Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
New chef at Café Boulud Palm Beach
There’s someone new helming the kitchen at Café Boulud Palm Beach, the first restaurant famous French chef Daniel Boulud ever opened outside of New York City.
Chef Dieter Samijn replaces Rick Mace, who left to open Tropical Smokehouse in West Palm Beach. Samijn was plucked from Boulud’s Manhattan French bistro Bar Boulud on the Upper West Side, where he has been executive chef for two years.
“The weather is great for sure,” Samijn says of his move from
New York City to South Florida. “I like it. It’s a change, but I love it. Business-wise, everything here is open, with the outdoor seating.”
From Belgium to Palm Beach
As for why Samijn was chosen out of the stable of chefs ensconced in Boulud’s 16 international properties (including Boulud Sud in Miami), he refers to Samijn’s worldliness being a good match for Palm Beach.
“Dieter is very much like me, a world traveler,” says Boulud. “He has a sense of other cultures, other cuisines. He has also been in America for [almost] a decade. He has a very strong background having worked in a Michelin star restaurant. I know very well his mentor.”
Samijn started by following his younger sister to culinary school and went on to work with world-renowned Chef Alain Ducasse throughout Europe.
In 2010 he made the move to
the United States, eventually landing as executive chef and general manager at B Too in Washington, D.C., a Belgian-inspired restaurant by “Top Chef ” alum Bart Vandaele, where he stayed for four years. After a few other stops along the way, he took on the executive chef role at Bar Boulud in 2018.
What Palm Beachers can expect
Samijn says he’s been spending the last few weeks in South Florida (he and his wife will start looking for permanent digs soon), getting a feel for the cuisine vibe.
“I want to adapt to what the guests here will eat and what they want,” he explains. “I’ve been talking to them a little bit, looking for input.”
Patrons should expect Samijn’s first menu to include local ingredients.
“I would love to use a lot of seafood because there is some really nice seafood around here,” he continues. “As always we work with farms for some nice mushrooms. There are lots of farms here growing nice products. We’re looking into some frog legs from the Everglades. It’s going to stay for sure French, with a little bit of Florida hits.”
Boulud says that the restaurant will continue to do its own curing of meat (Samjin is known for his charcuterie skills) and making pâté.
“There will always be some French traditional techniques and things we do,” Boulud says. “One thing for sure, once in a while we will have coq au vin, which is a very popular dish.”
Both men agree that the menu will continue to reflect seasonality with a few staple classic dishes. And Palm Beach’s love of fine wines and luxe leisure will be indulged.
“We will continue to do wine dinners and find many ways to entertain our customers,” Boulud says. “People down there have a little bit more leisure time to be entertained. So we’ll continue to have truffle dinners, pinot noir dinners. Palm Beach is casual fine dining. Café Boulud has all the fine dining scene of [his NYC restaurant of the same name] and the ambiance of a bistro approach, all at the same time.”