Is Chef Daniel Boulud a Master? 01 April 2008
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Daniel Boulud (born March 25, 1955 in Saint-Pierre de Chandieu, France) is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami and Las Vegas. He is best known for his eponymous restaurant, Daniel, in New York City.
While raised on a farm outside of Lyon and trained by renowned French chefs, Boulud made his reputation in New York, first as a chef and most recently a restaurateur. His management company, The Dinex Group, currently includes five restaurants, Feast & Fêtes Catering and is planning two additional openings: Bar Boulud, a wine bar and bistro across from Manhattan’s Lincoln Center (November 2007) and Maison Boulud, opening in Beijing China (Spring 2008).
At fifteen, Boulud earned his first professional recognition: He was a finalist in France’s competition for Best Culinary Apprentice. Boulud worked in France with Roger Vergé, Georges Blanc and Michel Guérard and later in Copenhagen before becoming the private chef to the European Commission in Washington, D.C..
Moving to New York City, Boulud opened the Polo Lounge at The Westbury Hotel then Le Régence at the Hotel Plaza Athenée. From 1986 to 1992, he was Executive Chef at Le Cirque. During his tenure, the restaurant became one of the most highly rated in the country. In 1992, Boulud won the James Beard Award for Best Chef of New York City. The James Beard Foundation would later go on to name Daniel Boulud “Outstanding Chef of the Year” in 1994 and “Outstanding Restaurateur” in 2006. In April 2007 he received the Culinary Humanitarian Award at the United Nations from the Adopt -a- Mine Field Foundation. The President of France made Boulud a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in March 2005 in recognition for his contribution to the advancement of French culture.
Boulud opened Daniel in 1993. It was rated one of the ten best restaurants in the world by the International Herald Tribune. He has been named Chef of the Year by Bon Appétit, and Daniel received Gourmet’s Top Table Award, a four-star rating from the New York Times, Wine Spectator’s Grand Award, and New York City’s top ratings for cuisine, service and decor in the Zagat Survey.
In December 1998, Boulud relocated restaurant DANIEL to larger premises at Park Avenue and 65th Street — premises, in fact, which had once housed Le Cirque. The original Daniel was re-launched as Café Boulud. Subsequently, in 2001, he opened a more casual restaurant in the theater district of Manhattan, dB Bistro Moderne, and in 2003 second Café Boulud in Palm Beach, Florida. Daniel Boulud Brasserie opened in 2005 in Las Vegas.
In 2001, Boulud allowed author Leslie Brenner near unlimited access to Daniel the result was the 2002 book The Fourth Star: Dispatches from Inside Daniel Boulud’s Celebrated New York Restaurant which gives some insight into the workings of the chef and how he operates.
The chef’s own books include six titles: “Cooking with Daniel Boulud”, “Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud Cookbook”, “Daniel Boulud Cooking in New York City”, “Daniel’s Dish, Entertaining at Home with a Four Star Chef”, “Letters to a Young Chef” and his most recent book, “Braise: a Journey Through International Cuisine”.
Boulud’s newest restaurant is in Downtown Miami in the new Metropolitan Miami Tower 2. It is north of the chic Brickell area of Downtown Miami and is to go inside the tower’s Met Marquis Hotel. [1]
Daniel Boulud works to support several charities focusing his efforts on hunger relief and culinary education. He is a member of the board of directors of Citymeals-on-Wheels, an organization that delivers meals to New York’s home bound elderly and hosts an annual gala on their behalf. The Daniel Boulud Scholarship Endowment Fund was established by the chef’s business partner, Joel Smilow, in 2005. The fund serves to provide continuing education enabling promising young American cooks to pursue professional culinary studies in France.
According to a January 18, 2007 article in the New York Times Dining Section, Daniel Boulud was sued by current and former workers for discriminatory labor practices at his namesake restaurant in Manhattan. The workers alleged that Mr. Boulud denied them promotions at his restaurant Daniel because of their race and ethnicity and retaliated against some who complained about it. Mr. Boulud eventually settled with the workers, seven current and former employees of Latin American and Bangladeshi descent, for $80,000 and agreed to set up standards and procedures for promotions to be overseen by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission & the state attorney general’s office.
Is Ryan Seacrest the reason American Idol is so successful? 01 April 2008
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Ryan John Seacrest is an American television/radio host. He rose to fame as the host of American Idol, and has since gone on to host E! News Live, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, as well as such radio shows as On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM in LA and American Top 40. He also hosts The Entertainment Edge in the United Kingdom which is broadcast simultaneously across GCap Media’s radio stations.
Biography
Ryan Seacrest was born in Dunwoody, Georgia, to Constance Marie Zullinger[1] and Gary Lee Seacrest,[2][3] and has a younger sister, Meredith. Seacrest is of Swiss descent.[4] At a young age, he knew he wanted to be a DJ, and idolized radio personalities like Casey Kasem and Dick Clark. Ryan hosted the morning announcements at his high school, Dunwoody High School, from which he graduated in 1993. During his academic career, Seacrest was a staff writer with the school paper, a member of the model UN club and captain of the Dunwoody High School Swim Team (The Aquanots).[5]
1990s
Seacrest began his career in 1990 at age 15 with Atlanta radio station WSTR/Star 94 FM while still in high school by interning with nighttime personality Tom Sullivan. Sullivan trained Seacrest in all aspects of broadcasting and put him on the air for the first radio broadcast of his career.[6]
In 1995, Seacrest became the afternoon drive DJ at “Star 98.7″ (KYSR-FM), an adult contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. Despite all of his other projects, he remained committed to that DJ role until 2003. Also during his early twenties, Seacrest hosted a few short-lived game shows. His first TV gig was Gladiators 2000 for syndication and Wild Animal Games for Fox Family (now ABC Family). In 1997, Seacrest hosted the weekly syndicated internet game Click, which lasted only two seasons. Also from time to time he became a substitute host for E!’s Talk Soup.
2000-present
Seacrest appeared as the host of the fictional game show Lover’s Lane on Beverly Hills, 90210 in “The Final Proof”.
Seacrest’s first major television job was as the host of The New Edge, a weekend morning show created by CNET showcasing new technology. Seacrest accepted the position as co-host of the hit reality TV series American Idol in 2002 with comedian Brian Dunkleman.
American Idol went on to become a success when the ratings went through the roof. This put Seacrest in the national spotlight. The following year, he became the sole host when Dunkleman left the show. (In a 2005 interview on the syndicated Howard Stern Show, Dunkleman insisted that it was his idea to leave Idol, to pursue his career as an actor, but he was bitter at Seacrest’s occasional put-downs after Dunkleman’s departure.) In 2003, Seacrest hosted the spin-off show, American Juniors.
In January 2004, Seacrest launched a daily entertainment/variety/talk syndicated television program, On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Due to low ratings, the show was cancelled and aired its last episode on September 17, 2004. In January of 2004, Seacrest became the new host of the legendary radio program American Top 40, created and formerly hosted by Casey Kasem. The show was syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. Before he took over as host on AT40, he was a substitute host four times in 2003. In February 2004, Seacrest became host of popular Los Angeles radio station KIIS’s morning show, replacing long-time host Rick Dees.[7] This show, also known as On Air With Ryan Seacrest, remains on the air. “Every day I’ve showed up at a radio station, and every day I’ve essentially talked on the radio. I mean every day of my life — Monday through Friday — since I was 15. So for me, I’m so used to walking into a studio and having interesting conversations people can relate to. It’s my job.”[8]
In January 2005, Seacrest hosted the “Celebration of Freedom” concert in Washington, DC for President George W. Bush, the Bush family and the United States Military.[9]
In late April 2005, Seacrest received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the age of 30.
In August 2005, it was announced that Seacrest would become executive producer and co-host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and that he would be the legendary producer-host’s eventual successor.[10] On December 31, 2005 Seacrest performed much of the show’s hosting duties. Dick Clark’s role was limited by speech and mobility issues due to his recovery from a stroke. It was also announced that Seacrest will be co-hosting a revamped version of American Bandstand, alongside game show host John O’Hurley, a job that Clark held for 37 years. Seacrest also occasionally serves as a substitute host on the CNN television program Larry King Live.
In January 2006, U.S. cable channel E! announced a three-year, $21 million deal for Seacrest to host and produce various programs, including E! News and its red carpet awards show coverages (E!’s signature piece of original programming).[11] An Associated Press profile portrayed Seacrest as using both the deal with E! and the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve involvement as a springboard towards a long-lasting career in television production and ownership. [12] In April 2006, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for co-hosting the 2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Seacrest had a very amusing cameo in the summer 2007 blockbuster film Knocked Up, where he steps out of his usual friendly host role on E! and rants about the stupidity of the interviews he has to conduct, noting that no one has anything to say about an exit strategy in Iraq or dealing with (presumably North) Korea.
Seacrest hosted the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 16, 2007.[13]
Ryan Seacrest has been signed up to host a new celebrity show on Capital 95.8 and GCap Media’s One Network in the UK. His new two-hour show, The Entertainment Edge, will premiere on London station Capital 95.8 at 11am on September 15 then it will be repeated the next day at 10am on the One Network, which comprises 42 regional radio stations in the UK with a total of 7 million listeners. The weekly show will comprise music and celebrity interviews and news updates and it has been put together by GCap Media and Premiere Radio Networks, which air Seacrest’s U.S. shows and will produce the programme.
Personal life
Seacrest reportedly earns $14 million a year, according to Forbes.[14]
Seacrest dated actress Shana Wall from 2003 through 2005. They have since been spotted together on various occasions.[15] Wall was one of the competitors on the The Amazing Race 12.
In March 2006, he was photographed hugging actress Mary-Kate Olsen, who later told Access Hollywood that she was “not attached.”[16] Seacrest also stated on the May 2, 2006 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he, “went out with her sister Ashley a couple times, but that was it.” Due to his longtime-bachelor status, rumors have persisted that Seacrest may be gay, due partly to the sometimes flirtatious banter between Seacrest and American Idol judge Simon Cowell. To date, Seacrest has steadfastly denied ever having a gay relationship, although he acknowledges “having no problem” with having gay fans.
In a 2003 interview, Seacrest answered gay rumors in an interview with the weekly entertainment magazine Steppin’ Out, “I’m trying to think of the best way to describe the feeling I get when I hear that particular rumor. I am a certain way. I am relatively clean cut and I do like to shop for clothes. If I had to break it down stereotypically, that would be a gay male habit. Well for me it’s not. It’s a straight male habit.” Stuff magazine called him “the American poster boy for metrosexuality.”[17] While denying the gay rumors, he does not shy away from activities that might further fan the rumors’ flames. In 2005, Seacrest sat as “Queen” of the annual Halloween Carnaval in West Hollywood, California, a city known for its large gay male population.[18]
On March 27, 2008, he was ranked number 7 in The Boston Phoenix list of “The 100 unsexiest men in the world.” [19]
Radio
* On Air with Ryan Seacrest: Host, executive producer
* American Top 40: Host
* 2003 Radio Music Awards: Co-host
* Star 98.7: Former Afternoon Drive Deejay at the Adult Contemporary Los Angeles station.
* 102.7 KIIS-FM: Current Morning Drive Deejay with co-host Ellen K on the Top 40 Los Angeles station.
* The Entertainment Edge: Host in the UK
* CFBT-FM: Host of “At 40 with Ryan Seacrest” {aka Top40 at The Beat 94.5 FM) - Sundays @ 2pm to 6pm
* 100.3 Z-100: Co-Host
Film
* Knocked Up: Cameo
Television
* E! News Live: Co-Host
* Super Bowl XLII (2008) Host for pregame and halftime shows
* Gladiators 2000: Co-Host
* Wild Animal Games: Host
* The New Edge: Host
* Ultimate Revenge: Host
* Fear Factor: Contestant
* Reality Check: Jack Craft
* The NBC Saturday Night Movie: Host
* American Idol: Host (season 2-present) Co-Host (season 1)
* American Juniors: Host
* Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve: Co-host, executive producer
* Hey Arnold!: Fighting Families Host
* E! News: Executive producer
* Larry King Live: Guest host, substitute host
* Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade: (2005) Host
* America’s Party: Live from Las Vegas: Host
* Good Day Live: Guest host
* Disneyland 2000: 45 Years of Magic: Host
* Robot Chicken: (2005) Himself
* Click: Host
* 59th Primetime Emmy Awards: Host
* Mind of Mencia: (2005) Himself
* Blind Date: Himself