20 Questions with Il Buco’s Donna Lennard
In the Resy Questionnaire, we play a game of 20 questions with the industry folks behind some of our favorite restaurants. What’s your most memorable restaurant experience? Your favorite food movie? What restaurant would you want to time-travel for?
In this edition, we spoke to Donna Lennard, the founder and owner of the Il Buco family of restaurants in New York and Spain, which includes Il Buco, Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, Il Buco Vita, Il Buco al Mare, and Bottega Il Buco.
The Resy Questionnaire
The Resy Questionnaire
1. Favorite thing you’ve ever cooked?
Baked buckwheat/timilia/rye bread. During the pandemic, I was living in my beach cottage with my son and cat, Keiko. It was the first time in motherhood that I allowed myself the time to bake bread and cook three meals a day for my family. Mixing the wonderful flours from our Alimentari bakery and experimenting with the flavor profiles to have fresh bread constantly at home was a true joy. The process was slow, made with love and time.
2. Kitchen tool or equipment you couldn’t live without?
Definitely my Presso coffee maker. It’s a beautifully designed, fully manual device that brings a zen-like ritual to my mornings.
3. What five culinary items would you bring on a desert island?
Easy! Sea salt, Italian olive oil, almonds, fennel pollen, and tinned fish.
4. What’s your favorite place to get a slice in New York?
John’s of Bleecker Street. I love a classic New York slice.
5. Favorite cookbook?
“Hartwood” (Eric Werner, Mya Henry), “The Vineyard Kitchen” (Maria Sinskey), and “Dinner At the Long Table” (Andrew Tarlow).
6. Your drink of choice?
A gorgeous glass of vintage Champagne.
7. Favorite food movie?
“Babette’s Feast.” It’s about the art of cooking, community, and the joy of sharing.
8. Which industry people, living or dead, would you love to cook for or have over for a dinner party?
Julia Child, Ferran Adrià, and Massimo Bottura.
9. What restaurant industry person do you admire the most?
Massimo Bottura for his culinary excellence and his philanthropic commitment to reduce food waste and feed the homeless. And here at home, Andrew Tarlow for his sheer love for what he does, his open, kind demeanor with which he gets the job done, and the simple delicious food and bread he provides for all of us.
10. What’s been the greatest restaurant experience of your life so far?
Two come to mind: El Bulli on the terrace with Roberto Paris and Sara Jenkins on a star-filled summer night; and a splendid lunch on the northwest coast of Spain in a local seafood spot eating a whole roasted turbot with sliced potatoes, tomato, and herbs, washed down with the most delicious Albariño.
11. Your greatest professional achievement?
Being a part of creating a community of food lovers and creative thinkers here on Bond Street. On this 30th anniversary year, I think back on all the relationships we have made with producers, makers, and guests both overseas and at home, and am deeply grateful.
12. What single dish best describes your personality?
Stuffed, fried zucchini flowers with ricotta, anchovy, and fresh basil.
13. If you could go back in time, which restaurant would you dine at?
La Côte Basque in the ‘70s. It was an iconic New York hot spot known for French cuisine and its dazzling clientele. And why not the Stork Club in the ‘40s, too?
14. Your favorite meal from childhood?
TV dinner in the den with my sisters and 1-2-3 My-T-fine Jell-O!
15. What is your wish for the restaurant industry?
To become more and more sustainable and inclusive. I hope to see more restaurants committed to feeding people in healthy ways and ensuring that good food is accessible to everyone.
16. What do you wish you did better? What do you do well?
On the kitchen front: I wish I had better knife skills and a sauté pan “toss”! I do well with feeding people well with whatever’s in the fridge and pantry, and making the most of what’s on hand.
On a personal level: I wish I had listened more, and relaxed more. My strength is that I’m a good communicator of ideas and vision, and speaking up for what I feel is important and right.
17. If you could eat through a city for a day, where would you go?
My top three are Copenhagen, Tokyo, and Barcelona.
18. The one thing you can’t resist splurging on when you go out?
Great sushi!
19. What do you value most in restaurants?
Attention to detail and the building of relationships amongst a team of like-minded people.
20. It’s your last meal on earth, what are you eating?
A beautiful fish crudo, the best tomatoes with salt, olive oil and herbs, chef Roger Martinez’s fried zucchini blossoms, pasta with bottarga, a whole roasted freshly-caught fish under sea salt, and a strawberry rhubarb crostata with a dollop of crème fraîche.
Il Buco, which turns 30 this year, is open daily. Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria is open daily. Il Buco al Mare, located in the Hamptons, is open Wednesday through Monday for lunch and dinner.
Follow Donna Lennard on Instagram.
Deanna Ting is Resy’s New York & Philadelphia Editor. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy, too.
