Chef Daniel Boulud was born in France and raised on his family's farm near Lyon. After being nominated as a candidate for best cooking apprentice in France, he went on to train under some of the country's most renowned chefs. In 1981, he made his way to the United States, where he worked as a private chef for an ambassador of the European Commission, then as Executive Chef in New York at Le Régence at the Hotel Plaza Athenée and Le Cirque.