A Touch of Amie Kiros on what makes Gran Piatto D’oro Restaurant such a treat BY GLENDA CADOGAN
T
he Gran Piatto d’Oro Restaurant is grand for far more than its exquisite chandeliers and sprawling ambience. The Harlem restaurant is a place where worlds collide as Ethiopia meets Italy in the USA. Situated on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Harlem, USA, The Gran Piatto d’Oro is an expansive Italian restaurant serving fine culinary delights. Its owner, Amie Kiros, is a former fashionista and professional caterer who brings the cultural flare of her native Ethiopia to every aspect of the business. In 1974, Kiros left Ethiopia to vacation in Italy, but war broke out in her native country and she was unable to return. Stranded in Italy, she established ties with the Gucci fashion house family and began to pursue higher education. “My father was a politician and even while living in Ethiopia our family had a relationship with the Gucci family,” she explained. “So I was lucky in that they welcomed me into their family and my life took a different turn from what
Amie Kiros, owner The Gran Piatto d’Oro Restaurant
I had planned.” Eventually, the Guccis accepted Kiros into their famed family business and after spending 10 years in Italy, she moved to the United States working as their national fashion coordinator in their head office. “As a natural consequence, Kiros shouldered the responsibility of hosting high powered parties with celebrities and guests from all over the world, and it was there her culinary flair and people skills flourished. After a Gucci family feud, Kiros left to join forces with one of the sons but eventually formed a partnership with paparazzo Gilberto Petrucci and opened a restaurant in SOHO Manhattan. ”We were successful in the business until the terrorist attack of September 11 and then we could no longer survive in the area,” she said. “We were advised to open a restaurant in Harlem, which was described to me as an up and coming neighborhood.” In 2000, Kiros established the first of three Italian restaurants at 109th Street and 1st Avenue. But with the increased demand for larger catering jobs and weddings, she put her energies into upgrading and in 2007 opened the Gran Piatto d’Oro—translated as: “A Golden Dish.” With a grand piano, a fireplace, chandeliers and plush carpeting, the Gran Piatto d’Oro is considered one of the finest dining experiences uptown. But getting to this distinction did not come without jumping hoops and evading what were essentially gender and cultural biases. “People said that there was no way a woman could do this by herself,” Kiros said. “I had to do everything from hiring architects and construction workers to managers. But I made it happen and today I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve.” Then there was the cultural bias of those who argued that it takes an Italian person to operate a successful Italian restaurant. “Nonsense!” Kiros shouted back at those naysayers. “My idea is that the most important factors in any business endeavor are the background and the knowledge. Once you have these two things anyone — woman or man— could open any kind of restaurant they choose to.” Today Kiros advises younger women to never be derailed by anyone telling them what they can or cannot do. “Be guidcontinued on page 67
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