Mesa do Chef

‘A Note from Chef Daniel sharing an important update on our menu’

Como tanto gosta de fazer, o Chef Daniel Humm volta a apanhar de surpresa o mundo gastronómico com um anúncio bombástico!

Hoje, para dar conta de que o seu Eleven Madison Park, em Nova Iorque, que no pós-pandemia tinha reaberto vegan, tornando-se inclusivamente o primeiro restaurante plant-based no mundo a ser distinguido com três estrelas Michelin, a partir de 14 de outubro de 2025, vai mudar novamente, passando o menu de degustação a ter diversas opções carnívoras que incluem peixe, marisco e até o regresso do seu mais emblemático prato de assinatura, o saudoso peito de pato maturado glaceado com mel e lavanda!

O tema da escolha – o tema de o cliente, num menu de degustação, conservar algum poder de escolha numa refeição que não è ‘à la carte’, a fim de que ela não seja totalmente ditada pelo chef – é um tema muito querido a Daniel Humm, que gosta sempre de tentar equilibrar o jogo de poder chef/cliente, e que, aliás, já o tinha usado no passado como argumento para justificar outras mudanças importantes no EMP, por exemplo, a introdução do menu-grelha.

Sendo absolutamente extraordinário que o Chef Daniel Humm, por muitos visto como um pioneiro e um precursor da alegada transição vegan do fine dining, ainda no mês passado adulado quando Alain Passard anunciou que o seu 3*** L’Arpège, à exceção do mel, passava a ser totalmente vegetal, tenha tido agora a coragem de escrever, preto-no-branco, algo que muitos de nós já sabíamos há bastante tempo: o modelo plant-based, apesar de todos os seus méritos, é um modelo limitado.

Mais ainda – atendendo a que o ser humano é omnívoro – um formato 100% vegan é um modelo que gera a divisão e a exclusão.

É o oposto do que deve ser a hospitalidade.

E, consequentemente, afasta muitas pessoas desses restaurantes!

Nada como ler a nota integral de Daniel Humm:

«An Update on Our Menu

When we reopened Eleven Madison Park in 2021, emerging from lockdown, we vowed to rebuild differently: craft a meal every bit as transporting as before without a single animal product. The decision was a creative leap and a climate imperative.

Post-pandemic, it seemed like EMP was destined for a new milestone. Change is fundamental to who we are and how we grow. In this respect, we have to change to stay the same.

This change, though, felt different. The announcement ignited a debate that transcended food, something we hadn’t prepared for. This naïveté proved to be an asset, and without it, I may not have had the courage to forge this path.

My team and I felt liberated and cracked open. The journey proved richer than any before.

We created a new culinary language: mille-feuille without butter, meringue without eggs, almond-milk ricotta, sunflower butter, koji stocks, whipped cashew cream, even “land caviar.” We drew inspiration from food cultures we had previously overlooked. We furthered our pursuit of vegetables and launched our own ‘Magic Farms’ upstate.

In 2022, Eleven Madison Park became the first restaurant in the world to earn three Michelin stars for an entirely plant-based menu. Michelin wrote the rulebook of luxury dining, and to be decorated by the very guardians of tradition was something unimaginable. It felt like walking on water.

Over the last five years, with each season and new menu that we’ve been serving, we’ve also been intently listening to our guests' feedback.

It became clear that while we had built something meaningful, we had also unintentionally kept people out. This is the opposite of what we believe hospitality to be.

The all-or-nothing approach was necessary to develop our expertise, but that, too, comes with its own limitations. As a chef, I want to continue to open paths, not close them.

As I approach my 20th anniversary at EMP, I’ve decided it’s time for change again.

Starting October 14th, we will integrate our new language into a menu that embraces choice. We will offer a plant-based menu, of course, but also select animal products for certain dishes — fish, meat, and yes, our honey-lavender-glazed duck.

Eating together is the essence of who we are, and I’ve learned that for me to truly champion plant-based cooking, I need to create an environment where everyone feels welcome around the table.

I’m deeply grateful to our team and guests for supporting this journey. It’s you who allow us to grow.

– Daniel»

Ver também:

– 2018

• O renovado ELEVEN MADISON PARK

– 2017

• ELEVEN MADISON PARK, novo n.º 1 do mundo

– 2016

• ELEVEN MADISON PARK, o n.º 3 do mundo

– 2013

• O desfile de pratos do ELEVEN MADISON PARK
• Zabaione de esturjão… apresentado em português no ELEVEN MADISON PARK
• … afinal ainda havia esturjão fumado
• No ELEVEN MADISON PARK o tártaro é de... cenoura!
• Let me entertain you
• Os 11 princípios orientadores do ELEVEN MADISON PARK
• Kitchen Tour no ELEVEN MADISON PARK

– 2011

• O menu em grelha monoproduto do ELEVEN MADISON PARK

Eleven Madison Park

11 Madison Avenue, Nova Iorque, EUA

Chef Daniel Humm