Dining out in Manhattan is an experience—it can entrance, transport, or mesmerize diners into unknown territory. That's exactly what Daniel Humm of Three MICHELIN Star Eleven Madison Park and his team achieve on a nightly basis. "Anything that we do is to enhance the experience of our guests and to make this a memorable occasion," said Humm. "At the core of going to a restaurant is to be with your friends, your family, and your loved ones, and in everything that we do, we want to elevate that experience between them." And this past Tuesday evening at the 25th anniversary of Eleven Madison Park, Humm did just that with a lavish dinner highlighting dishes past and present to a room filled with friends including Francesco Clemente, Laura Dern, and Rashid Johnson.
"Daniel’s cuisine always aims to please," said Johnson. "Unlike some chefs who prioritize aesthetics over taste, Daniel has the radical notion that one doesn’t need to come at the expense of the other. Daniel is a minimalist in presentation and a maximalist in preparation." Echoing Johnson's sentiment was a minimalist to her core, designer and eco-champion Gabriela Hearst. "It’s all about the ingredients," added Hearst who describes Humm's cuisine as, "exquisite; tasteful; poetry." The duo were in attendance and chatted over equally artful Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru cocktails (shiso and green apple) in the Johnson designed bar.
For Humm, the history of Eleven Madison Park is just as relevant as its present and its future. That's why he's created an innovative menu celebrating highlights over the course of a quarter century. "The retrospective menu available through October 31st is the sum of our story and the building blocks that have led us to create and innovate," said Humm. It's that forward-thinking behavior that led to Humm, and Eleven Madison Park's, success even during the pandemic. "Our plant-based transformation and purpose-driven mission today through our partnership with Rethink Food helps create a more sustainable future," said Humm. "Our goal is to inspire people both within and beyond the fine-dining world to help effect change from the top down and showcase the transformative power of food and plant-based cooking."
To that end, Humm and the Eleven Madison Park team are building upon their recent engagements at the Global Citizen Festival and UN Climate Week, along with advocating for equitable, sustainable food systems with Rethink Food. The chef is also releasing a book, Eat More Plants, that chronicles Humm's notes, thoughts, and sketches throughout the process of transitioning Eleven Madison Park to plant-based. It's just another element of the chef's unyielding mission to educate, illuminate, and delight through the plate. Humm's friend Questlove described his cuisine as, "bold; wonder; evolved" something that the chef chalks up to having progressively minded diners. "If [diners] are able to leave with a beautiful memory and experience and their mind open to the beauty of whole produce and plant-based cuisine, then we have succeeded," said Humm. And if the first 25 years are anything to go by, Humm and Eleven Madison Park's future seems to be on solid (and green) footing.
Hero image: Ye Fan
All photos: Ye Fan
