Brian Lesser of Saint playing with paint in his home studio.

Esti Parsons, Chris Myers, and Michael Schlow of Radius playing strip poker

> RESTAURANTS (continued)

Greg Den Herder and Igor Blatnik

33 Restaurant & Lounge

These two suave businessmen, who met in high school in Switzerland, have much more on their plates than "just" the impossibly hip scene at 33: Den Herder has enjoyed immense international success in the hospitality industry, and Blatnik is a charter member of the Boston club promoters’ Hall of Fame.

Darryl Settles

Bob the Chef’s Jazz Café

While Bob the Chef’s remains one of Boston’s premier dining destinations for hearty Southern food, the restaurant is hardly Settles’s only project. In addition to serving on the boards of the Huntington Theatre and Community Servings, Settles is the founding organizer of the BeanTown Jazz Festival, which takes place on Columbus Avenue on the last Saturday of September every year. And the list of civic organizations that Settles is (or has been) involved with is immense.

Gary Strack

Central Kitchen/Enormous Room

Strack has proven to be a pioneer of sorts in the "new" Central Square, with his charming restaurant Central Kitchen and the quirky upstairs club the Enormous Room.

John Clifford

Green Street Grill

Clifford’s Green Street Grill has helped to define Cambridge’s (and, more specifically, Central Square’s) funky identity for more than 20 years. This restaurant, bar, and music club brings in an eclectic array of patrons who all come for the one common denominator: fun.

Paul Delios, Chuck Samiotes, and Bill Galatis

Mezé Estiatorio

Delios, also the chef/owner of Paolo’s Trattoria, is the culinary genius. Partners Samiotes and Galatis are, respectively, the CEO and the VP of marketing of Mezé, which has quickly established itself as one of the hottest restaurants in Massachusetts.

Tim Lynch

Grill 23, Excelsior, and Harvest

Lynch is both a business and an operations guru who is highly respected in the industry for his ability to help restaurants reach that mythic "next level."

Christophe Muller

Caprice

Thanks to Muller, Caprice manages to blur the line between funky lounge/club and fine-dining restaurant. It has become one of the hottest destinations for the young pre- and post-theater crowd. Muller has long been known as one of the most influential nightclub promoters in the city, and he continues to work to uphold that reputation.

Joe Cimino

Restaurateur

Daisy Buchanan’s and Ciao Bella have become Newbury Street fixtures — the street just wouldn’t be the same without them. And Cimino’s 711 Boylston restaurant and nightclub is building momentum as a local hot spot.

Gordon Wilcox

George/Rattlesnake, Parish Café, and Bukowski’s

Three entirely different concepts, three entirely different success stories — and Wilcox is the man who made it happen.

Ed McCabe

CAFCO Construction

CAFCO has put up more name restaurants in Boston than any other builder. When you do great work, the clients come to you.

Jim Pallotta

Investment guru

Pallotta is known in the industry as a "chef’s best friend" because he knows where to find the money to get new restaurants launched. Some of the top chefs in the city are blessed to call him a partner.

Charlie Perkins

Boston Restaurant Group

Perkins is the go-to guy for buying or selling a restaurant space. His name may not be well known to the public, but trust us when we tell you that everyone in the industry knows — and respects — Charlie Perkins.

Ihsan Gurdal

Formaggio Kitchen

No, Formaggio isn’t a restaurant, per se (although it does sell plenty of food to go), but that doesn’t lessen Gurdal’s contribution to the industry. He has advised many a chef on all things related to cheese, and he runs with a pack of powerful restaurateurs.

Marc Orfaly

Pigalle and Peking Tom’s

While Orfaly has contributed his vision and talent to overseeing the menu at Peking Tom’s, it is at Pigalle (which he owns with his wife, the front-of-the-house legend Kerri Foley) that he has gained national renown. Orfaly made his bones in some of Boston’s top kitchens, and he has the respect of his peers because of it. We expect lasting success — and more great things — from this talented chef.

Steve DiFillippo

Davio’s

Davio’s is one of those restaurants that’s not only owned by a player — DiFillippo — but is a place where other players come to dine, broker deals, and be seen.

Debbie Lewis

29 Newbury

29 continues to be a prime meeting place for the Newbury Street crowd, both old and young. In addition to owning and operating this iconic restaurant, Lewis is very active on the local charity scene.

Todd English

Olives Group

Those close to Todd English say he’s actually a pretty nice guy, and no one doubts that he is a very talented chef with loads of ambition. The Olives Group’s holdings currently include (take a deep breath): the flagship Olives in Chuck, as well as Olives restaurants in New York, DC, Las Vegas, Japan, and Aspen; the flagship Beacon Hill Figs, plus five more Figs outposts in Massachusetts and New York; Bonfire and KingFish Hall here in Boston; Tuscany at Mohegan Sun; Fish Club in Seattle; Bluezoo at Walt Disney World; and the Todd English Restaurant aboard the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship (and no, we’re not making that last one up).

Patrick Lee

Temple Bar, Irish Village, Redline, and Grafton Street

Wake up, America: restaurants and bars in Ireland do not all look like quaint little country pubs. Lee has brought the new Irish aesthetic to Boston with his upscale, hip establishments — but don’t worry, they’ll still pour you a proper pint of the dark stuff.

Carlos Hildago, Kasey Anton, and Felino Samson

Bomboa and Il Bico.

Bomboa is both an incredibly trend-setting restaurant, and also one that feels very familiar and comfortable. Partners Hildago and Anton, along with chef/partner Felino Samson, have created a niche in the fine-dining meets party-time establishment. The three have recently acquired the Kenmore Square restaurant Il Bico — expect big things from them at this location, too.

Brian Lesser

Saint

Lesser has been in the restaurant industry since he was a pup, and his experience and knowledge have helped catapult Saint into the stratosphere of internationally revered nightlife establishments. Lesser is an expert at both the nightclub and fine-dining sides of the business.

Chris Myers, Michael Schlow, and Esti Parsons

Radius, Great Bay, and Via Matta

While this restaurant group is as talented and savvy as any in the city, what sets Chris, Michael, and Esti apart is their incredibly hospitable, jovial, and celebratory collective spirit — they really know how to have a good time. These qualities are very evident in all three restaurants, which are three of the finest in the Northeast.

Brian O’Donnell and Ed Costa Vinalia

Costa spent many years overseeing the Boston Harbor Hotel’s food-and-beverage program, which prepared him for the launch of Vinalia, a true shining gem on the Boston restaurant scene. Costa excels equally at the business and operations sides of the venture, as he is both GM and a partner. O’ Donnell is a partner at Vinalia, among other things.