Classic and contemporary French cuisine will soon be on the tips of tongues, literally and figuratively, in the capital of Saudia Arabia, as Café Boulud Riyadh readies for its debut later this year at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre. The buzz-worthy modern restaurant serving inventive twists on traditional dishes by world-renowned Chef Daniel Boulud will satiate a growing appetite for French cuisine among locals and visitors in the city, playing off on Saudi Arabia’s embrace of global culinary experiences that is inspiring innovation at the luxury end of hospitality across the country.
Set to be located on the Lobby level of Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, Café Boulud Riyadh will showcase Chef Boulud’s celebration of the culinary traditions of Lyon, as well as his embrace of seasonality, with menus that change in keeping with availability of the best and freshest imported and local ingredients.
Raised on his family’s farm in Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu, a small village not far from Lyon, Chef Boulud was steeped in French culinary traditions and the wonders of fresh ingredients from a young age. At 15, he entered his first apprenticeship at the eponymous, two-Michelin-starred restaurant of Chef Gérard Nandron in Lyon, and by 17 he was honored as a finalist for the Best Culinary Apprentice in France.
Since arriving in New York in 1982, Chef Boulud has established himself as one of America’s leading culinary authorities. After working as Executive Chef at the famed Le Cirque in New York City, Chef Boulud began dazzling palates on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on his own with the opening of his two-Michelin starred flagship Restaurant Daniel in 1993, followed by the original Café Boulud New York in 1998. Café Boulud currently has locations in Palm Beach, Toronto, and the Bahamas as well as New York.
The Café Boulud brand is especially meaningful for Chef Boulud, as it is named after the original Café Boulud started on his family’s farm outside of Lyon, France by his great-grandparents. Chef Boulud’s rendition of this heritage is focused on four inspirations: La Tradition – the classic dishes of French cooking; La Saison – the seasonal specialties of the market; Le Potager – the vegetable garden; and Le Voyage – the exotic flavors of the world’s great cuisines.
The first Café Boulud in the Middle East will serve artistic offerings all its own, fashioned in collaboration with Chef Daniel Boulud and Executive Chef de Cuisine Nicolas Lemonye, who brings a decade and a half of experience at highly rated restaurants in France, Indonesia, the U.S., and the Middle East. Lemonye knows both the creativity and exacting standards of Chef Boulud intimately, having spent seven years working in the kitchens of Daniel in New York City and Brasserie Boulud in Dubai.
“We are very much looking forward to introducing the essence of French cuisine and the culinary creativity of Chef Daniel Boulud to our guests, locals, and travelers from around the world with the debut of Café Boulud later this year,” said Guenter Gebhard, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh. “With appreciation of classic cuisines from around the world growing here in Saudi Arabia – and nothing is more classic than French – we have the right restaurant at the right time to make a significant impact & elevate the dining scene here in Riyadh.”
