Paul Murphy

General Manager

General Manager, Paul Murphy, joins the Sempre Oggi team after nearly two decades in hospitality, running some of the most revered dining rooms in New York City, most recently at the acclaimed Williamsburg bistro, Le Crocodile.

Paul grew up in Long Island and while studying journalism in college, took a job at a local restaurant to make ends meet. Paul liked the work, and continued to be promoted, until his general manager took him aside and told him he thought he should ditch the writing career and pursue a life in front of the house. Paul was 19 years old, but felt there was something true in his advice. He’s never looked back.

At NY Tech, Paul received a bachelor's degree in Culinary Management, and then pursued a second degree in accounting from Hunter, because, “in the restaurant business you need to be great with people and numbers,” he explained.

Paul’s front-of-house career began at Joseph's by Citarella, which he opened in 2004. From there, he joined Aquavit as Maitre d’ eventually becoming the General Manager, and for the next decade, continued to partner with some of the industry’s most respected restaurateurs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Spice Market, and Tom Colicchio at Colicchio & Sons. After a stint in the North Fork at Jedediah Hawkins Inn, he returned to New York City and settled in at The Smith for several years, before joining Stephen Starr as a front-of-house fixer of sorts, working at Le CouCou, Clocktower, Upland, and Morimoto.

In 2019, he opened Le Crocodile with chef Phillip Basone, where they earned 3 stars from the New York Times. At Sempre, he hopes to help turn a new page on the Upper West Side, with a chef-driven restaurant that is deeply rooted in the community, and is “looking forward to creating a space that is inclusive, joyful and fun.”