I really feel I have found myself as a chef. It's very clear to me what I want to do - and how it should taste.

Daniel Humm

Categorized in : Me Myself Feel Chef

I am honored to receive the James Beard award and so incredibly proud of my entire team at Eleven Madison Park.

award i-am beard team

People often think of New York as a city, a concrete jungle with soaring skyscrapers and yellow taxis and the bright lights of Times Square. And it is that, in part. But beyond that, it's rolling hills of fruit orchards and fields of grain and ice-cold waters brimming with oysters.

city lights yellow people

No tablecloths, silver cutlery, fine porcelain, sommeliers, or deep wine lists - that's fine. But no service or hospitality? That's going too far.

deep service hospitality wine

What I love about Thanksgiving is that it's purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It's really for everybody, and it doesn't matter where you're from.

thanksgiving family food love

Passion for what you do is essential to success in any profession. That passion naturally keeps you interested and aware of everything that is going on around you, anything affecting your craft.

your you passion success

Just as food is a craft, great service is, too. It can take years to perfect the technical aspects of clearing a plate, carving tableside, or pouring wine, and a lifetime to master the emotional elements of service.

great service wine food

The perfect ham and cheese sandwich is all about focusing on quality ingredients and about simple techniques. You start with great bread, a well-cured ham and a sharp local cheese, and the rest is easy. A little butter in a pan and a little patience - in the end you'll have a sandwich that is at once comforting and delicious.

you quality simple patience

I'm from Switzerland, so I grew up with great chocolate.

great up switzerland chocolate

You've got to listen to your guests.

listen your you guests

The visual aspect of a dish is so important; the shapes and colors and overall design have to strike the right mood and convey the right idea.

colors mood design important

What people don't think about when they think about New York is this amazing farmland that grows wonderful fruits, vegetables, seafood, game, and fowl just outside of Manhattan.

amazing game think people

If you are working with high quality products, you can elevate the flavors more by cooking it at a low temperature than you can by searing it.

high you quality cooking

Almonds can be used in sweet and savory dishes very easily.

very dishes used sweet

I think New York is truly unique in its singular combination of the quality of both the talent it attracts and the ingredients it grows. There are plenty of other places in the world with wonderful natural resources, but the people who come here to pursue their passions for food and cooking - they are one of a kind.

quality cooking food people

When I moved to the United States, I first went to California to be the chef at Campton Place. As much as I loved California, I really missed the seasons. So when I moved to New York, I had that again.

loved new place chef

The seasons had always been a part of the way I cooked and ate in Switzerland, and they again became what guided me in New York.

new me seasons way

I do believe there will always be a place for beautiful cookbooks that are real books.

will place beautiful believe

The Rolling Stones seemed very loose and wild, but when you read about them, you realize that everything they did is very deliberate.

wild realize everything you

I love New York, where I live - it's the best city in the world. Nowhere in the world do you have so many nationalities that are actually mixed together - it's so multicultural.

best you together love

Everyone comes to live in New York because they want to achieve something, and for that reason, there's this energy in the city that is just electrifying and inspiring.

live city new energy