YEAR: 2000
Before enduring a grueling tour through kitchens in France, during which he was subjected to the familiar outbursts by frustrated chef mentors, Bouley lived a very different life — racing Ducati motorcycles. Not so surprising, given the ordered madness that surrounds Bouley in his kitchen must come from a similar adrenalin rush. Armed with a business degree from the Sorbonne in Paris, the Connecticut native, whose ancestors were French, embarked on a journey through some of the best restaurants in France and Switzerland, learning from Roger Vergé, Paul Bocuse and Joël Robuchon, among others.
Finally settling in Manhattan in 1985, he introduced American diners to the very French concept of small but powerfully flavored bites in a series of courses that build on taste and gastronomic anticipation. Always restless, Bouley has a habit of opening wildly popular restaurants…and closing them at their peak in order to re-envision them or march off in a different culinary direction. His venues now include the next generation of the flagship Bouley, which re-opened in 2008, an Austrian restaurant, a Japanese-inspired effort and a bistro.
WHAT WINNING THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD HAS MEANT TO ME: “I never left my kitchen and when the awards were taking place I wasn’t planning on attending, but the James Beard people kept calling me and calling me until I finally said that I’d go. The day of the awards my staff had to literally put me in the car to get me there and the next thing I knew I had three medals around my neck. It was one of the most exciting nights of my life at that time. I was truly honored.”