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David Bouley in his New York restaurant Bouley (February 2016): He learned from Roger Vergé and Paul Bocuse

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Francesco Sapienza / The New York Times / Redux / laif

The New York Times once wrote about David Bouley: “He takes paths that no one else takes. And he goes further than anyone else would go.” This assessment was linked to a three-star rating for the restaurant visit.

Bouley was a pioneer of the New American style with Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Heaped with awards and always ready to experiment in the kitchen, he influenced entire generations. Now David Bouley has died.

As his wife Nicole Bartelme confirmed to the New York Times, the star chef died on Monday in Kent, Connecticut. He was 70 years old and, according to the newspaper, the cause of death was a heart attack.

Bouley, who had French and US citizenship, learned in France from greats such as Roger Vergé, Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon, Gaston Lenôtre and Frédy Girardet.

In 1985 he rose to prominence at the Montrachet restaurant in Tribeca. Two years later, already decorated with Michelin stars, he opened his own restaurant: Bouley. The establishment was an integral part of the New York gourmet scene for 30 years until it closed its doors in 2017.

Cooked tens of thousands of meals after 9/11

Often enough, Bouley encouraged his guests to place themselves entirely in his hands - without a menu or a set menu sequence. »Cravings are about taste. Cooking with your intellect is wonderful. “But what people want without thinking about it comes from the physical experience of taste,” Bouley told Wine Spectator in 2012.

Bouley also became known for his work after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At that time, he transformed the Bouley Bakery, located near Ground Zero in Manhattan, into a supply center for firefighters, police officers and other rescue units. Together with his own crew and volunteers, he put together tens of thousands of meals every day, using fresh ingredients.

Afterwards, however, there were allegations that there were inconsistencies in Red Cross funding as part of the 9/11 campaign.

In addition to his own career, Bouley influenced numerous well-known and famous kitchen stars such as Christina Tosi, Anita Lo and James Kent.

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