Peter X. Kelly

Who is Peter X. Kelly?

Peter X. Kelly is a restaurateur and renowned chef. He runs the Xaviar Restaurant Group that includes Xaviar's and Freelance Cafe in Piermont, NY, Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar in Congers, NY and Xaviars X2O in Yonkers, NY. The name of the group is based on Peter Kelly's middle name, Xavier. He is self-taught as a chef.

He was born and grew up in Yonkers, New York, in a family where he was the tenth of twelve children, and Croton-on-Hudson. He studied business at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. He started out in the food business washing dishes at a little German Restaurant where everything was made in house. He worked in numerous restaurants in New York including top restaurants such as Laurent in New York City and Plumbush in Cold Spring, NY before going to France to pursue his interest in cuisine. At 23, he opened Xaviars in Garrison, NY but closed it in 2002 at this location. Xaviars was moved to Piermont, NY along the Hudson River. He has opened other restaurants as his business has grown.

His restaurants have received high praise; Xaviar's has received a 29 out of 30 in Zagat. The New York Times highest rating, The Mobil Travel Guide Four Star Award, The Dirona Award, Restaurant News Dining Hall of Fame, Wine Spectator's "Best of Award of Excellence", New York State Restaurateur of The Year 1998. In 2003 Westchester Magazine awarded him the Best Chef award. In 2010 he won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast for his Xaviars at Piermont. Mr. Kelly is in the Nation's Restaurant News Fine dining Hall of Fame.