Daniel Boulud

When Daniel Boulud, already an accomplished chef, first arrived stateside in 1981, he figured he’d only stick around for a couple of years to finish his stint in Washington D.C. as a private chef for an ambassador. But a year later, he headed up to New York and took a job at the Polo Lounge, working alongside Thomas Keller; the city has remained his home ever since.

His American star turn happened after he took the helm as executive chef at the Upper East Side French restaurant Le Cirque. The place had been a hot spot, but the food had lagged the scene. Boulud changed that, turning it into a restaurant worthy of a four-star review from the New York Times and eventually earning him a James Beard Award for Best Chef in America.

With accolades in his back pocket, he set out on his own, opening his flagship fine-dining restaurant Daniel in 1993. The restaurant won raves for the way in which he elevated the French country cooking he grew up on. From there his empire grew, opening Café Boulud, Bar Boulud, DB Bistro Moderne, Boulud Sud, Epicerie Boulud, and spreading to Boston, London, Miami, Montreal, D.C., Toronto, Palm Beach, and Singapore. At DB Moderne, he practically created the gourmet burger when he mixed sirloin with braised short ribs and then added foie gras and black truffle. It was just another example of him taking humble food and making it luxurious.

Read Boulud’s full biography.

01

Daniel Boulud

Photo: Thomas Schauer