When Jenni Guizio was looking for a chef to run the kitchen at her new restaurant, she did not expect to be won over by artichoke soup, which is what Maxime Pradié prepared while auditioning for the role. Guizio remembers thinking, "That's bold." She ended up taking leftovers home from the meal.
When Guizio found the West Village space, she decided to name it for Marie Zimmermann, a 20th-century queer designer known for her jewelry and metalwork and a pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement. Zimmi's interior reflects its namesake's legacy, with Arts and Crafts-era flourishes that reference Zimmerman's metalwork along with the woodwork of her contemporary, Wharton Esherick.
The New York-born Pradié, a partner in the restaurant, uses the word craft to describe his kitchen ethos as well. His inspiration is his grandmother, an Italian-born French woman who exposed him to an amalgam of regional cuisines - Lombardy in northern Italy, Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
It's all very craft-based,
Guizio began working her way through the restaurant ranks starting at 18, eventually becoming the wine-and-beverage director of Union Square Hospitality Group. Rounding out the group are partner Mark Shami and G.M. Cory Holt, who first worked for Guizio at Maialino and will help oversee the wine.
Collection
[
|
...
]