Resy: How long have you been working in restaurants? Where did you first start out?
Hillary Sterling: I got started when I was 14 years old, looking for a summer job. I was out in Montauk — a very different Montauk than the version we know today — and the closest business I could walk to was a spot called The Blue Marlin. I did everything from vacuuming in the morning and bussing tables during service to some very light prep work, and I just I fell in love with it all. My mom was also a bookkeeper for a catering company in Manhattan, so sometimes, after school, I would help her do her invoices, immersing myself in the back end of kitchen culture.
What people or restaurants inspired you when you were starting out? Are there institutions that you look to when you think of what you want to build?
After graduating from Indiana University with a business degree, I got an entry-level job at a logistics firm in Chicago. Around the corner from my office was Le Cordon Bleu, and I started taking night classes, more as a hobby at first, until it became apparent that this was going to be my career.
Once I landed in New York, two early restaurant experiences were especially impactful: Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and Lupa. At Mesa, working with Bobby, I learned about the important balance between spice, heat, and acid.
At Lupa, my obsession and love of Italian cooking really took hold. Cooking pasta professionally was something I never knew I needed in my life until I worked at Lupa — it brought me back to Rome every time I was there. Later on, I worked for Missy Robbins (Lilia, Misi) at A Voce, where I learned how to specialize in regional Italian cooking. All these experiences have contributed to my own personal culinary identity, which inspires Ci Siamo.
Did you have mentors who showed you what success could look like? What lessons have you taken that you feel are important to your own success?
One important lesson I learned early on is that in order to be a great restaurateur, you need to know all the ins and outs of the restaurant you’re working for. When I was just getting started, I worked for a woman named Nancy Neff who owned O’Murphy’s Pub in Montauk, N.Y. I remember one day, I walked into the restaurant to find her cooking in the kitchen, flipping burgers and cooking fries, because another member of our team called out sick. That moment stuck with me over the years. I knew that if I were to open my own restaurant, I needed to know how to do everything in it.
Dining and Cooking