The acclaimed Chef Daniel Boulud at Blantyre Hotel in the Berkshires, his recent endeavor to keep a portion of his staff working at this new destination outside of NYC. Photo credit: Dani Fine Photography Inc.
Introducing French, Michelin-Starred Chef Daniel Boulud!
Have you ever dreamed of having a French, Michelin-starred chef in your kitchen, especially during these mundane quarantine times? Take me away and indulge me in fine-dining, please dear genie!
Just the sight of fine-dining in a movie inspires Stuart and I to look at one another, and take yet another sip of wine, pretending to partake in the on-screen moment and savor one of our cherished pastimes… dining well. You too?!
Your wish will come true in NYC with a new dining experience that comes to you with the take-out and home-delivery options now offered by the ingenious Chef Daniel Boulud. He has thought of adaptive ways to keep some of his kitchen and staff working while enabling all of us to enjoy his contemporary French classics in our own kitchens or dining rooms during these very challenging Covid times.
Chef Daniel Boulud at his newly invented sidewalk cafe, Restaurant Boulud, NYC, for al fresco dining.
Chef Daniel Boulud is one of the most revered French chefs in America, with 13 restaurants around the world, and the Feast & Fêtes catering company. He is also the recipient of the prestigious James Beard Award for “Outstanding Chef” and “Outstanding Restaurateur.” And if all of that isn’t impressive enough, Daniel is the author of nine cookbooks and founder of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Daniel in NYC.
Being granted an interview with him was such an honor. I thought of Pavlov’s dog as I began assembling my questions! He swept me away with his passion for cooking, family, staff and ultimately, his loyal customers, along with his commitment to his charities, especially in the wake of Covid. His keen business sense on how to adapt to these challenging times is most commendable.
So, the moment I heard his enchanting French accent, saw his endearing smile and his chef’s whites, I was immediately transported to a happy place! I hope you will be, too. Napkin in lap, wine glass in hand… let’s commence!
If you could have only four ingredients in your kitchen, what would you select?
Ingredients are of course sometimes fancy and sometimes very humble. If I had only four ingredients, for sure I would have potatoes, which come in many forms, textures, types… and I can prepare them in hundreds of ways! The potato is so French, and being French, it is an important thing for me.
I use a lot of vegetables in my cooking- I love them all. Growing up as a kid on a farm in France, I think having harvested potatoes... it’s kind of a magical thing. You dig in, lift, and then grab the potato hanging from the roots, picking them one after another… there is nothing more memorable for me. In the spring, the potatoes are still so sweet, freshly made to go with cheese fromage blanc, or in a salad with the walnut oil that we made in the fall from the walnuts. Such fun memories!
Next would be garlic because garlic is healthy and tasty. Sometimes you don’t know it is there, and sometimes you really know it’s there... I really love that! Again on the farm, garlic was an important thing, as we harvested two and a half tons of garlic, sweet garlic, a year. And we made bread with garlic, which I would do. We used to always eat a lot of garlic, and of course, in the potato salad, there is always a clove of garlic crushed a bit with salt, made into paste and put into the dressing… from my humble roots as a farm boy.
Olive oil is a very important ingredient for me. There is butter, of course. Being French, there are many other forms of fat, but I think of all the fat, the one I use the most, the one I love the most, is olive oil. Based on where the olive oil comes from, it is interesting to see if they are sharp, or sort of sweet, if there is a fragrance, or how smooth. I cherish many dishes which I often start cooking by using olive oil.
I am not from Provence, but I have practiced Mediterranean cuisine for quite a long time, and I am in love with that cuisine. I pay homage to Mediterranean cuisine from my time in Provence. So, olive oil definitely gave me a sense of direction, and a sense of home and health as well.
The fourth ingredient would be eggs because if I can do hundreds of recipes with potatoes, I can do thousands of recipes with eggs! Eggs are the protein for me. For breakfast with my young family, we all have an egg every morning! I think eggs are so versatile, so affordable, and eggs are so important in much of the cooking and baking in every culture. There is always a use for eggs. And If I use the potato, the garlic, the olive oil, and the eggs… I can make an amazing Spanish frittata, or an amazing potato egg pie.
What is your ultimate comfort food?
My favorite comfort food is when I can make it a one-pot meal. Some roasting, then some braising, some simmering. It is something you can put in the middle of the table and everybody can enjoy it as much as they want… that is comfort! Either a beef stew, chicken stew... I love stew so much that I wrote a book called Braise, which you can find online. I think braising for me is the ultimate comfort food because, you know, you take your time. It always brings the full flavor in the house, and brings a lot of joy at the table. As you walk in the house, oh my God, it smells so good… it is beautiful! Be inspired and start to cook some wonderful, soulful dishes.
(Oh my, I’m really inspired now, how about you?!)
Was your mother a stickler about any manners in particular as you grew up on your family farm near Lyon, France?
Living on a farm, there was the well-being of the home, and the well-being of the farm. We didn’t mix the two. We were raising chickens, dogs, and all kinds of things. We loved our dogs on the farm, but the dogs were not allowed into the house. For us, the dogs were happier to be living outside. I respected that- this was a line not to be crossed!
It was very important that there was no distraction during a meal. The mealtime was very, very important and precise. There was no television, iPad, and no one had an excuse to miss a mealtime. Lunch was always at 12:30, and dinner at 7:30 pm. No one had an excuse to be late or to get up without having the meal being complete. Keeping up the conversation was expected. Mealtime was an important ritual. Now, if I am working and can’t be home, my wife reads books to our children during the meal or tells them stories to keep them occupied in front of their plates. And as you know, teaching manners to children is so important… but it is also so difficult!
(Alleluia, to those sage words!)
Chef Daniel’s exemplary commitment to his charities, especially during Covid times, and serving meals to over 125,000 volunteers, hospitals, nurses and doctors, food banks and shelters, is most admirable.
Food 1st is a non-profit organization preparing thousands of meals for organizations such as Citymeals on Wheels, The Bowery Mission, as well as local hospitals, nurses, and first responders.
Hand in Hand is a foundation the chef started in March to support his employees who have not been able to work.
Chef Daniel Boulud is a visionary who has touched many lives with his talent and love of life! Tres Bon et merci beaucoup, Chef Daniel!
I would also like to thank Courtney Silver, my talented Director of Business Development, for arranging and participating in the interview with Chef Daniel and me!
P.S. Perhaps you know others who enjoy cooking and are dining “foodies” and would be interested in Chef Daniel’s words too? Please forward this newsletter along to them and inspire them to sign up!
Introducing NivenBreen!
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