DINING
W Reimagining DANIEL
Chef Daniel Boulud A CONVERSION ABOUT ART & HAUTE CUISINE BY JANIS GARDNER CECIL
hen Chef Daniel Boulud called me in the spring of 2021 to curate a new installation of art for Restaurant DANIEL, his beloved, Michelin-starred flagship at 60 East 65th Street, I was thrilled to begin another aesthetic journey with the acclaimed chef who I am lucky to call a friend. We began working together in 2004 when I was a Director at Marlborough Gallery, with installations at Restaurant DANIEL and Café Boulud at the former Surrey Hotel. Now, with the renovation of the 65th Street establishment in process, I joined Chef Daniel, the fantastic team at his company Dinex, and the experts at Tihany Design, to reimagine the celebrated restaurant. Alex Katz & Robert Mapplethorpe With Chef Daniel, we created a dedicated series of biannual exhibitions to be installed in the historic neoclassical dining room, the intimate Upper Lounge and the private Bellecour Room. This exciting initiative recently debuted with an exhibition of large-scale landscape paintings by the iconic American artist Alex Katz in collaboration with the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York. In the Upper Lounge, we chose a selection of sublime black and white photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, courtesy of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and Gladstone. The exhibition of significant works of art at Restaurant DANIEL reflects Chef Daniel’s deep appreciation for artists and their unique visions, a parallel to his devotion to fine cuisine as an art in itself. Best Restaurateur of the World Chef Daniel was recently proclaimed Best Restaurateur of the World by Les Grandes Tables du Monde, the celebrated association of culinary excellence founded in France in 1954. Given Chef Daniel’s already hectic schedule, this well-deserved award added even more demands to his agenda, but we carved out time for an interview to discuss his first experiences with art and its relation to cuisine. Gleaned from a lively 45-minute conversation, Chef Daniel shared some early stories and his passion for art. Picasso @ Le Moulin de Mougins
Calla Lilies, 1985 by Robert Mapplethorpe Silver gelatin print 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm) 24 x 23 x 1 1/4 inches (61 x 58.4 x 3.2 cm) framed © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Courtesy of Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and Gladstone Gallery
JGC: What was your first memorable experience with art as a young man? DB: Where it really struck me – the relation between the artist and the chef - was at [three-Michelin star restaurant]
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