IN THE VICIOUSLY COMPETITIVE, PERPETUALLY TENUOUS AND TOTALLY UNFORGIVING WORLD OF FINE DINING IN NEW YORK CITY, IF YOU’VE GOT A WINNER, DON’T MESS WITH IT, EVER. UNLESS YOU’RE DANIEL HUMM.
Four years ago, the Swiss expat was rolling. Since taking over the kitchen of restaurant impresario Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park in 2006, the onetime wunderkind (he earned his first Michelin star as an executive chef when he was just 24) had risen to the top of the international food chain. His neoclassical approach to cooking, firmly grounded in classic French technique yet also playful, whimsical and forward thinking, had just scored him four stars from the New York Times, three from Michelin and his first entry (albeit in last place) on San Pellegrino’s annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. A definitive, painstakingly crafted coffee-table cookbook was already in galleys. The engine was purring and the house was in order.
Then, with no warning, Humm and his partner/general manager Will Guidara announced that they had just bought out Meyer and were giving Eleven Madison Park a top-to-bottom makeover. It was an unprecedented gamble that paid off in spades. Since reopening in 2012, EMP has been the most awarded (and arguably the most relevant) restaurant in the United States. Famed for its 12-course tasting menu, Humm’s dream house has achieved top-5 status on the World’s Best Restaurants list for three years running.
Humm cites Miles Davis as the inspiration behind the relaunch of EMP, which is understandable. “Davis changed the musical landscape with just a trumpet and a vision—he didn’t reinvent the mechanism.” Humm operates in much the same way in the kitchen, with a less-is-more style whose stock-in-trade is execution, technique and specificity rather than molecular gastronomic invention.
“I’ve always believed that there is beauty in simplicity, that in fact it’s harder to put less ingredients than more,” says Humm of the guiding principle behind his masterfully restrained, exquisitely rendered plates. “As a young cook I would sometimes overthink things and use many techniques and dozens of ingredients on a plate. But now, if I can find a way to showcase only two to three ingredients, that’s a more successful, beautiful and delicious dish.”
The lengths to which Humm and his team go to provide an aesthetically flawless dining experience have become the stuff of legend among those who’ve had the pleasure of experiencing a meal at Eleven Madison Park. For starters, there’s the building itself: the old Met Life building, architect Harvey Wiley Corbett’s 1933 soaring art deco skyscraper in Manhattan’s Flatiron district. The dining room, an expansive, exquisite space with 29 tables, is staffed by four service teams: a sommelier, a captain and two servers, all of whom have spent countless hours in training to meet Humm’s exacting standards. (A maître d’ once joked to New York magazine that it takes 10 months to learn how to pour water properly at EMP.) “We’ve always wanted to bring a bit of fun to fine dining, with an equal importance put on delicious food and gracious service,” says Humm.
In order to keep pace with the standard set by the culinary marvels being prepared in the kitchen, the front-of-the-house team makes a point of doing their homework too. “Guests are joining us for three to four hours and we want them to have fun, to enjoy the meal, but also to be at ease and comfortable,” says Humm. “It’s important to us that we find creative ways to do that and to engage with them on a more human level. Maybe it’s through a communal course we serve on the table, or in going the extra step to provide a guest with something special.”
By the time guests arrive for the famed EMP 12-course menu, the staff will have already done their research, starting with preliminary interviews and extending to everything from cultural/geographic backgrounds to favorite musical genres. Then they’re paired with a dining team who can best relate to them personally. If you’re into bossa nova, don’t be surprised to get a captain for the evening who can hold her own in a conversation about Gilberto vs. Jobim.
“It’s humbling to receive such honors and naturally it provides some validation for the hard work we all put into this restaurant, but it’s important that we never rest on our laurels, or focus too hard on any of the awards,” says Humm. “EMP is a restaurant that’s ever-changing, and if we ever become complacent then the entire restaurant will suffer.”
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