Daniel Humm
🇨🇭 Switzerland · Swiss cuisine · b. 1976
The Swiss-born American chef who turned Eleven Madison Park into the world's #1 restaurant — then made it entirely plant-based.
Biography
Daniel Humm is a Swiss-born American chef widely regarded as one of the most influential restaurateurs of his generation. He began his apprenticeship at fourteen in his native Switzerland, earned his first Michelin star at twenty-four (the youngest Swiss chef to do so at the time) at Gasthaus zum Gupf in Rebstein, and moved to the United States in 2003 to take over the kitchen at Campton Place in San Francisco.
In 2006 he became executive chef at Eleven Madison Park in New York, a Danny Meyer restaurant that had been respected but never world-famous. Over the next decade he transformed it: a fourth Michelin star (rare in New York) in 2011, James Beard Outstanding Chef in 2012, and in 2017 the #1 spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants. In 2011 Humm and his then-partner Will Guidara bought the restaurant from Meyer.
The most dramatic chapter came in 2021. After the COVID-19 closure, Humm reopened Eleven Madison Park as an entirely plant-based fine-dining restaurant — no meat, no fish, no dairy in any course of the tasting menu. It was the first time a restaurant with three Michelin stars had ever made that change, and it remained controversial; nevertheless EMP retained all three stars in subsequent guides. He has also opened plant-based concepts in London (at Claridge's) and consults globally.
Cooking Philosophy
Hospitality as the product — and a belief that fine dining must answer to its environmental footprint. Humm has spoken openly about the climate logic behind making EMP plant-based: at the level of luxury dining, sourcing wagyu and bluefin tuna globally is, he argues, indefensible. His cooking philosophy elsewhere — the famous '11 EMP Values', which include 'be present', 'be self-aware' and 'be the hospitality you want to experience' — remains a much-copied template in U.S. fine dining.
Restaurants
- Eleven Madison ParkNew York
Three Michelin stars; World's Best Restaurant 2017; plant-based since 2021.
- Davies and BrookLondon (Claridge's)
Humm's London restaurant 2019–2021; he ended the partnership when Claridge's declined to go plant-based.
- Clemente BarNew York
Bar adjoining Eleven Madison Park.
Awards & Recognition
- 3 Michelin stars (Eleven Madison Park)
- World's 50 Best Restaurants #1 (2017)
- James Beard Foundation — Outstanding Chef (2012)
- Four-star New York Times review (2009, 2012)
- Youngest Swiss chef to receive a Michelin star at time of his award
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook (2011)
- I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes (2013)
- The NoMad Cookbook (2015)
- Eat More Plants: A Chef's Journal (2022)
Recipes in Daniel's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the swiss cooking tradition that Daniel works in. They are not direct reproductions of Daniel's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
In Daniel's Own Words
“The current food system is simply not viable.”
“Hospitality is not what you do — it is how the guest feels when you do it.”
“Going plant-based was the most challenging — and the most important — decision of my career.”
Career Timeline
Begins apprenticeship at 14 in Switzerland.
Earns first Michelin star at Gasthaus zum Gupf — among the youngest Swiss chefs ever.
Moves to San Francisco as executive chef at Campton Place.
Becomes executive chef at Eleven Madison Park, New York.
Buys Eleven Madison Park from Danny Meyer with partner Will Guidara.
Named James Beard Outstanding Chef.
Eleven Madison Park named World's Best Restaurant.
Reopens Eleven Madison Park as an entirely plant-based restaurant.
Mentors & Influences
Frequently Asked Questions about Daniel Humm
Why did Daniel Humm make Eleven Madison Park plant-based?
Humm announced the change when the restaurant reopened in 2021 after the COVID-19 closure. He cited the climate impact of luxury sourcing — wagyu, bluefin tuna, foie gras — as incompatible with what fine dining should represent in the twenty-first century.
Did Eleven Madison Park lose its Michelin stars after going plant-based?
No. The Michelin Guide retained all three stars in the editions following the change, making EMP the first three-star plant-based restaurant in the world.
What is the 'jazz' service style?
Humm and Will Guidara developed a service philosophy — partly inspired by the New York jazz tradition — in which courses are timed, paced and presented improvisationally to each table. The framework was documented in Guidara's book 'Unreasonable Hospitality'.
Where did Humm train?
He apprenticed in Switzerland and worked for Gérard Rabaey at Le Pont de Brent before opening his own restaurant. He has frequently cited Rabaey and the Swiss apprenticeship tradition as foundational to his standards.
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