Lincoln Carson has two passions in life: making desserts
and racing motorcycles. Both require bravery, a sense of adventure,
precision and a little luck. As its hard to race in New York
City, Carson is channeling these skills full time into creating
beautiful, original desserts at Todd English's Olives NY.
The son of two Saudi Arabia experts, Carson grew up in Riyadh,
Dhahran, and Boston. He completed his professional training
at Johnson and Wales, opting for the pastry route because it
allowed him a greater sense of creativity. Upon graduation in
1990, he worked at Le Pactole before moving on to Le Bernardin
where he worked under François Payard for two years. From Payard
he learned the uncompromising standards of perfection that to
this day he still sets as his benchmark.
He then moved on to Peacock Alley at the Waldorf Astoria with
Laurent Manrique. This was followed by a stint at the Four Seasons
Hotel Restaurant and then by two and a half years at Cascabel
working with Tom Valenti. It was under Valenti that Carson began
to define his style which he describes as "flavorful, with a
solid basis in texture and originality, aiming for a stunning
presentation without sacrificing taste" while, he adds, "still
having fun." Carson then worked at La Côte Basque and the Highlands
Inn in Carmel, California before moving onto the exciting Las
Vegas restaurant scene at Picasso.
Carson left Picasso to work with Todd English at Olives NY where
he is inspired by English's creativity and love of ingredients,
and is pleased to be working with a chef who is as excited about
the desserts as the rest of the menu.
An expectant father, and metal sculptor, Carson is happy to
pour his energy into his pastry craft while he patiently dreams
of a proper motorcycle racecourse built somewhere in Manhattan.
Olives NY - 201 Park Avenue South at the W Union Square, 212-353-8345
