Scene Last Night: Chefs Boulud, Soliveres Cook for Tuft, Lynne
When Daniel Boulud was a child in Lyon, France, his mother made him chocolate birthday cake with apricots or pears.
Last night at his restaurant Daniel in New York, he marked his 57th birthday with a four-foot-high sculpture of hand-blown, spun and pulled sugar prepared by his pastry chef.
It was a grand finish to a five-course meal that nourished the stomach as well as the coffers of Citymeals-on-Wheels, where Boulud is a board vice president.
His 13th annual event for the charity raised $500,000 to deliver meals to homebound New Yorkers over the age of 60, said Citymeals-on-Wheels Executive Director Beth Shapiro.
The evening began with Shigoku oysters with Meyer lemon custard, served in the foyer.
That’s where Tom Tuft, a vice chairman at Lazard Ltd., greeted film producer Michael Lynne, and restaurateur Drew Nieporent talked champagne with Xavier Barlier, senior vice president at Louis Roederer USA.
Later, retailer Lillian Vernon, litigator Herbert Wachtell and Marchesa’s vice president of public relations Karla Barbosa were in the dining room admiring the L’Olivier Floral Atelier centerpieces of yellow and dark-orange calla lilies.
Boulud welcomed his co-hosts, Pascale and Thierry Gardinier, owners of Paris restaurant Taillevent and Relais & Chateaux hotel Les Crayeres in Reims. Taillevent’s chef, Alain Soliveres, took a bow, then disappeared into the kitchen as waiters served Boulud’s tiger jade abalone, with vodka beurre blanc and Ossetra caviar. The few bites were briny and rich.
Crowd-Pleaser
Next Soliveres prepared a crowd-pleasing spelt risotto with parmesan and black truffle, followed by a famous Taillevent dish that was a little harder to love: duck breast and foie gras wrapped in pastry.
A live auction offered time to digest, and guests were restless for their caramel parfaits by the time Boulud started banging on a shiny new copper pan, his birthday gift from Citymeals-on-Wheels.
His point: to offer a paella dinner for eight in his home. Donald Tober, an owner of Sugar Foods Corp., paid $33,000 for the impromptu item, pan not included.
Boulud blew out the candle on his birthday “cake” with help from his daughter Alix, who is back in New York after working in Singapore as an analyst at the LVMH-backed private equity fund L Capital Asia.
“I want her to establish herself,” Boulud said. “Then she can get involved in a charity. By now she knows Citymeals- on-Wheels very well.”
(Amanda Gordon is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
-- Editors: Mark Beech, Jim Ruane.
To contact the writer on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net or on Twitter at @amandagordon.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Daniel Boulud and his daughter Alix with the birthday confections prepared by the pastry chef at Daniel to celebrate his 57th birthday.
Daniel Boulud and his daughter Alix with the birthday confections prepared by the pastry chef at Daniel to celebrate his 57th birthday. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Shigoku oysters with Meyer lemon custard.
Shigoku oysters with Meyer lemon custard.
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Tom Tuft, a vice chairman at Lazard Ltd., Michael Lynne, a film producer, Chef Daniel Boulud and restaurateur Drew Nieporent.
Tom Tuft, a vice chairman at Lazard Ltd., Michael Lynne, a film producer, Chef Daniel Boulud and restaurateur Drew Nieporent. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Thierry Gardinier and his wife, Pascale Gardinier own Taillevent, an esteemed restaurant in Paris with 50 seats. The owners of Taillevent said Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to get a table.
Thierry Gardinier and his wife, Pascale Gardinier own Taillevent, an esteemed restaurant in Paris with 50 seats. The owners of Taillevent said Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to get a table. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Nilou Molamed, features director and senior correspondent at Travel + Leisure, and Jennifer Tuft, founder of the Foss Fund, a venture capital fund for film and media and daughter of Lazard's Tom Tuft.
Nilou Molamed, features director and senior correspondent at Travel + Leisure, and Jennifer Tuft, founder of the Foss Fund, a venture capital fund for film and media and daughter of Lazard's Tom Tuft. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Calla lilies in a centerpiece designed by L'Olivier Floral Atelier.
Calla lilies in a centerpiece designed by L'Olivier Floral Atelier. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Alain Soliveres, chef of Taillevent in Paris.
Alain Soliveres, chef of Taillevent in Paris. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Spelt risotto with parmesan and black truffle by Chef Alain Soliveres.
Spelt risotto with parmesan and black truffle by Chef Alain Soliveres. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Taillevent's duck breast and foi gras tourte with sauce rouennaise.
Taillevent's duck breast and foi gras tourte with sauce rouennaise. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Karla Barbosa, vice president of public relations for Marchesa, and Nathalie Moar, a talent agent, were guests of Fiji Water, a sponsor.
Karla Barbosa, vice president of public relations for Marchesa, and Nathalie Moar, a talent agent, were guests of Fiji Water, a sponsor. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Lisa Rosenblum, an executive vice president at Cablevision, Suri Kasirer, president of Kasirer Consulting and John Alschuler, chairman of Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler.
Lisa Rosenblum, an executive vice president at Cablevision, Suri Kasirer, president of Kasirer Consulting and John Alschuler, chairman of Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Boulud Birthday Dinner
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Paolo Martino, retailer Lillian Vernon and her son David Hochberg.
Paolo Martino, retailer Lillian Vernon and her son David Hochberg. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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