Phil Suarez

Advertising career

Suarez began working part-time for Papert Koenig & Lois, in the television production department ran by ad man George Lois. It was there he gained experience in media production, which led him in the direction of forming his own company.

Suarez left Papert Koenig & Lois to form a joint venture with Bob Giraldi, known as Giraldi Suarez Productions in 1973. The two met playing at an ad agency basketball game.

Giraldi Suarez Productions went on to produce award winning ad campaigns for Miller Brewing, and numerous music videos for artists including Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, as well as Michael Jackson's “Beat It” video. The company also produced theatrical trailers for Broadway plays like Evita, Dream Girls, A Chorus Line. Suarez produced & Giraldi Directed the feature film “Dinner Rush” starring Danny Aiello. Giraldi Suarez Productions has won over 300 major advertising awards.

Restaurant career

Suarez saw an opportunity to extend his production life into the restaurant business saying “It was like going from one theatre to another. I loved that I could translate the art of production into another realm equally as thrilling to me as music and television”.

In 1980 he opened Positano, a restaurant inspired by the cuisine of the Amalfi coast. Positano paved the way for Suarez’s relationship with now internationally renowned chef [http://www.jean-georges.com/ Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In 1991 the two opened JoJo, a contemporary French atelier that earned accolades including three stars from The New York Times and Restaurant of the Year from Eqsuire Magazine.

Suarez’s next creation was Patria. A restaurant that brought the then-unfamiliar flavors of Latin America into a fine dining context. Patria was a launching pad for Suarez whose projects have come to attain national and international success.

Since 1991 Suarez has opened:

Restaurants

JoJo

NY, New York

The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges

NY, New York

Wd~50

NY, New York

Gigino Trattoria

NY, New York

Gigino at Wagner Park

NY, New York

Perry St

NY, New York

Pipa

NY, New York

ABC Kitchen

NY, New York

ABC Cocina

NY, New York

Co.

NY, New York

Mercer Kitchen

NY, New York

Jean-Georges

NY, New YorkShanghai, China

Market,

Boston, MAAtlanta, GALos Cabos, Mexico

Kuaui Grill

Kuaui, Hawaii

J&G Steakhouse

Phoenix, AZWashington, DC

J&G Grill

Deer Crest, UT

Fern

Bahia Beach, PR

Prime Steakhouse

Las Vegas, NV

Lagoon

Bora Bora, Fr. Polynesia

Pump Room

Chicago, IL

Mercato

Shanghai, China

Le Dock, Fire Island, NY

Suarez and Jean-Georges Vongerichten have continued to work together for over twenty years creating international restaurants.

Phil Suarez has been nominated by the James Beard Foundation as Outstanding Restaurateur for 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Other ventures

Suarez and his wife Lucy are two of the producers of the musical Kinky Boots, which opened April 2013, in New York City. The musical was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, It has been awarded 6 Tony's, including Best Musical.

Suarez is a partner in the West Perry development company, in which architect Richard Meier developed the 'sister' buildings on the corners of Perry and West streets. These buildings have been the residences of many celebrities.

He has actively served on the Board of Directors of the Police Athletic League for more than twenty years. He has also been on the Board of the New York Urban Coalition, acted as President of the Catholic Big Brothers Association, and is a member of the New York State Commission on Human Rights.