Danube (restaurant)
David Bouley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Storrs, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | February 13, 2024 (aged 70) Kent, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Chef, restaurateur |
| Known for | Founder and proprietor of Bouley restaurants; pioneering tasting menus in America |
David Bouley (May 27, 1953 – February 13, 2024) was a distinguished American-French chef and the exclusive proprietor of multiple dining venues in Tribeca, New York City. He is most prominently recognized for his flagship establishment, Bouley.
Early life and education
Born in Storrs, Connecticut, Bouley pursued higher education at the University of Connecticut. He further enriched his studies by completing the Cours de Civilisation Française at Paris’s Sorbonne University.
Career
Bouley’s culinary journey included gaining practical experience in various locations such as Cape Cod, Santa Fe, New Mexico, France, and Switzerland. Following his studies at the Sorbonne, he apprenticed under celebrated chefs like Roger Vergé, Paul Bocuse, and Joël Robuchon. Upon returning to New York City, he contributed his talents to prestigious restaurants including Le Cirque and Le Périgord, and held the position of sous chef at Roger Vergé’s San Francisco venue. In 1985, Bouley took over as chef at Montrachet, which swiftly earned a three-star rating from the New York Times.
In 1987, he inaugurated his eponymous restaurant, Bouley, situated in Tribeca with views over Duane Park. This venue garnered a four-star review from the New York Times and received multiple accolades from the James Beard Foundation for Best Restaurant and Best Chef.
After relocating in 1997, he reopened under the name Bouley Bakery. Notably, Bouley was the first chef to appear on the cover of the New York Times Magazine. In 1999, he introduced Danube, a restaurant inspired by Viennese cuisine located on Hudson Street, alongside publishing East of Paris: The New Cuisines of Austria and the Danube. That same year, Bouley Bakery was awarded four stars by The New York Times and earned two Michelin stars. Following a move in 2008, it was renamed Bouley Restaurant. Danube also achieved two Michelin stars before evolving into Brushstroke in 2011—a partnership with Osaka’s Tsuji Culinary Institute that fused Japanese culinary traditions with American ingredients—also securing two Michelin stars.
Bouley was a trailblazer in introducing tasting menus to the American dining scene and crafted dishes addressing auto-immune dietary needs. His contributions were recognized with Lifetime Achievement Awards from Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center and the Rogosin Institute affiliated with New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
In 2015, he became the inaugural non-Japanese recipient of the Japanese Government’s Japanese Cuisine (Washoku) Goodwill Ambassador distinction.
The French Government honored him in 2020 by appointing him Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit ().
Personal life
David Bouley passed away at age 70 on February 13, 2024, due to hereditary heart failure at his residence in Kent, Connecticut. He is survived by his wife Nicole Bartelme, whom he met during the final lunch service at his namesake restaurant in 1996. They wed in France’s Loire Valley in 2006.
Restaurants
Before relocating and rebranding as Bouley Restaurant in 2008, Bouley Bakery had earned two Michelin Stars. His other venue, Danube, also held two Michelin stars prior to its transformation into Brushstroke Restaurant.
Brushstroke opened its doors in April 2011 at 30 Hudson Street as a collaborative effort between Bouley and Osaka's Tsuji Culinary Institute, blending elements of Japanese gastronomy with American ingredients.
Bouley Test Kitchen operates as a private space for events and recipe innovation supporting Bouley's enterprises and guest chefs. It notably served as the training site for the American team preparing for the 2011 Bocuse d'Or Competition. The facility relocated from TriBeCa to the Flatiron District in October 2017.
Located at 281 Church Street in TriBeCa, Bouley Botanical functions as both an event venue and an educational platform promoting innovative healthy cuisine through its lecture series titled The Chef & The Doctor.
Bouley at Home is situated at 31 West 21st Street in the Flatiron District and represents a partnership with German kitchen design company Bulthaup, which operates throughout the United States and Europe.
Awards
- Washoku Ambassador Award from the Gohan Society (with "Washoku" signifying "food harmony" in Japanese)
- Confrerie Gastronomique de la Marmitr d'OR's Officier de Bouche distinction (2007)
- Lifetime Achievement honor bestowed by Columbia University's Celiac Disease Center
- Honorary Doctorate awarded by the University of Connecticut
- Knighted in the Order of Agricultural Merit (2022)
- James Beard Foundation recognitions including Outstanding Restaurant (1991), induction into Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America (1991), Best Chef in America (1994), and Outstanding Chef (2000)
Books
- East of Paris: The New Cuisines of Austria and the Danube (Ecco), authored by David Bouley, Mario Lohninger, and Melissa Clark (2003)