Who

One of the most esteemed chefs in New York, Boulud is the chef and owner of the four-star haute French restaurant Daniel.

Backstory

Boulud grew up on the family farm in bucolic Lyon, France, and spent the 1970s bouncing between the kitchens of uber-chefs like Georges Blanc, Michel Guérard, and Roger Vergé. After arriving stateside in the '80s, he spent a few years at two fussy Manhattan restaurants—the Polo in the Hotel Westbury and Le Regence in the Plaza Athénée—but only drew wider notice in 1986, when Sirio Maccioni hired him to take over the reigns at Le Cirque, following the departure of longtime chef Alain Sailhac. Boulud escorted the restaurant to its golden age: He landed it its first four-star Times review in 1987, and its second one five years later.

With his culinary celebrity white-hot and Maccioni's oversight increasingly suffocating, Boulud departed Le Cirque in 1992 and set out to create a fine dining palace of his own on East 76th Street, Daniel. Things started off rough—Marian Burros of the Times handed down a near-fatal two-star verdict—but by 1994, the restaurant had hit its stride, and Ruth Reichl issued a four-star review drooling over Daniel's "ethereal linguine," "tour-de-force lobster consommé," and "perfect" fusion of regional Lyonnaise cooking with classical French cuisine. In 1997, Boulud poetically relocated his flagship to the Mayfair hotel, the former home of Le Cirque; around the same time, he converted the former Daniel space into the slightly dressed-down Café Boulud, placing Andrew Carmellini behind the stove. He's since cemented his position as one of New York's gods of fine-dining, and has continued to expand his gourmet mini-empire.

Of note

Boulud's culinary reputation is close to perfect: His restaurant Daniel has four stars from the Times, a 28 rating from Zagat, and two stars from the Michelin Guide. (Only Eric Ripert can claim superiority—Le Bernardin has four Times stars, a 28 Zagat rating, and three stars from Michelin.) He's exploited his sterling credentials by slapping his name (and/or initials) on an ever-increasing number of dining establishments. In addition to Daniel and Café Boulud, he owns two other Manhattan restaurants, the relatively casual DB Bistro Moderne on West 44th Street, and Bar Boulud, a 100-seat Upper West Side bistro that debuted in 2007. Also a presence on the national level, he owns a DB Brasserie at the Wynn in Las Vegas and an iteration of Café Boulud in Palm Beach. In the works: A DB Bistro in Miami, a so-far-unnamed restaurant in Beijing, and a spot on the Bowery called DBGB (or Daniel Boulud Good Burger), a riff on the dearly departed CBGB.

On the side

As is the case with virtually every other top chef in town, Boulud has almost as many sidelines as pieces of cutlery. He operates a catering company, Feast & Fêtes Catering, and has a line of Caspian caviar called Daniel Boulud Connoisseur. He's the co-owner of a line of wine called Dtour. And he "writes" a bi-monthly column for Elle Décor. He's published five cookbooks, too, most recently 2006's Braise: A Journey through International Cuisine.

Drama

Boulud and Maccioni have had an icy relationship ever since the former left Le Cirque—they've barely spoken in 15 years, and the few words they have exchanged in public have generally been on the nasty side. Boulud's own employees aren't too thrilled with him, either. In 2006, several Latino and Bangladeshi workers at Daniel hit him with a well-publicized lawsuit, claiming he'd denied them promotions and harassed them because of their race. The suits prompted raucous protests in front of the restaurant, many of which featured a 12-foot inflatable cockroach. Boulud countersued, and the suit was finally settled when DB handed over $80,000 in July 2007.

Personal

Boulud, wife Micky, daughter Alix, and dog Cleo live in a three-bedroom apartment above Daniel; David Chu is a neighbor in the building.