Eleven Madison Park owner and three Michelin star-rated chef Daniel Humm reveals four new paintings from his new book, "Eat More Plans."
"When I think about creating a meal, I think about art," says Daniel Humm, whose latest monograph Eat More Plants debuts this week with Steidl. Unlike his many past releases—residence-friendly translations of the chef's high-concept cooking—the book is no traditional binder of recipes, but rather a volume of paintings, drawings, and hand-written notes taken directly from his personal diaries. These works, beautiful and complex, act as a personal record of change not only for just Humm—a man once known for his lavender glazed duck—but for many of our collective appetites, too.
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To both acclaim and critique, Humm has again and again redefined the concept of fine dining. His highfalutin yet undeniably-remarkable Eleven Madison Park is the epicenter of his concept-driven universe of food and culture, and under the chef's 17-year tenure there, the restaurant, which turns 25 this month, has earned and maintained three-Michelin stars. That's even after Humm rather astonishingly transformed the kitchen to be entirely plant-based in 2021.
“I think about music. I think about all kinds of seasonal expressions that can be part of a meal," continues Humm of his food-making process. "Then when I first start out thinking about a season, I write down a poem." One particular of note for the chef is "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens, which he has incorporated into his art practice.
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Printed in a limited collector’s edition of Eat More Plants, the four paintings revealed here were created by Humm during his “light bulb” period during the pandemic; the time when he decided to shift his focus toward sustainable cuisine. Scanned from his diaries, the works' elemental colors bleed onto each other in a lurid, fiery way, drooling down concerto line sheets from “The Four Seasons” by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. It's a literal effect when it comes to painting, but nevertheless a mighty one—especially for what the art signifies in the greater food system.
“The beauty of cooking and eating plant-based meals forces you to be in tune with the seasons,” adds Humm, who now collaborates extensively with Magic Farm in Upstate New York. “The most delicious dishes I have eaten have been made with fresh produce at its peak. And that is what I love about cooking with peak-season produce. You don’t need to do much to create a delicious dish; just let the flavors of the ingredients shine for themselves.”