Today is Daniel Boulud’s birthday, and we wish him many happy returns of the day.
Daniel – he goes by one name, like all the greats – is a longtime friend of D’Artagnan. To read his bio, and try one of his recipes, check our website right here.
Read on for a few fun facts about the legendary chef.
Fun Facts About Daniel Boulud
1. Daniel has been immortalized in the NY subway
Artist Vic Muniz captured the chef perfectly in mosaic, as the chef’s Instagram post shows. Called “Perfect Strangers” the series features life-size mosaics of New Yorkers, and Daniel has certainly become one of those. Look for chef Daniel at the 72nd Street station on the Second Avenue line.
2. He has his own day!
March 20th was declared Daniel Boulud Day at the Culinary Institute of America. We would like to see this honor extend further than the reaches of the campus on the Hudson River.
3. Daniel impressed NY immediately
Daniel worked in famous New York kitchens before he opened his own restaurant (today he owns 7 restaurants in NYC plus 6 others). He was Executive Chef at Le Cirque from 1986 to 1992, where he won 4 stars from the New York Times. 
4. He keeps his cool at game dinners
Daniel hosts a wild game dinner every fall with Ariane, and one year he had to contend with health inspectors making a random stop at his eponymous restaurant. While he took them around his immaculate kitchen, which took hours, he missed most of the game dinner fun! You can read an account of that night on Eater.
5. Daniel is fiercely competitive – in a nice way
Daniel always sent a team of four cooks to our Duckathlon, which was an annual culinary obstacle course for chefs that we hosted for almost a decade. Daniel’s teams always came in unique, matching t-shirts, competed fiercely, with honor, and won many prizes.
6. He is charitable, and shares food
For over 25 years, Daniel has been a huge supporter of Citymeals-on-Wheels, which provides home-bound elderly New Yorkers with nutritional meals.
7. Daniel was among the earliest supporters of D’Artagnan
We have a long and close relationship with Daniel, which goes back to our founding in 1985. Thanks for the decades of support, Chef!
And here are a few of our photos of Daniel over the years. For a wonderful album of vintage images, go to danielboulud.com for everything from his childhood to the early days in New York, and a lot of celebrities! Happy birthday, Chef! Joyeux anniversaire!
Happy Birthday Daniel!