Noteworthy: The Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corp. has named restaurateur Yves Carreau as its 2015 Downtown Pioneer. As owner and chef proprietor of the Big Y Group, Carreau has developed four Downtown restaurants: NOLA on the Square, Seviche, Sonoma and Perle. He is preparing to open a fifth, Poros, at Market Square in late July.
Age: 55
Residence: Penn Township, Westmoreland County
Family: Wife, Jenn; and three children, ages 28, 19 and 16.
Background: Born and raised in France, Carreau moved to Pittsburgh in 1983 to run the kitchen at the Churchill Valley Country Club. He says he decided to stay in Pittsburgh because it's “just the right size,” and “cosmopolitan enough” without being too big. He also enjoys the close proximity to outdoor escapes. Fishing and mountain biking are some of his favorite hobbies outside the professional kitchen.
Education: Thonon-les-Bains Culinary Institute in France
Quote: “We could have easily opened five or six restaurants with the same concept, but that just isn't fun. We like to challenge ourselves to come up with different ideas. Life is too short to be doing the same thing over.”
