Renowned French Chef Daniel Boulud and Executive Chef Alex Lee Reunite

Creating an Unparalled Dining Experience

Renowned French Chef Daniel Boulud and Executive Chef Alex Lee Reunite

Mentorship in the complex hierarchy of a restaurant kitchen is a crucial aspect of any fine dining culinary career.

The Alpine Country Club in Demarest, New Jersey recently reunited a famous culinary mentor and his mentee as the club brought together renowned French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud and their own executive chef Alex Lee for an exceptional wine dinner exclusively available to the club’s membership.

Chef Boulud, a Michelin-starred restaurateur with outposts in multiple cities, is best known for Daniel, his eponymous restaurant that he opened to great acclaim on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 1992. Boulud was Chef Lee’s respected mentor for 11 years in the kitchen at Daniel, where Lee was one of a team of culinary professionals that helped Boulud stack up awards and accolades. Today, Chef Boulud has established 19 restaurants in nine cities around the globe.

The Alpine Country Club’s membership jumped at the chance to experience this unique wine dinner that featured a five-course, collaborative tasting menu. The event sold out in a remarkable eleven minutes.

Alpine’s club members jumped at the chance to experience Chef Boulud-inspired dishes and to interact with both Boulud and Lee between courses. The pair spoke about their history together and the impact Boulud had on Lee’s career.

“It was great for our members to see the chemistry between the two,” said Chris Hull, the club’s general manager and COO, “The kitchen staff was completely star struck,” he added.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour for the lucky 130 guests. The fivecourse menu was created in the spirit of friendship and professional bonding. Chef Boulud and chef Lee collaborated for a month in the lead up to the dinner, working on some of the dishes they had created together over the years – dishes that brought back fond memories, and a few that became famous at Daniel’s in NYC. They then set about to source the finest seasonal ingredients.

Using the club’s resources as well as Chef Boulud’s – including seven members of his culinary team from Daniel – the wines were paired by Boulud’s wine director and the clubhouse manager. Club members, in turn, brought their finest vintages to the event. As the chefs engaged with members between courses, club members followed suit and mingled table to table, sharing and tasting each other’s best wines.

CHEF BOULUD WITH THE CULINARY TEAM

CHEF BOULUD & THE TEAM AT ALPINE COUNTRY CLUB

CHEF DANIEL BOULUD & CHEF ALEX LEE

“The event brought tons of camaraderie in the front and back of the house,” Hull told us.

Partial proceeds from the dinner supported one of Chef Daniel Boulud’s favorite causes, City-Meals-on-Wheels. Arranged in part by one of the club’s members, Herb Karlitz, whose professional connection to Boulud facilitated the planning, the event was a smashing success.

“It was a fun opportunity to bring notoriety to our club and a unique experience to our members. It was truly one of the highlights for our members over the last few years,” said Hull.

BOARDROOM MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018