Why Chef David Bouley Is Closing His Flagship Restaurant

Chef and restauranteur David Bouley is closing his flagship, Bouley, and consolidating all his other restaurants; Brushstroke, Ichimura, Bouley at Home, a wine bar, and his test kitchen, into a single space in Tribeca.

Bouley plans to take time to learn more about "the relationship between health and food," reports The New York Times. He says, "I want to learn more about that. Then I want to share it with you." Bouley will take nutrition classes at NYU, speak with holistic doctors in France, and travel to Japan, Peru, Cuba, and Switzerland to consult with experts. He also plans to take classes in "short, intensive bursts" and one day complete the executive M. B. A. program at Harvard Business School.

He plans to reopen Bouley on the second floor of a townhouse in Tribeca, and it will seat about 20 to 25, a fraction of the 120 diners the current space can accommodate. On the staffing for the reopening, Bouley says, "I don't want so many employees. I don't want any hierarchy in my dining room — no captains, assistants or bussers."

Bouley sees food as a cure. He says, "Food should give you calories that you burn off, not calories that you store," Mr. Bouley said. "You're never going to get fat on avocado oil. Fat doesn't make you fat. Sugar makes you fat."