Restaurants

Chef Lydia Shire joins Bar Enza in Cambridge as culinary director

Lydia Shire will remain as the chef and co-owner of Scampo, which opened in 2008.

Lydia Shire joins Bar Enza as its culinary director. Globe staff/Suzanne Kreiter

March 6, 2025

1 minute to read

Bar Enza, the Italian restaurant inside Cambridge’s Charles Hotel, is getting an iconic chef to lead its kitchen: Boston’s own Lydia Shire.

The Lyons Group-owned restaurant announced the hiring of Shire as its culinary director on Thursday, effective this week. She replaces Bar Enza’s former executive chef Tony Susi, who had been in the lead position for two years, according to a press release.

Baked Fazzoletti at Bar Enza in Cambridge. (Jonathan Wiggs /Globe Staff)

Shire, who grew up in Brookline, has cooked in mostly Boston kitchens for around 50 years. She’s also considered a trailblazer in the restaurant industry, having received multiple James Beard awards and nominations and served as the first female chef at the former Locke Ober, once a male-only dining establishment. Shire also was a mentor to many now big-time chefs, like Jody Adams.

The chef will also remain as chef and co-owner of Scampo, Shire’s Italian restaurant located in the Liberty Hotel. Boston diners were also anticipating another concept from Shire in the Seaport, according to a 2023 announcement, but Boston Magazine reports that the project may be “on hold.”