Daniel Humm dropped out of school at 14 to become a competitive cyclist, and supported himself by cutting vegetables and making soup stock at fine restaurants in Switzerland. When he eventually realized he'd never become a world-class cyclist, he pivoted to the equally competitive world of fine dining, and soon became a rising young chef in Switzerland, and then San Francisco. In 2006, he was wooed to New York to re-imagine the restaurant Eleven Madison Park, and began drawing raves for his painterly presentations of duck, foie gras, and suckling pig. The restaurant was recognized in 2017 as the world's best, but was forced to shut down during the pandemic. When it reopens in June, it will generate a new buzz in gastronomy: this time by revamping its menu to be entirely plant-based.
2:32 - Introduction
6:30 - Daniel’s childhood
8:11 - Competitive cycling
10:38 - Working in restaurants
12:11 - Moving away from cycling
15:23 - Gaining confidence
19:39 - First job as head chef
23:19 - Moving to the US
26:56 - Recruitment to work at Eleven Madison Park
31:51 - The difficult parts
32:58 - Hospitality
36:36 - The recession
38:28 - Getting a 4 star review
40:55 - Thinking of food as art
45:00 - Becoming the owner of Eleven Madison Park
48:14 - Overwhelming success
51:00 - The Covid shutdown
54:30 - Producing free meals
59:40 - Rethinking life goals
1:01:30 - Going plant-based
1:06:18 - The risks
1:10:35 - Passion
Eleven Madison Park
Competitive cycling
Hotel Baur au Lac
Michelin Guide
Campton Place Hotel
Michael Bauer 2003 review of Daniel Humm
Danny Meyer
Will Guidara
Miles Davis
Financial Crisis 2008
Frank Bruni
Frank Bruni’s 4 star review
Daniel’s celery root dish
World’s 50 Best Restaurants
Eleven Madison Park free meals
Environmental impact of meat production
Going plant-based