CAROLINE STYNE

Caroline Styne, President and Wine Director of The Lucques Group, is one of Los Angeles’s most
respected restaurateurs and wine authorities. Raised in Los Angeles and educated in Santa
Barbara, she began her career in restaurants in 1994 before meeting Chef Suzanne Goin—a
partnership that has now defined three decades of hospitality in Los Angeles. Together, they
opened their flagship Lucques in 1998, which became one of the city’s most celebrated
restaurants during its 22-year run.

Over the years, they went on to create A.O.C. (2002), Tavern
in Brentwood (2009–2020), A.O.C. Brentwood (2014–2021), Larder Baking Company (2014), and
and partnered with Proper Hotel to create Caldo Verde, Cara Cara, and the cocktail bar Dahlia
(2021–2025). culinary businesses that set new standards for seasonal cuisine, hospitality, and
wine culture in Los Angeles.

As Wine Director, Styne has earned national recognition for her imaginative, sustainable, and
organic wine programs. She pioneered one of the first all-sustainable wine lists at A.O.C. in
2013, a move widely praised by critics and peers. Her lists have won multiple Awards of
Excellence from Wine Spectator, been named “Best New Wine List” by Food & Wine, and
landed A.O.C. among Wine Enthusiast’s “100 Best Wine Restaurants” and Newsweek’s “Top 10
Wine Bars in America.” In 2018, the James Beard Foundation honored Styne as “Outstanding
Restaurateur of the Year.”

With Goin, Styne has also extended The Lucques Group into large-scale hospitality, overseeing
Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine since 2016. In September 2025, the duo launched Hope & Grand
Events by Lucques, overseeing all food and beverage operations for the three Founders Rooms
and special events at The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Beyond restaurants, Styne co-founded L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, raising over $11.3 million for
childhood cancer research, and was a founding member of the Independent Restaurant
Coalition, which successfully secured $28.6 billion in federal aid for independent restaurants
nationwide.

Caroline Styne lives in Los Angeles with her husband, contemporary art dealer Michael Kohn.