of Le Bilboquet, has teamed up with fellow restaurateur Rick Wahlstedt, owner and founder of national winning concepts. Leading the kitchen, Executive Chef Cyrille Holota brings many years of experience to the Atlanta location, serving up the same approachable classics such as Cajun chicken served with a heaping pile of crispy pomme frites and green salad, crab and avocado salad and steak tartare.
Philippe Delgrange & Rick Wahlstedt
Philippe Delgrange (pictured left)
Philippe Delgrange grew up in Cambrai, France, just north of Paris in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. As a young man of 18, Philippe came to the US in the early 70s and spent years working in a perfume factory and worked other unusual jobs.
By the late 70s, the club scene in New York was starting to take shape and heat up. Philippe got his start in the hospitality business working for what would become the famous Atrium Club. One year later, celebrity night club owner Regine came calling. Eventually, he would leave Regine’s and join one of Madison Avenue most famous French eateries, Le Relais. However, the urge to start his own establishment was too strong and so in 1986, Philippe opened Le Bilboquet on East 63rd with just twenty tables. Today, Le Bilboquet, on East 60th street, has more than one hundred and twenty seats and is considered to be one of the most difficult reservations to get in Manhattan. With partners Ron Perlman and Eric Clapton, Le Bilboquet, is not only a beloved neighborhood French bistro, but a true New York City institution.
Currently Philippe owns the following restaurants:
- Le Bilboquet NY
- Le Bilboquet Café, NY
- Le Bilboquet Sag Harbor, Hamptons
- Fleming’s by Le Bilboquet, NY
- Le Bilboquet Dallas
- Le Bilboquet Denver
- Le Bilboquet Atlanta
- Le Bilboquet Palm Beach
Rick Wahlstedt (pictured right)
Rick Wahlstedt is no stranger to winning. As one of America’s most successful restaurateurs, Rick began his career as an internationally ranked professional Squash player. He found his way to New York from his native Sweden during the 1984 World Squash Tour. Playing Squash by day eventually led him to nighttime bartending and so began a 30 year love affair with the restaurant industry. Rick learned the ropes at some of New York’s most famous and enduring hot spots including Indochine and Odeon. His first foray into ownership came in 1987 when he opened Punsch, a French Scandinavian restaurant on the upper west side of Manhattan. With such a rich past working for the McNally brothers, he brought to his restaurant gold standard secrets of the trade. Not surprising, Punsch became wildly successful before closing three years later. But that was just the beginning.
After Punsch, Rick chose to return to his educational roots and joined Jonathan & Foster, a corresponding firm of Bear Sterns as a security broker focused on emerging markets. But during his four year stint in finance, the industry called to him and in 1993, he opened Le Colonial, the French Vietnamese sensation on East 57th street. That success would be duplicated many times over in the years to come.
Currently Rick owns the following restaurants:
- Le Colonial, Chicago, IL
- Le Colonial, Lake Forest, IL
- Le Colonial, San Francisco, CA
- Le Colonial, Del Ray, FL
- Le Colonial, Atlanta, GA
- Le Colonial, Naples, FL
- Le Colonial, Houston, TX
- Le Bilboquet, Atlanta, GA
- Le Bilboquet, Denver, CO
Cyrille Holota
Regional Executive Chef
Chef Cyrille Holota certainly has an impressive track record, having cooked in some of the world’s most famous restaurants. Holota broke into the culinary scene in the town of Clermont Ferrand in France’s Massif Central region. There, Chef Holota worked in the kitchens of Le Clave Restaurant and Le Radio, both recipients of one Michelin star. After getting his feet wet in two of France’s most demanding kitchens, Chef Holota moved to London where he worked at Les Saveurs Restaurant under the guidance of another of Atlanta’s favorite French chefs, Joël Antunes. After his tenure at Les Saveurs, his expertise led Holota to work in Paris with Chef Alain Passard as Chef de Partie at Passard Restaurant Arpege, a recipient of three Michelin stars.
Sean Scottini
Operating Partner
Sean Scottini joins Le Bilboquet with a lifetime of experience in the hospitality industry. Born in a family who owned bars, restaurants, nightclubs and relais chateaux in Bergamo, Italy, he soon moved to London where he discovered the intricacies of hospitalities abroad in London before moving to NYC in 1998.
During his time in NYC, Sean worked alongside some of the biggest figures of the hospitality world, from Cipriani’s Rainbow Room, to Gordon Ramsey’s London Hotel to Thomas Keller’s Tak Room to name a few. His experience in Michelin star houses, coupled with his passion and expertise of the beverage space have shaped Sean to become a hospitality powerhouse, earning him accolades as Atlanta’s Most Influencial from Modern Luxury, and Wine Spectator awards.
In his spare time, Sean is devoted to a healthy lifestyle, being an afficionado of Barry’s Bootcamp and Yoga classes. He is a student of “the School of Practical Philosophy”. His lifetime passions are Music (DJ) and Fashion.
His Motto? “Keep it simple and Namaste”