Ken Aretsky (born 1941)[1] is a New York City restaurateur who has owned several dining establishments and was the general manager of the 21 Club in Manhattan during 1987–1995.[2] He has also been noted for his geniality and dapper style of dress.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Aretsky is a graduate of C.W. Post College. He has been married three times.[3] He has at least four children,[2] including daughter Beth, a Culinary Institute of America chef,[4] and son Gene, a restaurant manager.[5]
Career
[edit]He has been described as “one of New York’s most accomplished restaurateurs of the last thirty years.”[6]
Aretsky opened his first restaurant, Truman's, in Roslyn,[7] Long Island in 1971, after which he briefly worked as a stockbroker.[2] It was inspired by Maxwell's Plum.
On the Upper East Side, he opened the Oren & Aretsky bar during the 1980s. He bought the shuttered Christ Cella steakhouse in August 1995,[8] managed by son, Gene since about 2005,[5] and which he later morphed into Aretsky’s Patroon Restaurant and Rooftop Bar in 2019.[9][5] In 1996,he opened the Butterfield 81 bistro, where his daughter, Beth, was a chef.[4] He and Anne Rosenzweig also launched Arcadia, which closed in 1997.[2][10][11]
He was president and General Manager of the 21 Club, from 1987 until 1995.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Restaurateur Who Has Seen It All Faces Last Call". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ^ a b c d e f Collins, Glenn (2000-08-25). "PUBLIC LIVES; Up From the Ashes of a Cuban Cigar Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ^ "Kenneth Aretsky Weds Diana Lyne". The New York Times. June 3, 1990. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ a b Reichl, Ruth (1996-05-31). "Restaurants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ a b c Doyle, Doug (2025-05-02). "Gene Aretsky and his father and legendary restauranteur Ken Aretsky bring jazz to their storied establishment in NYC". WBGO Jazz. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ^ "Ken Aretsky Renames his Classic Midtown Dining Spot Aretskys Patroon". MQ Pizza Magazine. June 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Turning the Top Tables". Cigar Aficionado. January 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Fabricant, Florence (1995-08-27). "NEW YORKERS & CO.; The Shifting Sands of New York Restaurants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- ^ Mariani, John (May 9, 2019). "At Aretsky's Patroon In New York You Can Count On Aretsky To Be There". Forbes. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Rasheed, Saira (July 8, 2018). "Coffee with Ken Aretsky, a true New York restaurateur". Mostly About Coffee. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Miller, Bryan (January 18, 1985). "RESTAURANTS". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2022.