Farewell to a Master Chef: I’m Dreaming of a David Bouley Souffle

In this tribute to David Bouley, who died February 12 from a heart attack at age 70., the author credits Bouley with making four-star cuisine free of pretention and relatable for non-foodies. This story was originally published in City Journal. 

I’ve never been a foodie, but in the late 1980s and 90s I was a restaurant gadabout, thanks to an extended gig as publicist for the Zagat Survey guides, which exposed me to some of New York’s finer eateries and uber-chefs. That included recurring visits to such storied spots as Lutece, Quilted Giraffe, Le Cirque, Le Bernardin, Chanterelle, Grammercy Tavern, Montrachet, Daniel and others.

While always enjoyable, I sometimes felt the rarified food was wasted on me, especially multi-course offerings and tasting menus with elaborate preparations or exotic adds like figs and avocado oil. At one such endless dinner at seafood palace Le Bernardin, my wife and I kept passing our plates of raw and slathered fish to another couple so as not to…