The Breaking of Bread

When he was young, Bruce Bronster worked at restaurants—doing everything from bussing and waiting tables to line cooking, and eventually managing joints like Hoexter’s Market and Rosebud at the Hotel Wales.

“Front and back of the house,” he says. “I cooked fried chicken at Great Manhattan Rib & Chicken. Broome Street Bar, I probably worked there the longest. There’s still a picture of me there at 18.” 

After graduating with a degree in accounting from New York University, he handled financial matters for a law firm, where he was encouraged to go to law school “during a Friday night drink-fest in my boss’s office,” he says. Post-J.D., that same boss encouraged him to get an MBA.

He became a litigator with a focus on real estate, opening his own practice in 2018. He also does tax liens, corporate advice, and—no surprise—hospitality work.  

“I always loved the food business,” he says. “My friends are chefs. I’ve been to or had at my house almost every Food Network chef. I’m kind of a wonk about it. … I think I’m a good home chef until I get into a professional kitchen and then I realize I’m barely a line cook.” 

But he does consider himself a kind of consiglieri to chefs and restaurateurs. “They’ll ask, ‘Can you look over this? Can you look at my will? Can you do a closing for me? Can you look at my corporate documents?’ That’s how it evolves.”

Of course, when COVID hit, much of the in-dining experience stopped. Out in the Hamptons, Bronster worked on his cooking skills and kept running into chefs, one of whom, Michael White, was both client and friend. A master of Italian cuisine, White has earned a breadbasket full of cooking honors, including six Michelin stars, five James Beard nominations, the 2010 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, and several New York Times multistar reviews. 

April 2020 was the worst of times to start a business, but that’s exactly what they decided to do, naming their company BBianco: the first B for Bronster, Bianco for White. “We wanted to create a brand that is not only excellent in terms of the cuisine—Michael certainly has that covered—but is very collegial, convivial, welcoming,” Bronster says.

It would be both high-end and global. “We only wanted to work in great areas,” he says. “We only wanted to work with great partners. We wanted to cook Michael’s way, and he deals with all the food and culinary. I deal with more of the administrative, infrastructure, design, that sort of thing. It’s been a great partnership.”

Their first restaurant, Santi, a high-end Italian place, opened in Midtown in 2024. That was followed by Paranza in the Bahamas; Levant in Puerto Rico; MIKA in Coral Gables, Florida; and Lions Den in Dallas.

“What started as a side hustle, and dreaming about how we could do things really, really well, has wildly succeeded,” Bronster says.

They hope to grow that success—incrementally. “We want to build out what it means to have a BBianco product in terms of design, in terms of experience. You have to change the experience for the client because there’s too much great food in this world. So we’re building thoughtfully and slowly. We’re only working with really great developers and hoteliers and partners. We’re doing it right or we won’t do it. We’ve turned down dozens of offers.”

Their next venture will be two restaurants at The Ben in West Palm Beach, Florida. Bronster expects them to open in early 2028.

The food business is a true passion for him. He has written numerous articles and book chapters about celebrity chefs, food halls, and other trends in leisure and hospitality. “I always want to learn more because it’s something that we all enjoy every day,” Bronster says. “I’m passionate about the science and art of it. I entertain at my house on the weekends all the time. It’s the family, it’s the friendliness, it’s the breaking of bread.”