Art de Vivre Award 2025
Honoring Philippe Delgrange
Schedule
Monday, June 2, 2025
Join us as we celebrate the 10th Art de Vivre Award!
Honoring Philippe Delgrange
On Monday, June 2, 2025, L’Alliance New York will proudly honor Philippe Delgrange, Founder of Le Bilboquet during its tenth Art de Vivre Award. Cocktails and an award ceremony in the L’Alliance New York Skyroom will be followed by a dinner and live auction at Le Bilboquet.
Proceeds from The Art de Vivre Award directly go to support L’Alliance New York’s cultural and educational programs.
About Philippe Delgrange
Philippe Delgrange is a legendary figure in the food and entertainment industry, and is founder of the Le Bilboquet Group, which currently includes three restaurants and one café in New York, as well as five locations in Palm Beach, Denver, Dallas, and Atlanta.
Delgrange defined elegance and charm in the dining experience, with his goal for “Bilbo”—as it’s affectionately known—being to “bring people together in their shared love of food, friendship, and authenticity.” A stickler for dress codes, white tablecloths, and French Bordeaux, he ensures every visit to his establishments feels like an occasion.
Delgrange hails from the Nord de la France region just north of Paris. At just 14 years old, he began his restaurant career in his native France, so young that his parents had to secure a special work permit from President Charles de Gaulle. Learning the value of hard work, Delgrange quickly became a front-of-the-house fixture in some of Europe’s most prestigious establishments. In the early 1970s at the age of just 18, Delgrange bravely embarked on a new venture to the United States. Delgrange’s early NYC restaurant experience included working at the renowned Atrium Club. He then trained under legendary nightclub owner Regine before joining Le Relais, one of Madison Avenue’s most celebrated French restaurants.
In 1986, Philippe opened his own intimate, 450-square-foot white-tablecloth restaurant, Le Bilboquet, on 63rd Street with just 32 seats. Thanks to Delgrange’s work ethic, warm character, and uncanny ability to understand what New Yorkers craved, Le Bilboquet quickly became a go-to destination for A-list celebrities and the fashion world elite. In 2013, Le Bilboquet expanded into a new, larger space on East 60th Street—ten times the size of its original location—yet embodying the spirit of the original restaurant, along with its beloved staff and commitment to “good food and good times.” The continued success of this venture led to further expansion, with locations opening in Sag Harbor, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, and beyond. Today, Delgrange enjoys quiet moments with his wife and four children, while pursuing his passions for gardening, beekeeping, and sea fishing.
Venue
Event Pricing
About Le Bilboquet
It started in 1986 as a cozy boîte on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where just 32 seats transformed each night into a lively family reunion. All were welcome: from regulars and royals to celebrities and chess masters, artists and editors, Europeans and Americans. The blend of good company and whimsical fun created such a buzz that in 2013, it relocated to a larger space in NYC, ten times the size of the original.
In the early days, Le Bilboquet was a vibrant and unpredictable haven of creativity and camaraderie. With just 10 staff members, the restaurant often operated like an extended family gathering. Founder Philippe Delgrange, ever the free spirit, would sometimes host impromptu complimentary breakfasts, inviting guests to bring their own ingredients or fetch fresh produce from the market. On other occasions, the staff embraced playfulness by donning costumes, swapping uniforms or rearranging the dining room for makeshift theater. Philippe’s pursuit of artistic expression was evident not only in these lively antics but also on the walls, which featured gifted artworks from many of his guests including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Fernando Botero.
Le Bilboquet has become more than just a place to dine — it’s a celebration that never seems to end. Guests linger a little longer, laughter spills into the evening, and familiar faces return time and again. Affectionately known as “Bilbo,” its spirit has traveled beyond New York, finding a home in Palm Beach, Sag Harbor, Denver, Dallas, and Atlanta. Next door to our New York Flagship, the charming Café Bilboquet offers a lively spot for a morning espresso or a leisurely afternoon, while the nearby Fleming restaurant invites guests to savor Mediterranean flavors. Each location tells its own story through its design, artwork, and specialties, yet the heart remains the same — the clink of glasses over beloved cocktails, the comfort of classic dishes like the signature Cajun Chicken, created by Philippe Delgrange himself, and the warmth of a welcome that feels unmistakably French.
About the Art de Vivre Award
Established in 2014, L’Alliance New York’s Art de Vivre Award recognizes influential leaders from the gastronomic, fashion and beauty industries for their outstanding contributions to the promotion of the French art of living.
Past honorees have included Laure Hériard Dubreuil (Founder and CEO of The Webster); Elisabeth Holder & Pierre-Antoine Raberin (Co-Presidents of Ladurée USA), Frédéric Malle (Founder of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle), Martine & Prosper Assouline (Co-Founders of Assouline), Carine Roitfeld (Founder of CR Fashion Book), Frédéric Fekkaï (Founder and CEO of Bastide and Fekkaï), Ariane Daguin (Owner and CEO of D’Artagnan), and Anne Fontaine & Ari Zlotkin (Co-Founders of Anne Fontaine), and The Chantecaille Family (Founders of Chantecaille).
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