Quotes from Daniel Boulud

I love Italian food; it's soulful like French food. Italian food is original and homey; it's market-driven, but also can be locally sourced.

In the Bronx, you have the southern Italians; in Queens, the Greeks, Koreans and Chinese; in Brooklyn, the Jewish community; and in Harlem, the Hispanics - all with their own markets.

I always had a lot of fun in America, with much more freedom than if I had tried to cook in France. I wouldn't have the same motivation or inspiration, and I wouldn't have cooked for the same kind of people in France, so it wouldn't have given me this edge I had in America.

I was 25 years old when I arrived in D.C. It was just myself and two people who worked and helped me in the kitchen. I was only cooking for three people most of the time.

I think fine dining should be part of the community where it is, more than just for the people who are going to make a special occasion.

I did all of California from north to south. I did Florida from north to south. I went to the Midwest. I spent time discovering the culture because I thought I was going to stay in America for only two years. Then I decided to come to New York.

I am very concerned about nutrition and always try to be careful about what I eat.

After six years at Le Cirque, I decided to start my own business. I opened Daniel at 76th Street in May '93.

people who are driven by something—or better yet, drawn irresistibly to a goal—do not count being tired as a bad thing.

If you always work with good, dedicated people, both above and below you, then you will learn to thrive in an environment of excellence.

Blanc and Nandron were chefs in the Burgundian and Lyonnais traditions: founded on broad flavors as seductive as Burgundy wine (which was used in many of the recipes). Blanc was an innovator, but his tastes always had an authentic link to the classically pungent flavors of the region.

south of France, where he embraced the sunny, light cuisine of Provence—as bright as a Van Gogh sunflower.

learned a lot about using spices like caraway seed, cumin, and other dried seeds that play such a large part in traditional Nordic flavors, and about curing fish. (This was well before the appearance of Noma and the resurgence of foraging for lichens, mosses, and seaweed.)

Failed recipes are never the problem. Failing to maintain or re-create them is.

A word about meat caramelizing: You want it brown, not a light tan.

creativity is not an easy equation. And there is no direct line. You are not born with it, and you cannot learn it. It is a combination of dedication, practice, study, passion, and desire all coming together at one time.

From Japan to Thailand, I keep discovering amazing talent, cuisine and food markets.

I never go to Vancouver without stopping by Thomas Haas' shop for the best chocolate in North America. A former chef patissier at Daniel, he returned to his hometown and created a top quality brand by sticking to his passion.

I've discovered the burger is a crazy thing in Vegas, but I was one of the early chefs to do a lot of burgers.

If you're in a major city, there's a 25-year cycle. In Vegas, it's probably 10 or 15 years, except for those landmark places like Spago or Nobu. In Vegas, you have to reinvent yourself once in a while.

I've always loved it in Las Vegas, and it is the only city in the world that brings so many different talented people from so many places.

I love to make a one-pot meal - think stir-fry but in the French Fricassee. I start with what takes the longest to roast and then add vegetables, fresh herbs, and starch until the meal is complete in one shot.

Something I learned when I was very young: with cooking, it doesn't matter where you are; you can always cook. You can end up in small village in Peru where somebody's cooking, take a spoon and taste it, and you might not be too sure what you're eating, but you can taste the soul in the food. That's what is beautiful with food.

In Singapore, there is this life and locals and restaurants and then big casinos and an array of chefs, and even Miami is almost close to Vegas when it comes to an amazing presentation of chefs. But they don't have these massive hotels that have become their own culinary villages.