Q & A with Eleven Madison Park's Daniel Humm

Daniel Humm just made one of the most exciting restaurant industry deals this year, purchasing Eleven Madison Park from Danny Meyer with his partner Will Guidara. That's just the beginning for the budding entrepreneurs, who will be running the food program at the new NoMad Hotel.  While it was a shock to much of the New York dining scene, it was part of Humm's longtime goal to start his own company with Guidara.

"Will, Danny and I began to have conversations about how Will and I wanted to start our own company," Humm says. "Those conversations lasted two years and included lots of different ideas on how we could achieve that dream without having to leave Eleven Madison Park. Ultimately, we all came to the same place." 

So they revamped the seating and implemented a unique, new tasting menu that lists only ingredients, not dishes, encouraging conversation and spontaneity in the kitchen. Since Humm took over,  EMP has been so successful that he and Guidara are releasing a restaurant cookbook next month.  On his nights off, Humm heads to Torrisi and Franny's in Brooklyn.  Even great chefs have kitchen disasters. He botched a roast chicken on his first date with his wife.  "Needless to say, we went out for Chinese food that night," Humm tells us.

Single/Married/Divorced?
Married.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I was torn between being a competitive cyclist and a chef.

What were some of your favorite things to eat as a child growing up in Switzerland? 
My favorite childhood food memories are of tasting fresh produce at the height of their ripeness at the local market with my mother. Very simple, but these memories have lasted me a lifetime.

Where do you go for great Swiss cooking in New York? 
My home. I love recreating dishes from my childhood for my family.  For me, this is the best way to teach them about true Swiss cuisine.

What was your first job in food and what did you learn? 
When I was eight, I began spending my summers helping out around the local markets.  The following year, I was lucky enough to work on a few farms, picking cherries, strawberries, apples and walnuts. 

What's the biggest mistake you've ever made in the kitchen? 
When my wife and I were first dating, I invited her over to my apartment to cook dinner for her for the first time.  I had planned a very simple dinner, though I was still very nervous. The chicken was nearly done roasting when she arrived and we started to drink wine. And then I smelled the burning skin.  Needless to say, we ended up going out for Chinese food that night.

You began your first culinary apprenticeship at only 14-years-old. Was it difficult taking on all that responsibility at such a young age? 
The most important thing about a career is loving what you do, so of course it was difficult and there were challenges involved, but I loved every moment of it.

What were some of the most important things that you learned from your mentor, Chef Rabaey, at the three- Michelin star Restaurant, Pont de Brent?
Re-inventing the wheel is not necessary. Tomatoes and basil, rabbit and mustard, spring peas and pork, white truffles and chestnuts, pecorino and pears - these flavors will forever be delicious.

You were also the executive chef at the extremely successful Campton Place in San Francisco. Do you miss the San Francisco dining scene? 
San Francisco was the first city I visited in America and it's the city that made me fall in love with the United States. It's the city where I learned English and the city where I first tasted sea urchin.  San Francisco will always have a special place in my heart.

Eleven Madison Park had been going strong for eight years when you and Will Guidara, EMP's general manager, came into the picture.  You decided to make significant changes, like seating fewer guests and doing away with a la carte dining. Why rethink an already successful restaurant concept and why do you think it's earned such acclaim since you've been in the kitchen? 
Danny [Meyer] brought both Will and I on to work at Eleven Madison Park because he felt that this restaurant had the bones to something much bigger, something much grander than he had originally planned.  We've been successful because we've been fortunate enough to put together a team of people who are passionate, who are driven and who believe in the spirit of our endeavor.

What inspired the most recent change, that being the daily changing menu? How's the response been and how has it been challenging as well as rewarding for you as a chef? 
The most recent change was inspired by our effort to find balance between the classic prix fixe menu and the chef's tasting menu offered at so many restaurants of our caliber. The former gives the guest control, while the latter brings with it a sense of surprise. We love that we've created an experience that offers both. We also wanted to create more dialogue between the guest and our service staff, and create an environment in the kitchen that's more creative and fun. There are some restaurants out there that make a point of saying "no substitutions," we are trying to do just the opposite.

And you did all of this in let's face it, not the best of economic times (to say the least!).  Yet, it's so successful, so what would you say to those critics who have declared that fine dining is dead? 
There will always be a need for luxury, for the people that can afford to experience it all the time, and for those that save up their money so that they be pampered every so often. I don't believe fine dining will ever die, so long as it evolves with the times. At Eleven Madison Park, we are striving to be the modern four star restaurant. It's been an amazing journey.

Describe your ideal meal this fall at Eleven Madison Park. 
I have so many ideas for the fall; It's hard to choose one.  But of course, fall brings the first of the truffle season, which is always so exciting.

Other than Eleven Madison Park, what are some of your favorite spots to eat on your days off? 
I am huge fan of Torrisi - I love what they are doing over there.  I also love Franny's in Brooklyn. And for an elegant night out, I think Daniel continues to be one of the best places in town. Other than that, with a new baby at home, we find ourselves cooking more than ever.

How did you get involved in your most recent project overseeing the eateries at the NoMad Hotel?
Both Will and I have wanted to be entrepreneurs for a long time. With the NoMad Hotel project came the opportunity to do something that was rooted in the values of Eleven Madison Park but that was a little more laid back

What are your plans for the menu both in the restaurant and the lounge at NoMad? We heard it's focused on "local favorites with French roots." 
We'll have a hearth there where we'll make a lot of rustic dishes, and we're looking forward to the encouraging guests to share a lot of different dishes and have an experience that's very communal.

The biggest news to date is that you and Will Guidara will be buying Eleven Madison Park from Danny Meyer.  How exactly did that come about?
About a year before we received our fourth star, Will, Danny and I began to have conversations about how Will and I wanted to start our own company. Those conversations lasted two years and included lots of different ideas on how we could achieve that dream without having to leave Eleven Madison Park. Ultimately, we all came to the same place.  

We read that you told Danny over dinner at EMP that you wanted to open your restaurant.  Was it your idea or did he propose the move?
Will and I knew we wanted to be restaurateurs, and Danny, having opened Union Square Café when he was very young, was incredibly supportive of that desire from the moment we first approached him about it. 

Danny Meyer's a veteran on the New York dining scene.  Are you nervous about taking over a New York institution like EMP? 
Danny has been such an important part of what we've been able to do here. His support over the years has been amazing, and he has always empowered us to do what we thought was best for Eleven Madison Park. In that sense, he has set us up for success. He is our role model and has been a father figure to us, and we want nothing else but to make him proud.  We have learned a lot from Danny, and from each other, and we feel confident that we have what it takes to succeed in our new roles.

Any more changes when it becomes official? 
The nature of Eleven Madison is to continue to reinvent itself, to stay fresh, to continue changing. That being said, there will be no changes spurred on by the change in ownership. We have been given the autonomy to build this restaurant over the last five years and it is exactly what we want it to be.

Photo Credit: Francesco Tonelli

Eleven Madison Park
Address: 11 Madison Ave. nr. E. 24th St.
Phone: (212) 889-0905