Caroline Styne

The Climb

Restaurant leadership is often learned at the level of room, rhythm, and service, and Caroline Styne’s early path reflects that kind of training. Art history was her field in college, with gallery direction once in view, and that background shows up in how she reads space and composition. As president and Wine Director of The Lucques Group in Los Angeles, she applies that same eye to wine, working to keep the category from turning opaque or ceremonial. Her own view is direct: wine can be intimidating, and the trade makes it harder than it needs to be when it leans on its own mystique. The practical foundation was built through roles that sat close to operations. As cofounder at Basically Baked Inc. In Los Angeles (1989–1992), founder of Food Concepts in Los Angeles (from 1992), and manager at Jones Hollywood in Los Angeles (1994–1997), Caroline Styne moved through the working layers of hospitality before taking on ownership at scale. That progression matters in restaurant work: service, staffing, floor judgment, and continuity are not abstractions, and these early posts put her inside all of them. Ownership became the defining line with Lucques in Los Angeles (1998–2020), where Caroline Styne’s name became tied to a long-running restaurant identity. From there, the scope widened rather than narrowed, with co-owner/restaurateur roles at A.O.C. In Los Angeles (2002–present), Tavern in Los Angeles (2009–present), and The Larder in Los Angeles (2014–present), plus operator of food service of Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (2015–present). The through line is stewardship across different formats, each requiring a different pace, but the same operational discipline.

Today

The current title brings the work into focus: president and Wine Director of The Lucques Group, alongside ongoing co-owner/restaurateur and operator roles across Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and The Larder. In practice, that places Caroline Styne at the junction of service and selection, with wine handled as part of the room rather than as a separate prestige object. The art-history background remains legible in the way the work is framed: attention to balance, structure, and how a dining room feels when it is functioning properly.

In Their Words “Wine is stupidly intimidating, and sometimes wine professionals keep that going – unnecessarily.” “I’m always about bringing it down to a normal level.”

Recognition

Recognition for this work includes the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (2018).