North American gastronomy is in mourning. This Monday, at the age of 70, chef David Bouley, who introduced French Nouvelle Cusine to the United States with the intention of laying the foundations for New American Cusine, a current that has notably influenced to the current haute cuisine of this country.
Bouley, who despite being American came from a family of French origin and who had trained in Paris alongside great chefs such as Paul Bocuse and Joël Robuchon, opened the Montrachet restaurant (later renamed Bouley) in Tribeca in 1985. , long before this neighborhood became one of the fashionable areas of New York. In fact, it was the first establishment in the city to achieve the coveted three stars awarded by The Times.
The aforementioned newspaper says of him that he was the first chef to present to the New York foodie community absolutely revolutionary ideas for the time, such as Japanese-style tasting menus that until now had not traveled much from the Japanese country or the total commitment to the locally sourced ingredient.
The first review to appear in The Times, in fact, read: "Bouley's cuisine is diverse, personal and well-conceived, sure to draw diners to this up-and-coming part of town." They weren't wrong about any of it. two cases, as time would show.
Together with Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Jean-Georges Vongerichten; Bouley was part of a culinary vanguard in the 1980s that created the New American Style and turned fine dining into an expressive art form, leading to the rise of rock star chefs.
His restaurants (he opened several more in New York: Brushstroke, Danube, Bouley Bakery Market or Upstairs) were attended by the elite who turned the city that never sleeps into the epicenter of the world: from supermodels like Naomi Campbell to television figures like Marta Stewart or chefs like David Chang.
Bouley also trained a new generation of chefs, including Dan Barber, Eric Ripert, Christina Tosi, César Ramirez, Amy Scherber, Alex Ureña, Anita Lo, Galen Zamarra, Kurt Gutenbrunner, Brian Bistrong and Bill Yosses. In many of these kitchens today you can breathe the influence of Bouley, a chef who became obsessed with the use of pure ingredients and techniques to create “unbreakable health” at a time when the taste for fast food was growing in the United States.
Bouley also worked on social causes. For example, together with the Red Cross, feeding rescue and construction teams during 9/11. From two of her restaurants they cooked 20,000 to 30,000 meals every 24 hours.
