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About Jim Cafarelli

Jim Cafarelli
Jim Cafarelli

          After more than 30 years of experience in concept development, Jim Cafarelli's impressive client list includes House of Blues, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Chelsea Football Club, David Copperfield, Motown, Greg Norman, Quincy Jones, Comcast and Mohegan Sun.

Builder:

          Back in his early development career, Cafarelli founded CAFCO Development Inc., a Boston-based concept design and construction management company specializing in restaurants and night clubs. He spent many years successfully overseeing the design and opening of several hundred venues nationwide.

Developer:
          Jim Cafarelli then went on to become a founding partner & the exclusive developer of the acclaimed House of Blues. As President of House Of Blues Development Corp. he designed and opened locations in Cambridge, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Las Vegas.  In 2012, Billboard Magazine's "25 Hottest Clubs in North America" named six of his venues  among the top nine on the list, including the #1 spot: House of Blues Orlando. Rolling Stone Magazine also crowned his House of Blues Chicago as one of the Top 20 "Venues that Rock - Best Big Rooms in America".

Design Consultant:         

          Cafarelli Concepts was established, and Cafarelli consulted with many of the top tier entertainment companies, and in 2010, Jim completed development of  "Under the Bridge," a new live music venue at the famed Chelsea Football Club Stadium in London's historic West End. This 850 person state-of-the-art rock club features a world class light, sound and recording system and is home to a studio and television broadcast facility. It has since won several design awards including 'Best Venue' in the United Kingdom.

Restauranteur:
          Through the years, he also co-founded The Olive Group Corp. and opened 10 restaurants, including Olives in New York, Las Vegas, Aspen, and Washington, D.C., as well as Kingfish Hall and Bonfire in Boston, and Tuscany in the Mohegan Sun Casino. After years of partnerships, he and his wife opened their own restaurants.

     

Producer:

          In addition to their restaurants, the Cafarelli's have developed a unique culinary entertainment destination called The Studio Kitchen.                          This special venue offers live chef hosted immersive dinning experiences and is also home to The Cooking Show...their Emmy® Award-winning television show. 

In 2020, the Cafarelli's produced a traveling food show called The Foodie.  Each week Host-Chef Liz Bramwell visits farmers, fishermen, and chefs around the region to discover the best they have to offer!

To date The Cafarelli's  have won Four Emmy Awards and been nominated twenty-five times by the the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, New England Chapter.

2016 Emmy for Set Design

Jim during buildout of

Under The Bridge Music Venue

London - 2010

Jim at the Grand Opening of Under The Bridge - 2010

2018 Emmy for Set Design

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