Daniel Boulud, French chef and restaurateur, chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos on the red carpet of the 2026 L’Alliance New York GALA, which was held at The Plaza Hotel.
The Gala de L’Alliance New York celebrates the enduring ties between the French speaking world and American culture. Last night’s event raised over $2.3 million.
The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception, followed by a seated dinner and live auction in the Grand Ballroom, featuring cuisine from a lineup of chefs and the presentation of the Trophée de L’Alliance and Trophée des Arts awards. Marion Cotillard was recognized with the Trophée des Arts at the GALA.
The celebration continued with an after-party in The Plaza’s Palm Court, where guests enjoyed dancing and late-night refreshments. It featured a DJ set by French producer Kungs, who transformed the space into a dance floor.
Being a part of the 2026 L’Alliance New York GALA
On being at the 2026 L’Alliance New York GALA, Boulud exclaimed, “It’s fantastic! I love The Plaza Hotel… it is most special place for L’Alliance New York. Last year, I cooked with a famous chef from Argentina, and today, I am with the famous chef Arnaud Lallement who is joining us from Champagne. So, I think this is great… it’s wonderful!”
Daily motivations for Chef Daniel Boulud
Regarding his daily motivations, he shared, “Each day, I am motivated by my team and my family. Also, New York is very motivating, it’s the food we are cooking with each day. We made a beautiful preparation of lamb for the occasion. Voilà, so everything motivates me.”
Background on L’Alliance New York
L’Alliance New York is an independent, not-for-profit organization headquartered in NYC. They are committed to providing audience and students with engaging French language classes and audacious multi-disciplinary programming that celebrates the diversity of Francophone cultures and creativity around the world.
Their mission is to spread “Joie De Vivre.” They are a welcoming and inclusive community for all ages and all backgrounds, where people can meet, learn, and explore the richness of our heritages and share new discoveries. They strive to amplify voices and build bridges from the entire francophone world to New York and beyond.
They are the leading educational, cultural, and arts institution where people from all over the world connect through our engaging and immersive French language classes and world-class cultural programming.
Closing thoughts on L’Alliance New York
“From tonight’s event, I want people to appreciate the French culture because L’Alliance is really the art of French culture, and of course, people come to L’Alliance to learn French and to understand French culture. So, let them appreciate all that tonight,” the chef acknowledged.
For more information on Chef Daniel Boulud, follow him on Instagram.
To learn more about L’Alliance New York, visit its official website and follow them on Instagram.
