Grant Achatz, Daniel Boulud, and Pierre Gagnaire, A Generational Discussion, 2009

In lieu of a registration fee, pay-what-you-can donations can be made to C-CAP: https://ccapinc.org/donate/ The last presentation on the main stage of the 2009 StarChefs International Chefs Congress was arguably one of the most anticipated panels of the three days. Modern Cuisine: A Generational Discussion with Grant Achatz, Daniel Boulud, and Pierre Gagnaire was a free-flowing conversation among the three renowned chefs and covered topics from where they get their inspiration to the art of opening multiple restaurants. Achatz quoted Gagnaire: “Only young chefs are afraid to open their second restaurant.” They concluded with a general discussion on American cuisine, as Gagnaire was about to launch his first U.S. restaurant, Twist, in Las Vegas. He believed that the United States is so large and diverse that it's too difficult to nail down a national cuisine, but Boulud countered that with the help of media outlets, like StarChefs, it's possible for chefs to tap into industry buzz and trends. Overall, the effect was powerful: In essence, Boulud and Gagnaire passed on the proverbial baton to Achatz, who they described as the leader of the current generation of American chefs. They weren’t wrong. In 2009, the year of the panel, Achatz’s Alinea made The Restaurant Magazine’s list of top 10 restaurants in the world, right after Pierre Gagnaire. The next year, Alinea would surpass both Pierre Gagnaire and Daniel on the list.