Executive Sous Chef Evan Neumann Prepares to Join NYC’s Michelin Starred Restaurant Daniel
Sought after French sous chef Evan Neumann, 26, who spent the last year opening Essential by Christophe, has been tapped to join multi-award winning chef Daniel Boulud’s elegant French flagship restaurant, Daniel, in NYC.
Featured by Forbes, Vogue, Town & Country and numerous other industry trades, Daniel is a pillar of contemporary French cuisine and world-class wine where jackets are required and high profile clientele are in frequent attendance.
The two Michelin starred establishment, which boasts a spacious dining room illuminated by custom Bernardaud porcelain chandeliers and offers a four-course seasonal prix fixe menu, as well as a seven-course tasting menu, is a cornerstone of the renowned Dinex group, which has 12 restaurants in the city.
“It is an opportunity to be able to develop my career internationally in a renowned group. I hope to bring joy to my team with the pleasure of working and learning new things” says chef Evan Neumann cheerfully. “I aim to leverage my expertise to optimize the kitchen stations and streamline the process of delivering dishes to the guests at restaurant Daniel, as well as offer my creativity and the knowledge that I’ve acquired from the great French chefs I’ve worked with.”
A rare placement for someone so young, Neumann’s role as executive sous chef will place him in charge of the quality of production, which entails everything from sourcing and ordering the freshest products to ensuring their quality upon delivery. Taking on a strong managerial and organizational role within the restaurant, which employs a team of around 40 employees, Neumann will not only personally oversee the culinary craftsmanship, guaranteeing each dish is meticulously prepared to perfection and impeccably seasoned, but he will also be responsible for creating the hygiene procedure and technical protocol for the employees.
While the young French chef’s entry into such a critical role may seem surprising to some, it makes perfect sense considering his illustrious career thus far– which includes working in Joël Robuchon’s two Michelin starred establishment in Monte Carlo at the age of 18, followed by the three-star Alain ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, and by 21, heading up his own gourmet restaurant, L’Essentiel, in Avignon, France.
“Evan has the perfect culinary classic cooking training to join the Daniel team to continue and perpetuate the Daniel restaurant legacy,” explains Daniel Executive Chef Eddy Leroux, who also began his career at a young age with his culinary training starting at the age of 14, and by 23, working under chef Alain Senderens at the Michelin 3-star restaurant, Lucas Carton.
“Daniel cuisine is unique to New York and we need to maintain our rating and reputation by hiring talented chefs like Evan. He will be a great mentor to the young chefs that Daniel has become known for mentoring within the US.”
Neumann’s introduction to the New York culinary scene came last year when he was invited by chef Christophe Bellanca to collaborate on the opening of his Upper West Side restaurant, Essential by Christophe, which was recently added to the Michelin Guide.
Drawing upon his own personal knowledge and culinary experience, as executive sous chef Neumann not only helped create the dishes and deserts in accordance with chef Bellanca’s philosophy, but he was also responsible for organizing the stations, mobilizing the teams, and creating the technical sheets for the employees to follow, handling the product orders, and much more.
“With remarkable precision and finesse, Evan orchestrated the preparation of every dish, flawlessly bringing my culinary vision to life. Under his dynamic leadership, the team truly flourished,” says chef Christophe Bellanca.
“Evan’s impact goes well beyond the kitchen and encompasses menu development, the sourcing of premium ingredients, and a tireless dedication to pushing the boundaries of culinary innovation. His role is defined by an unwavering commitment to excellence, where even the tiniest details are meticulously attended to, all in service of delivering an unparalleled dining experience.”
Neumann first worked with chef Bellanca back in 2020 as the sous chef involved in the opening of chef Anne Sophie Pic’s high profile Michelin starred restaurant La Dame de Pic situated within the Four Seasons Hotel Megève.
Bellanca and Neumann worked on the menu for the restaurant in Anne Sophie Pic’s kitchen in Valence, France where they did tests to put the menu in place, ensuring that it was driven by products found from the local producers in Megève. Following several successful seasons at La Dame de Pic, which is known for its delicate cuisine, unique pairings and incorporation of wild herbs, Neumann was invited by Bellanca to try his hand as a leading sous chef in the states, where he has continued to thrive.
“I felt very proud that chef Christophe Bellanca asked me to be the sous chef at his new restaurant in New York. It was a new challenge for me to start an international career,” says Neumann, who finds his work as sous chef to be profoundly stimulating as he continues to explore new culinary territories and carve out a strong reputation for himself.
He continues, “To become a chef you must first understand the kitchen and then define your culinary identity– it is the ultimate challenge and the one for which you question yourself every day. For this you must always be open to discovery and encounters with new cultures…. I love the discovery.”
Reflecting on Neumann’s career so far, it’s easy to see that he loves a challenge. From the very beginning he has sought to work with the best, and he has since achieved what most other chefs take decades to accomplish. Mentored by Joël Robuchon who, with 31 Michelin stars to his name has the highest ranking in the world, and Alain Ducasse, who ranks as number two with 21 stars, Neumann’s culinary training is unmatched.
“From chef Joël Robuchon I learned the rigor and classics of French cuisine with his vision and taste for travel. At his restaurant in Monaco, rigor was essential. All the plates are very precise, and we absolutely had to be meticulous and rigorous in the dressage,” recalls Neumann.
“And of course Alain Ducasse who has a revolutionary vision of cooking… He made me understand the importance of seasoning a plate, the importance of choosing products and finding new techniques, such as lacto-fermentation. For me, he is the most visionary leader currently with his concept of naturalness.”
No stranger to hard work, Neumann began his career working for the two best chefs in the world. Absorbing valuable information from each of them during his time in the brigade, such as the importance of product choice from Ducasse and refined style from Robuchon, his knowledge and experience have made him a highly coveted sous chef internationally.
“It was a challenge, I had a desire to succeed that left no place for doubt or intimidation. I was there with pleasure and the goal of learning as much as possible and evolving quickly,” explains Neumann about the work he put in during those early years.
Arguably one of the most demanding and high pressure positions within the kitchen, the sous chef is always present and available in the kitchen to deal with unforeseen events and oversee the quality of the dishes as they go out, while also serving as a team leader to the staff. The executive chef’s right hand, a strong sous chef is not only able to source and select the perfect products for the institution, but their presence and ability to maintain cohesion among the kitchen teams allows the executive chef the freedom to experiment with new dishes with faith that everything will continue to run smoothly.
In addition to his work as sous chef to Christophe Bellanca and Anne Sophie Pic, Neumann also served as executive sous chef under chef Marc Fontanne at Le Prieuré de Baumanière within the 5 star Relais & Châteaux hotel. During his time at the Michelin starred establishment, which is known for its fresh cuisine and provincial accents, Neumann played an essential role in the creation of dishes and management of the team, while also serving as a pillar for the executive chef to lean upon.
“I learned a lot from chef Marc Fontanne because he gave me great creative freedom and control over the kitchen seven days a week during his absence. I was thus able to take charge of the team, managing the restaurant and orders, and I was able to create dishes and desserts independently,” recalls Neumann.
Having worked with the world’s most awarded chefs and being tapped by the greats to stand beside them in the kitchen, Neumann has proven himself to be an indispensable force, and the perfect addition to the Daniel team.
