If you are going to follow in the footsteps of a legendary restaurateur like Daniel Boulud, you need a strong sense of your own culinary skills to take a divergent path. New Executive Chef Christopher Zabita at Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach is up to the task. With both a reverent and a modern take, Chef Christopher, as he is affectionately known, adds an Italian touch to French classics. A smart man, he knows to retain beloved Boulud favorites like the Brittany Dover Sole and Daniel’s “Bass En Paupiette,” whose elimination would create a revolt. (Think well-dressed villagers with gold-plated pitchforks.) Yet, with his dedication to working with local producers and cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients, he adds some vibrant and fresh new items to the menu.
The Hamachi Tataki is not to be missed with a slight sear, carrot-ginger nage, charred grapefruit, and furikake. He is a master at dueling sensations: char and raw, smooth and sharp. The special fresh tomato salad makes you remember that a tomato is actually a fruit with a sweetness cut by the blue cheese and charred radicchio with a balsamic-soaked crouton. Where Chef Christopher says he really has fun is with the specials. If you are lucky enough to dine on a night with the seafood risotto, you are in for waves of flavor, the secret ingredient being a hint of mascarpone.
“For any chef, our tastes and interests always change over time. It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” said Chef Christopher, “In the professional setting, we need to keep up with trends, what’s hot right now, what’s coming next, etc. I think there are also times when a chef has worked at such a high, intense level that they might say they want to do a style that is more comforting to them.”
Chef Christopher’s meals are as much about family as creating delicious dishes. “My parents tell me that I used to always want to make scrambled eggs for myself when they were making breakfast. But I was the one who would always add some other ingredient, like whatever cheese we had in the house at the time. My grandmother was a big influence as well. Not just from the cooking aspect but from the way food would put everyone around the table.”
Chef Christopher honed his craft at numerous top restaurants. He worked at Disney’s Victoria & Albert’s, a renowned AAA 5-Diamond restaurant, as well as Restaurant Marc Forgione and the Walker Hotel in New York City, where he opened Society Café. He was also a sous chef at Bar Boulud in New York City and, with his culinary and management skills, was a natural. He will warn you, however, not to use “The Bear” as true to life, “Having done food TV on numerous occasions and spending 20 years in professional kitchens, I can say that TV is not even comparable to a professional setting.”
Where he shines is talking about some of his Italian influences. “If I have to pinpoint one individual creation, it would be my focaccia bread. Every time I make it, I sit back and look at how airy it is inside. How crispy it is on the outside. And I let my mind wander to think about how delicious it is on its own with a bit of Italian EVO. Or how it can be used to make some of the best sandwiches with mortadella, prosciutto, sun-dried tomato pesto, whipped ricotta, arugula, and pickled red onions.” This might be a new Boulud fan favorite.
