Boulud the Builder

An Interview with Daniel Boulud, Chef and Owner, The Dinex Group

EDITORS’ NOTE A native of , , How important is it to continue to in- As your business has grown, has Chef- and Restaurateur Daniel Boulud has won novate in terms of menu selection? it become more challenging to remain in- countless awards and is now considered one of We want to make sure that customers ex- volved in every aspect of it? America’s leading culinary authorities. He is best perience consistency so they can continue to No. Our management company, The Dinex known as Chef/Owner of his signature restau- be attracted by dishes that they want to come Group, gets daily reports from each chef and rant DANIEL on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, back to enjoy. For example, at DB Bistro, we the manager about how they did, who they where he has now lived for more than 25 years. like to do an Orecchiette pasta paired with a served, and new dishes on the menu. We also Named Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year changing meat, so sometimes rabbit or veni- have a weekly conference call with all of the by the Foundation, Boulud es- son, or beef, veal or lamb and sometimes baby top managers, the sommeliers, the directors of tablished his reputation at where goat. We work on having spontaneity within the service, the maître d’s, the general managers, he charmed the city’s who’s who from 1987 to preparation. the chefs, the sous chefs, the pastry chefs – 1993 with his refi ned yet soulful cooking. everybody is around the table. For our restaurants outside of New York, COMPANY BRIEF The Dinex Group management is in constant communication (www.danielboulud.com) owns and operates 14 with them. We have video conference meet- properties by Daniel Boulud with seven in ings with , , , , New York – DANIEL, a Relais & Châteaux mem- and Montreal where we talk about all of the ber; Bar Boulud; Boulud Sud; Épicerie Boulud; Café details. Boulud; DB Bistro Moderne; and DBGB Kitchen Would it make a difference if I was dipping and Bar. Boulud has extended his culinary reach my spoon into every pot of every restaurant to with Café Boulud in Palm Beach and Toronto, know if the sauce is right? I doubt it. We pay our DB Bistro Moderne in Miami and Singapore, staff very well and give them the responsibility Maison Boulud in Montreal and Beijing, and a to carry our brand. If they aren’t good enough Bar Boulud in London. and have trouble doing that, we replace the Daniel Boulud; the interior of DANIEL (upper right); entrance on chef right away. Are there specific characteristics that link all Manhattan’s 65th Street (above) Do you ever take a moment to reflect of your venues or are the brands within the on all you have achieved? group viewed separately? Is there still room for growth within Our 20th anniversary of DANIEL is a way We have different offerings and price tiers. the New York market? of contemplating the wonderful achievements. The location has a lot to do with the direction Yes. Épicerie Boulud, which is an eat-in or What makes me the most excited is to see the of the clientele. One characteristic is impeccable take-home style of business, has room to grow, people who have worked with us over the past ingredients; we try to have high consistency with but in terms of restaurants, I’m very happy with 20 years and how well they have done, and not just our food but with our relationship to our what I now have, from the three-star DANIEL how much they continue to be motivated and suppliers and with our customers through our ser- to DBGB and Épicerie Boulud. I have scaled inspired. vice. Also, we seek to maintain spontaneity and down in terms of price and style offering. It is a The teams at all of my restaurants have a creativity by giving the chef in each restaurant the great spectrum for the people who want to en- real fi delity and commitment; they care about freedom to create, which is in line with the core joy a Daniel Boulud product but can’t afford me, about our business, and about the staff that of the Dinex brand. to come to DANIEL and also works for those works for them – that is rewarding to me. So each restaurant is unique, but very who come to DANIEL but sometimes want a At a time when so many people are fo- closely monitored by our management team. more casual meal. cused on nutrition, can you offer great food With that diversity in your restaurants, How do you define what makes a truly yet make it healthy? how do you maintain consistency? great chef? Ours is not old-fashioned French food. At DBGB, we want the waiter to be in blue It’s all about the food. Some chefs never try Today, there’s a big trend to use vegetables and jeans and we want the food to be casual, but the to reach the top – they enjoy being somewhere fruits, but I have been using vegetables for the ingredients themselves, the intensity of work in in the middle where they can be very popu- past 30 years en masse. the preparation, and the personalization of the lar and successful, but more mainstream and We have vegetarians who come to DANIEL food is important to us. geared toward being commercial as opposed and don’t know what to order, and we pres- I work closely with the corporate chef and on to exceptional. ent them an entire eight-course menu where our standards for service. We have both a Director Those chefs are smart and they certainly any vegetarian will fi nd paradise – the food is of Operation and a Director of Service, and we have less stress in producing what they do ver- all light and made with no dairy. So providing work closely with the general managers to make sus chefs of my caliber, who are very involved healthy food is very important, but at the same certain our standards are maintained on a daily at the top of the game. I’m always concerned time, it has to be tasty. basis. A restaurant is a living entity and you build with every one of my businesses, especially It’s important for me to make healthy food, it to last but it must always be watched closely. with my home base. but also ambitious food, which takes talent.• 94 LEADERS DISTRIBUTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2013 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 36, NUMBER 2