NYC- What "culinary" dreams are made of!

I had an amazing opportunity to travel to New York City to meet with some of the most amazing talented and award winning Chef's in the world. We toured Restaurant Daniel, DBGB (both part of Dinex Group), Public and most exciting Jean Georges. In addition we met with the founders of Culintro, a trade organization that will be explained later in this post. Each restaurant group owns companies on a national and international scale and besides the many other accolades- most prestigiously the Dinex Group and Jean Georges both own and operate at least one, Three Michelin star rated restaurant.

What is a Michelin Star you ask? To chefs and restaurateurs in the fine dining business- this star rating is everything. The Michelin guide awards one to three stars to a small number of restaurants worldwide that exemplify outstanding quality. Keep in mind, this type of rating is rare and many Chefs’ spend their entire careers striving to be one star, let alone three. To put things in perspective, there are only seven restaurants in NYC to hold a three star rating. (Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, Jean Georges, Le Bernadin, Masa & Per Se).

 5 criteria for awarding stars:

1.       Quality of the ingredients

2.       Flair and skill in preparing them and combining   flavors

3.      The chef’s personality as revealed through the cuisine

4.       Value for money

5.      The consistency of culinary standards

Dinex group is the restaurant group owned by Chef Daniel Boulud. They have eight award winning restaurants in NYC as well as throughout the world. Restaurant Daniel specifically is a French Brigade style; think military like obedience only with knives, recipes and the best ingredients found in the world. As we explored what restaurant folks call BOH, or the back of the house, I was in absolute amazement as we got an infrequent opportunity to see behind the magical curtain which revealed the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen in my life. The floors perfectly polished as were the highly orchestrated staff and copper pots that hung over the center stage framing pure culinary art and a professional three Michelin star rated kitchen. One of the most interesting aspects of the kitchen was a second floor “Chef’s table” or private dining room that overlooked the open kitchen belonging to none other than Chef Boulud himself. I cannot even begin to estimate the salary or stature you would need to be invited to dine as a guest in such a prestigious space; I suppose I was lucky enough just to see it.

We were fortunate to receive a gift during our departure of the restaurant from the charismatic, well fashioned and articulate human resources manager, an autographed copy of Chef Boulud’s “Letter’s to a young chef”. This book is mesmerizing, simple to read and has insightful advice for emerging chefs or any craft related profession. Daniel Boulud is as brilliant as he is gifted in both the food trade and art of motivation.

The book outlines the trials of an upscale kitchen and descriptively identifies different skills needed to become a successful cook (and maybe restaurant owner). It is clear that being a triumphant leader in any profession is not a miracle, but a combination of hard work, passion and lifelong dedication.

Next we were off for lunch at DBGB, a more casual restaurant that serves up over 14 varieties of house-made sausages as well as gourmet hamburgers. I was ambitious and ordered the 3 course prix fix lunch special. For starters we enjoyed the roasted mushroom soup with toasted barley, porcini, and crispy gruyere fondue and advanced to the “Piggie Burger” which is a 6 oz beef patty topped with bbq pulled pork, jalapeno mayonnaise and lettuce on a cheddar bun with mustard-vinegar slaw & fries- am I making you hungry yet? At this point my Chef jacket was bursting at the seams so I decided to take dessert to go. Although the ice cream sundae was highly recommended, I opted for a transportation friendly option of black forest cake: brandied cherries, whipped crème fraiche and chocolate chip cherry ice cream (more like a sauce by the time I devoured it and for the record, I wasn’t disappointed on my drive home). All this food for a great price of only $35 without tax and tip, a fraction of what would have been expected at its luxurious counterpart, Daniel.

Our busy schedule led us next to Public, where the ladies of Culintro gave us a tour. Culintro facilitates the placement of passionate, hard-working culinary students with chefs in New York’s most renowned restaurants. One of the biggest advantages students have with Culintro is the access to the extensive network that they have and the option to attend hosted networking events to meet interns and Chefs from partnered sites. They work with award winning companies and to highlight a few- Perilla with Top Chef winner, Chef Harold Doeterle, Mandarin Oriental with Top Chef contestant and Johnson & Wales University Alumni Chef Matthew Petersen and Corton’s Chef Paul Liebrandt. Another recommendation for Chef’s to be or proclaimed foodies is to watch HBO’s documentary special “A Matter of Taste” documenting Liebrandt’s turbulent, and eventually triumphant journey through the kitchens of New York City.

So back to Public, this is part of a restaurant design firm AvroKO Hospitality Group. Public is an Australian Fusion restaurant with Chef Brad Farmerie at the helm, his menu is inspired by the Chef’s travels serving anything from wild game to kangaroo. His combinations are somewhat daring and are not inspired by the faint of heart but none the less they are technically innovative and blur the lines of what gourmet cuisine is and can be.

Last but certainly not least, was our visit to Jean Georges which is located in Manhattan on the lobby level of the Trump International Hotel overlooking Central Park and is named after its award winning classical French Chef and owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

The NYC restaurant is divided into two dining areas, the Jean Georges dining room and Nougatine, a slightly more casual dining room that serves the public and guests of the Trump International Hotel. My Director was lucky enough to spot Adam Sandler while we were in the lobby waiting to meet the staff. To our surprise we were greeted by not any staff member but Jean George himself. I needed assistance in picking my jaw up from the floor after I spotted him because it was completely unexpected, I think we were a little star struck. Our Employer Relations Director, who is rarely at a loss for words, was practically speechless. He was hospitable and offered to take pictures with us and asked his Sous Chef to provide us a tour through the well decorated establishment, a design fit for Donald Trump like standards set to impress the elite population. Impressed we were and even more so as we walked through the kitchens, catching glances of industry trade secrets just hoping to be introduced to their Executive Pastry Chef, Johnny Iuzzini.

We were able to meet him, he is really funny, charming and charismatic- all the girls were instantly crushing on him and his Jimmy Dean like swag.

New York City was a wonderful experience for which I will always be appreciative. It is certainly the city dreams are made of, there is nothing you can’t do if you remove boundaries, don’t let obstacles get in your way and challenge yourself to work hard.