Daniel Boulud facts for kids
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| Born | 25 March 1955 Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu, France |
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| Cooking style | French cuisine |
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Current restaurant(s)
Daniel, Le Pavillon, Le Gratin, Bar Boulud, Boulud Sud, Épicerie Boulud, Joji and Joji Box (New York, NY); Café Boulud Palm Beach, Boulud Sud Miami (Florida); Maison Boulud (Montréal); Café Boulud (Toronto); Café Boulud (the Bahamas); Brassiere Boulud (Dubai); Café Boulud (New York, NY); Maison Boulud (Singapore)
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Television show(s)
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Daniel Boulud (born March 25, 1955) is a famous French chef and restaurateur. He owns many restaurants in big cities around the world. You can find his restaurants in places like New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai.
Chef Boulud is most famous for his restaurant called Daniel in New York City. He opened it in 1993. This restaurant is very well-known and has earned a Michelin star, which is a special award for excellent restaurants.
Daniel grew up on a farm near Lyon, France. He learned to cook from several amazing French chefs. He became very well-known in New York City, first as a chef and then as someone who owns many restaurants. His company, The Dinex Group, runs fifteen restaurants, three gourmet cafes called Epicerie Boulud, and a catering service. Some of his popular restaurants include Daniel, Le Pavillon, Le Gratin, Café Boulud, and Boulud Sud.
Contents
Becoming a Chef
Daniel Boulud started his culinary journey at a young age. When he was just fifteen, he showed his talent by becoming a finalist in a big cooking competition in France. This was his first professional award.
He worked with famous chefs in France like Roger Vergé and Michel Guérard. He also cooked in Copenhagen. Later, he became the private chef for the European Commission in Washington, D.C. This meant he cooked for important people.
After moving to New York City, Chef Boulud helped open and lead kitchens at fancy hotels. He worked at the Polo Lounge and Le Régence. From 1986 to 1992, he was the main chef at a very popular restaurant called Le Cirque. People loved his cooking there.
Daniel's Restaurants
Chef Boulud opened his first restaurant, Daniel, in New York City in 1993. It was in the Upper East Side. In 1998, he moved Daniel to a beautiful new location. The old Daniel spot was then reopened as Café Boulud.
In 2001, he opened a more casual restaurant called db Bistro Moderne. This restaurant became famous for its special burger. It was stuffed with tasty ingredients like braised short ribs and truffles. Other chefs started adding fancy burgers to their menus after seeing his success.
Chef Boulud continued to expand his restaurants. In 2003, he opened another Café Boulud in Palm Beach, Florida. In 2008, he opened Bar Boulud, a French bistro, near Lincoln Center in New York City.
He opened his first restaurant in Europe, Bar Boulud London, in 2010. It is located inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. In 2011, he opened many new places. These included db Bistro & Oyster Bar in Singapore, Maison Boulud in Ritz-Carlton Montreal, and Boulud Sud in New York. He also opened Épicerie Boulud, which is a market and deli.
Around 2018, Chef Boulud worked with some smart people from MIT to create Spyce Kitchen. This was a robotic restaurant in Boston. He helped design the menu, while the team developed the cooking robots.
In May 2021, Chef Boulud opened Le Pavillon. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant located in the One Vanderbilt skyscraper in New York City. In May 2022, he opened Le Gratin, which celebrates his French cooking roots. Later that year, he opened Jōji, a special Japanese Omakase restaurant, also in One Vanderbilt. Café Boulud NY also reopened in 2023 after being closed for a while.
In November 2024, Chef Boulud opened his first steakhouse, La Tête d'Or, in Manhattan.
Special Smoked Salmon
Since 2014, Daniel Boulud has created his own line of prepackaged smoked salmon. This special salmon was first sold only at Whole Foods stores. Now, you can find it in many high-end food markets.
Awards and Recognition
Chef Boulud and his restaurants have won many important awards. His restaurant Daniel has been named one of the top ten restaurants in the world. It has received a four-star rating from The New York Times and top ratings for food, service, and decor in the Zagat Survey. In 2010, Daniel won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. In 2013, it was added to the Culinary Hall of Fame. Daniel also received 2 Michelin stars in 2015.
Chef Boulud himself has won many awards. He was named "Best New Chef" in 1988. He also won "Chef of the Year" from Bon Appétit magazine. The James Beard Foundation recognized him as "Best Chef of New York City" in 1992. They also named him "Outstanding Chef of the Year" in 1994 and "Outstanding Restaurateur" in 2006.
In 2006, the President of France made him a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. This is a very high honor in France, recognizing his help in promoting French culture. In 2015, he received the International Outstanding Achievement Award and a Lifetime Achievement award. In 2021, he was voted the best restaurateur in the world by Les Grandes Tables du Monde.
Television Appearances
Daniel Boulud has appeared on several television shows. He hosted After Hours with Daniel, where he showed what happens during late-night dinners for chefs.
He has also been a featured chef on Great Chefs television. He appeared on the Canadian show Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag, where they tested his cookbook. He was also a guest judge on Top Chef Canada in Seasons 1 and 3.
Chef Boulud has even appeared as himself in TV dramas. He was in episodes of Billions and the comedy-drama series The Bear in 2024.
Helping the Community
Chef Boulud is very involved in helping his community. Since 2013, he has been a Co-President of Citymeals-on-Wheels. This is a non-profit group that delivers meals to elderly people in New York City who cannot leave their homes. He has been on their board since 2000. Every spring, he hosts a special dinner event that has raised over $12 million for the organization.
A special fund, the Daniel Boulud Scholarship Endowment Fund, was created in 2005. This fund helps young American cooks go to France to study cooking professionally.
In 2008, a famous chef named Paul Bocuse asked Daniel Boulud to help choose the team for the Bocuse d'Or competition in the USA. This is a very important cooking competition.
Books by Daniel Boulud
Chef Boulud has written several cookbooks and other books about his life and cooking.
- Cooking with Daniel Boulud (1993)
- Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook (1999)
- Daniel Boulud Cooking in New York City (2002)
- Daniel's Dish, Entertaining at Home with a Four Star Chef (2003)
- Letters to a Young Chef (2003)
- Braise: A Journey Through International Cuisine (2006)
- Daniel – My French Cuisine (2013)
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Boulud para niños
