Episode 100: Daniel Boulud of Restaurant Daniel, Café Boulud and the Dinex Group

For our 100th episode, we take a road trip to New York City to talk with the legend himself, Chef Daniel Boulud, of Restaurant Daniel, Café Boulud, DB Bistro, and more. In this 100th episode, Eli has the opportunity to ask Chef what it takes to stay on top of the mountain for 30+ years as his restaurant celebrates its own incredible milestone. Chef Daniel graciously opens his dining room up to us as we sit down and talk about the early years that shaped him and the people along the way who mentored him to become the great chef that he is. As someone who is a direct disciple of chef Paul Bocuse and who worked in some of the great houses of French cuisine, Chef Daniel has seen this industry transform itself over the years into the diverse, multicultural industry it has become.

Here’s what else was discussed:

• Perspective and why it’s so important to maintain it
• Chef gives gratitude and credit to all the people who helped make his dream come true
• Eli talks about the many chefs that he’s worked for who have come up through Chef Daniel’s kitchens
• Chef takes us back to the farm that he grew up on outside of Lyon, France
• The incredible tradition of taking a plate of “fricassee” to the neighbors after slaughtering a hog
• Making goat cheese and selling it at the farmers market in Lyons with his father
• The importance of understanding the circle of life and why growing up on a farm helps you appreciate the animals that you are cooking
• How Chef Daniel got his first apprenticeship at a two-star Michelin restaurant
• The legendary chefs that he worked for who shaped him
• How Chef Paul Bocuse became his mentor and took him under his wing
• The reason Chef Daniel came to the United States and the legendary chef that he worked for at the Watergate in DC
• The incredible influence that the famous winemaker, Robert Mondavi, had in bringing French chefs to the US
• Chef talks about his 30th birthday, where chef Jean-Louis Palladin cooked a dinner of live animals, including a live lamprey that he brought to the table
• Working at Le Cirque with the famed Sirio Maccioni
• The beautiful practical joke that was played on him when leaving Le Cirque
• Looking back on 30 years and the incredible perspective chef still has
• The current threat to profitability in our industry 
• How to maintain a culture among many different restaurants with many different partners
• The importance of creating upward mobility in his company and how building out the new Café Boulud will allow some of his key players to move up

A huge shout out to our sponsors, Maxwell McKenney and Singer Equipment, for their unwavering support, which allows us to be able to bring these conversations to you. Check out their websites for all the amazing equipment they can supply your restaurant with to make your team more efficient and successful.

Welcome to our newest sponsor, Meez, which is one of the most powerful tools you can have as a cook and chef because it allows you to have a free repository for all of your recipes, techniques and methods so that you never lose them. Meez does way more than just recipe development though, it's an incredibly powerful tool that any chef or restaurant would benefit from.

Check out and follow us on Instagram

Email Eli with any comments, concerns, criticisms, guest requests or any other ideas or thoughts you might have about the show. [email protected]