Meet Chef Hugo Uys.
About Hugo Uys
Hugo Uys has been a fixture in the NYC hospitality scene for over 25 years. Of note, Hugo has owned a restaurant and bar in the West Village, and opened a food hall and restaurant in Grand Central Terminal which received a Michelin star.
South African born, he’s been frequently asked to cook at state events at the U.N. in NYC on behalf of the South African government, and also continues to cook for high-profile clients at private events.
Fast Facts: Notable Projects
Owner and operator of Paris Commune (West Village neighborhood of New York City) – At the time that I purchased the 35 seat restaurant, it was 20 years old and was making $890K a year with a 16% margin. I increased total revenue from $890K to $1.26MM in one year and increased our margin to 18%.
Created and opened a 40 seat contemporary bar/restaurant called Shag in the West Village. Our revenue was $1.9MM with a margin of 16%.
Contracted by the family that owns Restaurant Depot to help consolidate 5 food truck companies in the New York and NJ area. I helped build a 50,000 sf commissary kitchen from where they would manufacturer the food, and service the food trucks – a $50MM project.
Won the RFP to open a food hall, restaurant and “deli" in Grand Central Terminal in New York City. I helped put the finance and talent together to bring the project to life. I worked with Claus Meyer from Noma in Copenhagen to open the space as The Great Northern Food Hall. We got our Michelin Star in the first 6 months – a $35MM project.
Created a bakery called Bröd Kitchen, and scaled the project to two locations – one at 63rd and 2nd Ave, and another on Green Street and West 4th in NYC. Total project cost was $5MM.
Been working with the Springboard Group to open a hotel in the Financial District of NY called The FiDi. I helped to create the brand identify for all F&B in the hotel. This includes a 70 seat restaurant, hotel lobby bar and conference facility, room service and a two story nightlife venue at the top of the building.
Implemented a new menu over a three month period at the Nyack Hotel in New York for Juniper REIA — resulted in increased sales and low food cost of 23%.
Rebranded the food and beverage programming for a hotel in Virginia Beach in 2023 for Black Pearl Capital. This included reconcepting a restaurant on property, poolside offerings, and a cafe.
Opened a bar/restaurant in November 2022 called The Ivory Peacock for a client on 26th Street in New York City. This was a $4MM project with a projected revenue of $10MM a year.
I own and operate a catering business that has a 35% margin. We currently service the majority of WeWork's internal events and clients events. Other notable clients: Marc Jacobs, South African Consulate, Estee Lauder, George Soros, HBO, Shorty Awards. Our food has been featured in multiple media outlets like Vogue and The New York Times.
Full Bio
Hugo’s career has been fed by his spirited willingness to try, discover and leave his comfort zone, across the food and style industries. He believes that food fuels what transpires around it, and it most certainly fuels his successes.
After a brief stint at University, Hugo first applied his growing aptitude for style and design by fashioning his own line of made-to-measure gowns—having the opportunity to sponsor and dress both Miss World and Miss Universe in South Africa.
He took this knowledge of fashion to the U.S., but carved out a new market for it: high-end pet accessories. Being a first-mover in the industry in the mid-90s, Hugo distributed his line internationally, selling at Federated, Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue. He also collaborated with designers such as Donna Karan, and teamed up with Nadja Swarovski to co-create the world’s most expensive dog coat.
It was while on this path that Hugo realized his true sense of enjoyment came from the interactions he had with his clients: be it entertaining them in restaurants, or around the dinner table at home—creating convivial environments that fostered connection—and where food was always involved.
When the opportunity arose for Hugo to purchase a then 20 year old West Village establishment, he took it. Hugo transformed Paris Commune restaurant from its original 35 seat setting on Bleecker Street, to a 120-seat restaurant with $3.5 million in sales annually, delivering an industry leading 15% return on investment. Hugo continued to expand upon his ideas and his success, opening and operating a New American Bar in the West Village named Shag.
More recently, Hugo has been expanding into consulting for the hospitality industry—sharing his knowledge of the restaurant business learned and earned through his own experiences in the field. His latest ventures include: raising capital and performing financial due diligence on a number of restaurant concepts, developing and launching a proprietary food product, and piloting a new bakery concept while designing its broader roll-out.
Of significant note, Hugo created and nurtured the venture which brought world-renowned restaurateur Claus Meyer of Noma, rated the #1 restaurant in the globe for 3 consecutive years, to North America. This $35MM project included developing the Great Northern Food Hall and Agern, a Michelin-starred restaurant, both in Grand Central Terminal.
Hugo then went on to open and develop New-Nordic bakeries around NYC, branded as Bröd Kitchen. He also worked with the Diamond Commissary in the development of their brand and $50MM business model.
Hugo is currently busy on the food and beverage development with hotel projects in Connecticut, Virginia, as well as a new build hotel concept in NYC’s Financial District.
And of course, he continues to cook.