Sunday Supper at DANIEL

An all-star cast of women chefs joined Chef Daniel Boulud at this annual gala at his eponymous Upper East Side restaurant. The annual fundraiser was emceed by award-winning journalist Tamron Hall and raised over $850,000 to prepare and deliver 115,175 meals to New York’s City’s homebound elderly.

This year’s all-female lineup of guest chefs included Clare Smyth (Core by Clare Smyth, London), Daniela Soto-Innes (Cosme, New York), Laëtitia Rouabah (Benoit, New York), Melissa J. Rodriguez (Del Posto, New York), Stephanie Izard (Girl & The Goat, Chicago) and Suzanne Goin (Lucques, Los Angeles), as well as pastry chef Ghaya Oliveira (Restaurant DANIEL).

“I am thrilled to celebrate yet another successful Sunday Supper at DANIEL, a night dedicated to raising money to feed our frail aged neighbors,” said Chef Daniel Boulud. “Citymeals supports the people who came before us and built the city I now call home. It brings me much joy to be joined by my talented chef peers, friends, family and supporters in honor of Citymeals on Wheels.”

For more than twenty years, Chef Boulud has hosted this intimate dinner, inviting notable culinary talents to join him in the kitchen to prepare and serve a lavish and inventive multi-course menu.

Beth Shapiro, Executive Director of Citymeals on Wheels, added, “On behalf of Citymeals on Wheels, we thank Chef Boulud, once again, for hosting another memorable evening in support of our organization. Year after year, Sunday Supper at DANIEL helps to make a difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable population by raising funds to prepare and deliver thousands of meals. Thank you to the chefs, Restaurant DANIEL staff, emcee Tamron Hall, our generous sponsors and all of our guests for their contributions and a night we won’t forget.”

Canapés served were:  leeks vinaigrette on toast with burrata, rapini pesto and sieved egg from Chef Goin; duck tartare, crisp mandarin pancake, pickled mushroom from Chef Izard; celery root fra diavolo with squaquerello and scalogno fritto from Chef Rodriguez; sea urchin bocol with cucumber salsa from Chef Soto-Innes; pâté en croûte, crab cake and corn, octopus, crispy quinoa, smoked pepper from Chef Rouabah; and Provence white asparagus, sauce Hollandaise, lomo Ibérico from Chef Lauren Brown (Restaurant DANIEL).

Featured dishes included: a Hamachi tiradito, pasilla mixe aguachile and sesame from Chef Soto-Innes; a Hamachi crudo with avocado, aguachile and finger lime from Chef Goin; ‘Potato and Roe’ with a dulse beurre blanc, herring and trout roe from Chef Smyth; confit goat belly with brown butter miso aioli, goat dashi and beet blood orange relish from Chef Izard; and stinco di vitello with spätzle allo zafferano and midollo from Chef Rodriguez.

Desserts included a Peruvian dark cacao, Cuban café crémeux cardamom “Lejay Crème de Cassis” sorbet from Pastry Chef Ghaya Oliveira and chocolate composition, cacao nib ice cream from Chef Laëtitia Rouabah and Pastry Chef Marion Bianchini (Benoit).

The Dinex Group’s Wine Director Daniel Johnnes and Head Sommelier Raj Vaidya, selected the fine wines that accompanied each course. The specialty cocktails of the night were the “By The Way” with Patrón Silver and the “XO Chai” with Patrón Añejo and Patrón XO Café.

The evening’s co-chairs were Nancy and Jon Bauer, Ellen and Robert S. Grimes, and Margo M. and James L. Nederlander.

Chef Boulud presented longtime Citymeals Board Member Anne Cohen with the “Serving Good Daily” award for her dedication to Citymeals’ mission. Anne has served on the board for 15 years, including five as board co-president, and helped create the forerunner of the corporate delivery program. 

The evening included live and silent auctions of one-of-a-kind travel and dining experiences, specialty gourmet selections, and rare and large format wines. Live auction lots included an incredible trip to Guadalajara and a stay at La Cason, Patrón’s distillery and hacienda; several nights in London at the 5-star Mandarin Oriental-Hyde Park, and more.

Official sponsors of the event were Citymeals’ Official Airline American Airlines, Citymeals’ Official Water FIJI Water, Patrón Tequila, BMW and City National Bank.

See photos and coverage of the event in The Daily Meal and Town & Country.