Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud was surprised with a circus-themed celebration in New York City over the weekend to mark his 70th birthday, according to attendees and a Page Six report.
The private event took place at Le Jardin sur Madison in the Flatiron district and was organized by Boulud’s wife, Katherine Gage Boulud, alongside The Dinex Group CEO Sébastien Silvestri and celebrity planner Bronson van Wyck. Guests entered a room decorated to resemble a massive Big Top, where Boulud initially appeared dressed as a ringmaster and later changed into a silver zebra-stripe tuxedo. A source told Page Six that the party was held later than Boulud’s actual birthday, March 25, because spring was too busy for the chef.
The evening honored Boulud’s culinary career with separate food stations representing his restaurants, including Daniel, La Tête d’Or, Maison Barnes and Jōji. The menu offered a range of preparations from classical French to contemporary dishes: strip steak and prime rib, hot mushroom soup shooters, ratatouille tian, summer squash risotto and salmon with grilled figs and fennel. A standout item described by the source was “chobster,” a lobster-stuffed roasted chicken. Guests also enjoyed an assortment of nigiri and a raw bar featuring Solex caviar, poached shrimp, oysters, lobster and “overflowing” trays of uni.
Celebrity chefs and industry figures were among the attendees. Names cited by the source included Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Stefano Secchi, Ming Tsai, Dominique Crenn, Jérôme Bocuse, Jacques Torres, Dominique Ansel and Mawa McQueen. Media and business figures at the fête included Al Roker, Deborah Roberts and SL Green CEO Marc Holliday. Fashion designer Jason Wu was also reported to have been present.
Entertainment blended spectacle with homage. Midway through the celebration, lights dimmed and Katherine Gage Boulud took the stage with 10 backup circus performers to sing “The Greatest Show,” the source said, describing her multiple costume changes and pop‑star headset microphone. “She looked like Taylor Swift, complete with costume changes and a pop-star headset mic,” the source said, and added that the crowd “went wild” when Daniel rushed to the stage to embrace his wife.
The event’s centerpiece dessert was a circus-themed seven-tier cake created by Buddy Valastro and his team at Carlo’s Bakery. The cake was presented with sparklers. Additional desserts included petit fours from the Blue Box Café, mixed berry cheesecake, a peach and verbena entremet, Devil’s food cake, croque en bouche, a macaron tower and honey biscuits filled with pistachio mousseline, vanilla bean pastry cream and raspberry gelée.
Boulud, a chef and restaurateur whose career spans decades and includes multiple acclaimed New York establishments, was publicly acknowledged throughout the evening with stations representing the scope of his operations. The scaled, theatrical presentation reflected both the party’s theme and the industry‑wide esteem for his work.
The guest list underscored the chef’s reach across culinary and media circles; several attendees are frequent collaborators or contemporaries in the restaurant world. The private nature of the event limited broader comment from hosts and attendees. Page Six reported the details based on an exclusive source and event coverage.
Boulud founded his eponymous restaurant, Daniel, in 1993 and has since overseen a collection of eateries and culinary ventures. The celebration served as a social and professional salute to that career while marking his entrance into his eighth decade.