PARK Magazine

DINING
Reimagining DANIEL
Chef
Daniel
Boulud
A CONVERSION ABOUT
ART & HAUTE CUISINE
BY JANIS GARDNER CECIL
When 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 65 th 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 65 th 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.
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
Picasso @ Le Moulin de Mougins
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]