Hot Chefs

Chef Zach Bell Cafe Boulud The Brazilian Court Hotel 301 Australian Avenue Palm Beach, Fl  33480  561-655-6060 www.cafeboulud.com

Chef Zach Bell - Mr. August, 2011                            

Chef Daniel Boulud put it best.  “Zach is an energetic and talented young chef who has absorbed the best of what French technique has to offer. I remember the first meal he cooked for me years ago in Miami and was convinced of his passion from that moment.”

Zach's life in the kitchen began in elementary school, when he spent afternoons in the kitchen of the hotel where his family resided for a few months.  At the young age of 14, he began working at a local steakhouse as a dish washer. He watched, learned, put in his dues and climbed the ladder to became a cook. He continued cooking through high school and his first years of college.

Three years into an undergraduate Physical Therapy program at Valencia College, Zach made an abrupt career turn.  He got a job at The Orlando Marriott where the hotel's executive chef recognized his talents and inspired him to transfer to the culinary program at Johnson & Wales.  While at school he worked with Chef Charles Saunders at William's Island Yacht Club where he learned California style cuisine, and then with Chefs Marc Poidevin and Sacha Lyon at Miami's Biz Bistro where Zach spent two years and then followed the pair to Le Cirque 2000 in New York. After just two months, Zach was promoted from the banquet kitchen to chef de partie tournant, and then to saucier. These first steps in a French kitchen established the direction for his future. He absorbed the technique, care and attention to detail that set this cooking apart from all he had experienced before. The exposure greatly refined his approach to vegetables, garnishes and sauces.  

At Le Cirque, Zach worked alongside then sous chef Andrew Carmellini who went on to open Café Boulud with Daniel Boulud in October 1998. Three months later Zach followed as saucier and soon sous-chef at Café Boulud.

Zach perceives cooking as a craft; melding technical skill with a love of food and a respect for process. No short cuts! The young chef’s personal affinity for meat shines through in intensely flavored dishes such as his tartine of squab: grilled sourdough layered with wild mushroom duxelle, braised squab leg and sautéed squab liver, with roasted squab breast and an à la minute jus, finished with foie gras butter and a delicate mâche salad. The nearby Florida waters provide fine fish, especially Zach’s favorite Mahi Mahi. He pairs it with a summer squash, apple and mussel stew, Colombo curry, coconut milk and cilantro.

Fast forward ten years: Zach is running the kitchen of Café Boulud Palm Beach, introducing his clientele to Daniel Boulud’s idea of fine dining by crafting elegant, intelligent dishes inspired by his surroundings and firmly rooted in the French cuisine of his mentor. His dishes bring a lot to the plate, and do so intelligently.

“Zach is a great asset to us and has become the face of Café Boulud in Palm Beach. His maturity, depth of culinary knowledge, organizational skills, and above all, great palate serve him well in this challenge.”, says Daniel Boulud.
 

Awards
Since opening Cafe Boulud Palm Beach, he has earned the restaurant numerous awards including Wine Spectator Magazine's "Best Of" Award of Exellence, four stars in the Mobil Travel Guide, Boca Raton Magazine's awards for Best New Kid on the Block, Stellar Hotel Restaurant, and Most Exciting New Menu, as well as Florida Trend Magazine's Golden Spoon Award. 

Zach, himself, is a three time nominee for the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef - South (2008, 2009, 2010). Nominees for this award are, literally, the finest in the country, as it is known as "The Acadamy Awards" for the culinary industry.