Culinary legends Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse

Konrad Brattke Photography

It is difficult to imagine a pair of working chefs with greater combined success than Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse. Friends and colleagues for more than 50 years, together they have amassed a century of experience in some of the world’s top kitchens. Boulud flaunts four Michelin in his adoptive home of New York, while Ducasse holds an astonishing 21 across his global restaurant empire.

Earlier this month, the French titans reunited at Restaurant DANIEL in Manhattan’s Upper East Side for an ultra rare and exclusive collaboration dinner, bringing together a handful of other legends, like Michael Cimarusti and Rafa Costa e Silva. It was part of an annual charitable event called Sunday Supper, which Boulud has hosted for 28 years. This year alone, it raised $1.3 million for Citymeals on Wheels, benefiting homebound, food-insecure older New Yorkers.

Their culinary creations were on display across a $3500-per-person, four-course extravaganza that included – amongst many other delights – crispy lobster with artichoke and arugula, and Mekonga, a Vietnamese dark chocolate with coconut milk jam. All of it was paired alongside high end wines, curated by Boulud’s chief sommelier, Erin Healy.

For the lucky hundred-or-so guests in attendance, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment to enjoy fare conceived by a stable of tastemakers who rarely converge. But for fans of Boulud and Ducasse around the globe, it presents an opportunity to hear from these chefs side-by-side. We took advantage of that fleeting moment to gain some insight into world-class flavor construction, the elevated art of food and drink pairing, and how larger-than-life personalities can thrive when shoved into a frenetic and confined working space, side by side.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

When’s the first time you were in a kitchen together?

Alain Ducasse: “One of the first truly iconic moments was coming together in Monaco to celebrate Craig Claiborne, who was the editor of The New York Times food section and the man who really helped define modern gastronomic criticism. For his 70th birthday [in 1990], I organized an extraordinary celebration, bringing together the finest chefs from around the world. It was an incredible gathering.”

Daniel Boulud: “Another memory from early on. My daughter was born in October 1989, and in the late summer of 1990, my ex-wife was traveling back from France to New York with our first baby. At that same time, Alain was one of the chefs invited to cook for Citymeals. He had prepared wild squab from Provence — grilling it in Monaco, taking it off the bone, and finishing it on vine branches from the vineyard. It was then chilled, vacuum-packed, and placed into an aluminum suitcase to bring over on the plane. We had my ex-wife help get the squab through customs. At customs, the suitcase was thrown onto the belt and broke open, and the squab went everywhere. But of course, everything was gathered back up and packed inside again, and we still made it to the dinner in time.”

You both have such distinct personalities and presence in the kitchen. How do you ensure that you complement rather than compete when both occupying the same space.

DB: “We both come from the countryside, which means there is always room in the kitchen. It’s never a competition — this industry is really built on friendship.”

There’s a unique sense of community when chefs come together for a cause, how would you describe the energy and purpose behind Sunday Supper?

DB: “We really strive to cook with young chefs and alongside young chefs. It’s about collaboration and sharing knowledge. Education is incredibly important — the transmission of knowledge, creating books, and inspiring the next generation. Alain started a school about 20 years ago, and now it has grown into an institute with 700 students across pastry and cooking, representing 18 nationalities — an international school called ADN which is french to say DNA, and is a play on words Alain Ducasse Naturality."

You worked closely with Suntory Global Spirits for this event--specifically Roku Gin. What makes this Japanese gin so special? And what is the perfect martini serve?

DB: “We created a special cocktail for this Sunday Supper, in collaboration with Suntory, that I think is particularly suited to our spring menu. It’s called the ‘Spring Forward,’ where we infuse Roku Gin with celtuce and serve it with snap pea juice, grapefruit, and soda. The cocktail is vegetal and refreshing, and a perfect pairing with our spring hiramasa dish, as well as a seasonal salad. At my restaurant we celebrate a classic martini—2 to 1 [two parts gin to one part dry vermouth], with twists or an olive.”

When designing a dish, do you ever build it around a specific wine, or is wine always secondary?

DB: “Food and wine are symbiotic within the restaurant. Of course, our seasonal menus are pre-set, and our team works closely with the sommeliers to construct the best pairing for the dish. Our team likes to approach our seasonal pairings like adding finishing salt to the dish—something that elevates and transforms rather than simply complements. We do many events around wine at our restaurants, and in those cases we work in the opposite fashion. We consider the vintage and the style of the wine to construct a dish that will showcase the pairing in the best way. We also work with the winemaker in order to honor their storytelling through the menu."

For Sunday Supper, you created both a caviar tartlet and a crispy lobster course. What was your creative approach to these dishes, and how did you want them to resonate with guests?

AD: “We have chose caviar and lobster - ingredients of the highest nobility - to offer Citymeals guests a gesture of profound respect, a precious gift crafted with the utmost attention and care.The lobster is presented with a crispy tapioca rice layer that creates a shell around it. It honors my dear connection to Provence, where I spent so much precious time as a young chef.”

DB: “Of all the great chefs of France, Alain has always been the one opening the window toward other cuisines. He was one of the first to introduce ingredients like white truffle and balsamic vinegar in France, helping to showcase the treasures of Italy before many others did. His philosophy is always: what do we have available and what can we do with it – celebrating seasonality.”

How do you balance richness with modern diners’ preference for lighter wines?

DB: “With richness—whether it be cream-based sauces or foie gras—acidity is absolutely crucial in a wine pairing. Wines like dry Alsatian Riesling or Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley are great matches for some of our heavier dishes because their acidity cuts through the fat, making the entire dish feel lighter and more balanced. Today, we achieve that sense of richness through technique rather than excess. Many modern sauces use less butter and fat, relying instead on vegetables, reductions, and precise cooking to create depth and a natural silkiness. The result is more concentrated flavor delivered with a lighter touch on the plate. We also adjust structure: crisper or more highly seasoned dishes often feature less sauce, pairing naturally with younger, lighter wines. For richer preparations, we emphasize roundness and balance so the pairing remains gentle yet persistent, allowing both the wine and the dish to evolve together. Ultimately, lighter wines work beautifully with modern cuisine because the cooking is more precise, refined, and balanced—highlighting flavor without heaviness.”

There is a trend with younger diners drinking less. What would you say to younger folks about wine? And what do you want them to know and understand about wine?

AD: “Moderation is key to pleasure. It’s important to know wine, taste wine, and understand how it’s made. It’s also important to discover wines from great winemakers. There is such a wide palette of wine, there will always be something that fits your taste. Young people should also learn about the new generation of winemakers — second, third, or fourth-generation families taking over their estates. It’s important to connect with them and understand their work. That’s what I would want young people to learn.”

If you could only pair with one grape variety for the rest of your career, what would it be and why?

AD: “It depends on the person behind the wine. What interests me most is not the grape variety itself, but the vineyard and the individual — the man or woman behind it. When you know the person and their story, the wine becomes much more meaningful. For example, I know a couple in Bourguignon — a husband and wife — who are deeply committed to preserving the purity of their soil, ensuring it is free from GMOs and certain pesticides. It’s important to me to make room on a wine list for winemakers like them, who care so much about the earth and about producing wine in the most natural way possible. It’s also about education — training my team to understand these wines, to share them with guests, and to support and honor the people behind them. I truly believe the future of wine lies in this kind of responsibility and connection. In New York, we offer over 1700 wine references to our guests at Benoit. At its core, wine is simply the juice of grapes, transformed — and when it is done well, it reflects something authentic. Of course, not all wines labeled “natural” are good — some are among the worst — but when you find producers who meet that standard, who align with that philosophy, it becomes very special.”