Five Courses and Five-Star Talent at Boulud’s Alumni Dinner

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – When you put some of the world’s top culinary talent in one kitchen, you know something special is about to happen, and that’s exactly what happened at Baha Mar, where world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud turned an alumni reunion into a five-course fine-dining experience.

Daniel Boulud – World-Renowned Chef

“ There’s thousands of them, so we picked up the three best. And so this is a very collaborative dinner. We work together, we help each other, but we also…you know…for some of them, it’s the first time that they cook here at the…festival.”

First up was Chef André, who brought a taste of Southern France to the table with his chilled spiny lobster.

Chef André – Boulud Alumnus

“ You always feel like you’re part of a family once you work with Daniel. So it’s always such a pleasure, you know, finding the staff that was there in our time and working with people that had kind of a similar experience that I had. So very special, and it’s such a, a beautiful event.”

Then came New York City chef Melissa Rodriguez, who served up a little Italian flair, a dish that happened to be one of my favorites

Melissa Rodriguez – Chef, New York City

“ My dish was the smoked ricotta cappellacci with sun gold tomato. You know, the summer tomato season and in our restaurant…the cuisine is really focused on a open fire grill, so the smoky ricotta is kind of a nod to that.”

Chef Helen Nguyen put a Vietnamese twist on local red snapper.

Even though she brought her own flavors to The Bahamas, she’s also taking home a few local kitchen secrets.

Helen Nguyen – Chef, New York City

“ I would love to work with more conch. So I learned how to clean it a lot more efficiently this, during this trip. I also watch a lot of videos too, and so some of the chefs in the kitchen who are actually born and raised here gave me some techniques, so definitely taking that home with me.”

Then from there, it was back to the French classics.

Chef Thibaut Dominguez joined Boulud’s team to prepare a traditional duck dish, another crowd pleaser.

Thibaut Dominguez – Chef, France

“ It was amazing, really. I’m very happy to work with chef Daniel and also all the chefs of the alumni in diner…there is also some, you know, different kind of experiences of different chefs, of different techniques and everything. So it was a very pleasure to work with everyone here.”

Saving the sweetest for last was Japanese pastry chef Yoko Ogata, who brought a decadent chocolate creation to the table.

Yoko Ogata – Executive Pastry Chef, Le Pavillion

“ I mean, it’s very interesting to see. It’s like a collaborating from different places, different restaurant, and with this, like, a tropical weather.”

For these chefs, the chance to cook together again was a reminder that while their careers may have taken them in different directions, they’ll always share the same culinary roots.