Brookline Resident Seth Woods Named Restaurateur of the Year by Mass Restaurant Association

Brookline resident Seth Woods has been named one of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association’s Restaurateurs of the Year.  

Seth Woods is the Founder and Executive Chef of the Aquitaine Group, which he started upon opening the Metropolis Café in 1995 on Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. A few years later, in 1998, he opened Aquitaine Bar a Vin Bistrot in the same neighborhood, paving the way for what is now commonly known as “restaurant row.”

In 1998, Matthew Burns accepted the position of General Manager of Aquitaine Bar a Vin Bistrot before quickly becoming Seth's partner, when they formed the Aquitaine Group and opened Aquitaine Chestnut Hill. Shortly after, Jeffrey Gates joined Seth Woods and Matthew Burns as partners in the Aquitaine Group.

Gates was instrumental in the formation of their fourth restaurant, Union Bar and Grille, and later, Gaslight Brasserie du Coin, both in the South End. Cinquecento, a Roman trattoria also in Boston's South End, is the latest Aquitaine Group venture which was one of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2012.

The MRA’s Annual Awards Dinner is the highlight of the 2013 New England Food Show, New England’s largest trade-only event for the region’s foodservice and retail buyers.  The dinner will take place Monday evening, March 11, at 6 p.m. at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

At this reception and dinner, the MRA will honor the 2013 restaurant industry’s standout leaders. In addition to the Aquitaine Group, this year’s honorees are: Purveyor Executive of the Year, Fred Casinelli of Sysco Boston LLC; Salesperson of the Year, Louis DiPrete of Hobart (a division of ITW Food Equipment Group); Chef of the Year,Daniel Bruce of The Boston Harbor Hotel.

Tickets to the dinner are $125 per person.  Reservations are required, as seating is pre-arranged.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.marestaurantassoc.org or by calling Tracy at (508) 303-9905.