Celebrity chef John DeLucie restaurant

The executive chef and proprietor of the Lion, the Greenwich Village eatery that has attracted the likes of the former Demi and Ashton, Blake Lively and Leonardo DiCaprio over the past year and a half, was born in Carroll Gardens and grew up on Long Island. “New York is my home, always has been and always will be,” says DeLucie, who has lived on Charles St. for the past 20 years. Sitting in one of his leather banquettes before dinner service on a recent evening, DeLucie looks proudly around the over 100-year-old dining room. The space has a long culinary history: it has been a speakeasy or restaurant since the time it opened. Most recently it was a go-to eatery called Village, and previously, it was a well-known bar called the Lion. “What’s so amazing about this building is that it has always embodied a quintessential New York,” says DeLucie. “It was a gay refuge for a long time. Everyone was welcome. It catered to people who couldn’t otherwise enjoy themselves openly.” Barbra Streisand had one of her first performances on the stage at the original Lion, which now serves as a balcony, and director Joel Schumacher was a waiter there. He is now a regular customer of DeLucie’s. “Who is more New York than them?” asks the chef. His vision for the new Lion came to life with the help of designer Meg Sharpe and DeLucie’s partner Mark Amadei. Together, they decided that artwork would be key in setting the tone for the restaurant. “We went through hundreds and hundreds of photographs and pieces of art in order to find the perfect balance,” says DeLucie. Many of the black-and-white photos came from the Daily News’ archive. DeLucie’s favorite is one of the Knicks’ 1969-70 championship win. Others include photos of Frank Sinatra, Babe Ruth and crime boss Paul Castellano. “Having these bits and pieces of New York’s history was very important to all of us who are involved with the restaurant,” says DeLucie. “We want to stay true to this iconic New York space.” As for his next venture, DeLucie insists he must find the perfect home before he starts conceptualizing a restaurant. His most recent eatery, the upper East Side’s Crown, is in a historic townhouse on E. 81st St. “I don’t know how other chefs do it, but finding the perfect space is extremely important to me,” he says. “The rest will all fall together after that.”