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David Bouley, the American chef who first translated French nouvelle cuisine into the New American style that shaped modern high-end cooking, died Monday at his home in Kent, Conn. He was 70.
The death, from a heart attack, was confirmed by his wife, Nicole Bartelme.
Mr. Bouley’s simple but sleek cuisine made a grand entrance in 1985 at Montrachet, the restaurant that put TriBeCa on the map as a culinary destination. It was one of the first modern French restaurants to receive three stars from The New York Times.
At his restaurant Bouley, which operated in several locations between 1987 and 2017, he introduced New Yorkers to new ideas like Japanese-style tasting menus, vegetable-based sauces and the value of locally farmed ingredients. “We never used caviar and truffles,” said Bill Yosses, the former White House pastry chef, who worked at with Mr. Bouley at Montrachet and Bouley for almost 20 years. “David was much more interested in Tristar strawberries.”
Bouley’s entrance was perpetually stacked with ripening apples, reminding guests that they were far from the cut flowers and crystal vases of Midtown’s classic temples to French cuisine: Le Cirque, Le Périgord and La Côte Basque. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bouley had worked in all three.
He also trained influential chefs like Dan Barber, Christina Tosi, Anita Lo and James Kent.
Mr. Bouley’s path was shaped by his mother’s French heritage. At a time when French chefs ruled global fine dining, Mr. Bouley’s command of the language led him into the kitchens of chefs like Paul Bocuse, Joël Robuchon, Roger Vergé, Gaston Lenôtre and Frédy Girardet.
Like those chefs, Mr. Bouley was fascinated by the seasonality, beauty and precision of Japanese cuisine. In 2011, in collaboration with the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, Japan, he opened Brushstroke, an innovative restaurant that later housed the omakase counter Ichimura.
A full obituary will appear soon.
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