French chef Daniel Boulud

sets up his inaugural Canadian kitchen in Vancouver

Extract from the Vancouver Sun, click here for the full article.

NO GIMMICKS

For him, French cuisine (the basis of all his cooking) cannot be separated from wine. "Because of the French wealth of wine, the quality, subtlety, it's such a happy combination. I never think of cooking without thinking of wine," he says.

"At the same time, what I don't like is when food and wine become a gimmick. In my home, we didn't know Bordeaux wines. We were in Burgundy. We made our wine. We would have a bottle a day at the table. It was home made and no way could have been sold on the market unless you developed a taste for it. We knew it was natural and home made. It was our wine and we loved it."

In fact, during the Second World War, his grandfather, like many French citizens, dug a bunker to hide the family wine. "It was not about the value of the wine to collectors, but rather the value of the wine as something the family held and loved in common. Wine was part of our patrimony. In part, it is what has made us French."

Sadly, that France of his childhood is fading. The New York Times cites a National Federation of Cafes, Brasseries and Discotheques in France finding that an average of two traditional French cafes close every day across the country, reflecting changing eating habits (less, faster), wine drinking (less) and the economy (not great).

Not surprisingly, Boulud is no fan of post-modern molecular gastronomy.

"It's certainly pushing knowledge to a limit that is not always necessary for everyday practice," he says. "I didn't grow up with this kind of food. What makes me happy and customers happy is real food, tasting like real food, classic preparations with soul that's healthy and natural and humble, but delicious. Molecular gastronomy is interesting for the mind, but not always interesting for the soul. It's very much like conceptual art. It triggers many senses, which are not known by yourself, but at the same time it doesn't leave you wanting to come back."

When Boulud talks about cooking, you understand why he's one of the best. He understands food and the eating of it, like Renoir understood colour and the viewing of it.

'TASTE STARTS WITH AROMA'

Or, as a director understands theatre: "Think of taste the way you experience a performance," he says in Letters. "Just as there is a beginning, middle and end to a play, there is a similar narrative to tasting. Usually taste starts with aroma, then moves to texture, then to the actual experience on the tongue, and finally, as you chew, swallow and breathe out, there is another waft of aroma that rises from your palate into your nostrils. As a chef, you must be in control of all these elements and determine how strong and long-lasting each of them will be."

And on the importance of seasoning: "In considering specific tastes, I start with salt, the most fundamental aspect of seasoning . . . You may salt before you cook, while you cook and as you plate.

"In each instance, the salt does something a little differently. At the beginning, it helps to draw tastes to the surface, concentrating them. During the roasting, salt help to form an even more intense crust. Salt again when you remove from the heat. Then, after the meat is sliced, a sprinkling of coarse salt on top pulls all the deep taste out of the meat while leaving little islands of crunchy salty texture that are even more concentrated."

Many chefs throw parsley into their cooking like a robot. Boulud does it because this classic herb "helps contain a taste and punctuate it; rather than allowing flavour to accumulate and overwhelm, it preserves the balance that otherwise could be tipped by a strong ingredient such as garlic," which is why parsley's often used with garlic.

It's a book every aspiring chef should read. Correction. It's a book every chef should read.

As for his choice of choosing Vancouver for his inaugural Canadian kitchen over Toronto or Montreal, it was based on what he already knew about Vancouver and a bit of convincing by Lumiere owner David Sidoo.

"Toronto and Montreal might wonder why I came here. David Sidoo convinced me this was one of the best cities in Canada, if not North America and I fell in love with it. I don't think I would have ever come to Vancouver if not for David. He came to me and said he wanted to continue what he had. He really loved my restaurants and needed someone who could do gastronomic and casual at the same time."

'A PLACE TO DREAM'

He thinks of Vancouver as a cross between Seattle and San Francisco. "Here we have the Okanagan, like the Napa Valley," he says. "And what a wonderful city of diversity.

He sounds a little smitten with the country, too: "Canada is like America, but Canada is still a place to dream, to travel and maybe live in. A lot of people are in love with Canada and love the land, the people. There is such a wonderful diversified community here."

And such a density of great restaurants for a city of Vancouver's size, he says.

"It's like, wow!" he exclaims. (He's been to West, Le Crocodile, Cioppino's, Vij's, Fuel and Salt to dine.) "Vancouver has an amazing community of chefs. I'd always heard of Vancouver because people who have worked for me have come from Vancouver. Many chefs have done stages [work experience] and I already had knowledge of how great Vancouver was." (Thomas Haas, local chocolatier extraordinaire, was pastry chef at Daniel before moving to Vancouver.)

Of the David Sidoo/Rob Feenie partnership at Lumiere going up in flames last year, he says: "It's like life. Things happen in relations. That's okay. Life goes on. It's not the end of the world for both of them," he says.

When Lumiere opens with Dale MacKay as executive chef, reporting to him, the menu will be more accessible than people might expect.

"It will be more democratic than before," he says. There will be a prix fixe with a range of choices costing less than $100.

There will also be a tasting menu for more buoyant budgets. "I believe, for me, a great restaurant doesn't have to be a fancy restaurant. I really want to make sure people come as often as they wish."

With Boulud and another superchef Jean Georges Vongerichten coming to town (Market, at Shangri-La), as well as persistent rumours that Gordon Ramsay might follow suit, making for a triplet of Michelin chefs in Vancouver, I wondered if a Michelin inspector might not be far behind. "I hope so," he offered. "I'm very happy to be part of the ringing of the bell here, bringing international attention to tables in Vancouver."

ROCK 'N' ROLL CHEF

Adding to his new partnership in Vancouver, Boulud is adding two new restaurants in his home city, bringing the total to 11. One is in New York's Lower Eastside next to the old CBGB, an iconic club where the Ramones got their start and where Madonna, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith and the Doors have all played.

Alluding to the famous club, he'll call that one DBGB. (Boulud's rock 'n' roll tastes are from the '60s and '70s, with the Who as favourite.) Another restaurant, under construction, will be called Loho, in a neighbourhood adjacent to Soho.

Boulud, who has cooked thousands of dishes in his life as chef, rues how chefs become known for one or two dishes that others adopt or corrupt. His much-replicated dish is the potato-crusted sea bass, which he created 20 years ago when he was chef at Le Cirque. Another is the luxury DB burger he first made eight years ago. "It's been around the planet," he says.

It sells for $32 at his db Bistro Moderne in NYC, but at db Bistro Moderne Vancouver, it will be "below $30," he says. The burger has 22 ingredients, including a boudin (sausage) made of shortrib braised for hours in a red wine mirepoix with fois gras and black truffle in the centre. Slices of that boudin are placed in the centre of the hamburger meat, a blend of sirloin and chuck for just the right amount of moistness.

"If you split it between two people, it's only half the price," he says, ending further discussion of price.

Manjy Sidoo, owner/partner at Lumiere and db Bistro Moderne in Vancouver, says it's one of the dishes people are excited about. As for the look of the restaurants, db will be contemporary, but casual and warm, with strong colours and textures.

"Warm and inviting but with an urban contemporary feel" she says. Lumiere is more luxurious. "Again, contemporary, but sexy and glamorous but with a softer mood," she says.

She says Boulud will be in Vancouver for about 10 days around the restaurant openings, and fans can see, possibly talk to him, in the restaurants. As for opening during a economic maelstrom, Sidoo says they're not worried. "People are still going out. Restaurants are still full. Maybe people are letting go of the larger-ticket items, but Vancouver is a city of foodies," she says.

The menus will reflect the tenor of the times. "We have the three-course menu as well as the tasting menus. If you just want to go to dinner and a movie, that's possible. It doesn't have to be a three-hour meal."

The way I see it, we now get to eat at Boulud's without airfare, hotel and cab fare from the airport. A big deal!

Additional material:

Read more interviews with Daniel Boulud
Watch Daniel Boulud pairs food with wine

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