logo
episode-header-image
Aug 13
43m 8s

Exclusive Update: The Chef Who Shocked t...

Guy Raz | Wondery
About this episode

In 2021, Daniel Humm shook up the dining world by making his 3-Michelin-star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, 100% plant-based.

No meat. No butter. No cream.

It was a first in fine dining, igniting global headlines, industry backlash, and endless debate.

Now, in an exclusive podcast conversation with Guy Raz, Daniel shares his next bold decision—he's reintroducing animal products. Daniel shares what he learned from his years of plant-based cooking and how the experiment forever changed his creative vision.

This is a story about risk, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

In this episode:

  • How a creative rut at the peak of his career sparked a radical transformation.
  • The hidden economics of running a world-class restaurant without meat.
  • The backlash—and surprising supporters—of the plant-based pivot.
  • Why EMP will remain 90% plant-based, but welcome more people back to the table.
  • What Daniel believes is the future of fine dining.


Listen to the original 2021 HIBT episode with Daniel Humm: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-eleven-madison-park-daniel-humm/ 


Follow How I Built This:

Instagram → @howibuiltthis

X → @HowIBuiltThis

Facebook → How I Built This


Follow Guy Raz:

Instagram → @guy.raz

X → @guyraz

Substack → guyraz.substack.com

Website → guyraz.com 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Today
Advice Line with Michael Dubin of Dollar Shave Club
Dollar Shave Club founder Michael Dubin joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Michael shares his latest career pivot into the screenwriting world.First, Benita from New Jersey asks how to create a “guerilla-style” marketing campai ... Show More
53m 54s
Oct 6
Pressbox and Tide Cleaners: Vijen Patel. The $1.99 Gamble That Built a National Brand
What if the best startup isn’t sexy at all? In 2013, Vijen Patel left private equity to pursue “the least-worst idea”: dry cleaning. No patents. No app wizardry. Just laundry lockers in high-rises, ruthless unit economics, and a $1.99-a-shirt price that was seared into America’s ... Show More
1h 6m
Oct 2
Advice Line with Tony Xu of Doordash
Tony Xu, founder of DoorDash, joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Tony updates Guy on his latest ventures: expanding into grocery and retail delivery - and taking on international markets.First, we hear from Ron in Portland ... Show More
49m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Daniel Birk - Leading Michelin Kitchens !
Send us a text In this episode of the Chef JKP Podcast, host James Knight-Paccheco sits down with Daniel Birk, Executive Chef of Row on 45 and City Social, to explore his extraordinary culinary journey. From early food memories to leading Michelin-starred kitchens in Dubai, Danie ... Show More
1h 59m
Nov 2024
Sweetgreen Cofounder on Infinite Kitchens and Food Innovation
Some companies drop new products. sweetgreen drops new vegetables.  Nicolas Jammet is the Cofounder and Chief Concept Officer of sweetgreen, a health-minded fast casual chain with more than 200 locations. Jammet joined Mary Long for a conversation about:  - The future of automati ... Show More
29m 1s
Sep 2024
How to Shift Consumer Sentiments with Ethan Brown of Beyond Meat
In 2009, Ethan Brown, Founder & CEO of Beyond Meat, faced a dilemma at a rest stop on I-95. Struggling to find a healthy meal for his young children, he realized he had to make a change. That same year, he launched Beyond Meat, the world’s first plant-based meat company, with a m ... Show More
29m 20s
Aug 19
Daniel Humm: 3-Michelin-Star Chef & Owner of New York’s Eleven Madison Park - Swiss Values, Fine-Dining, Sustainability, & Excess
In this debut episode, The Gstaad Guy sits down with world-renowned chef Daniel Humm of the three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park for a candid conversation about creativity, reinvention and what it takes to serve meaning on a plate. Daniel Humm is a Swiss plant-based chef an ... Show More
1h 16m
Nov 2023
The Case for a Vegan-ish Lifestyle with Daniel Humm
Daniel Humm is by all accounts one of the most celebrated chefs in the world: number 1 on the World’s Best Restaurant List, a decade-long streak of 3 Michelin stars, and a starry list of accolades for his kitchens. But after running a community food commissary during pandemic, he ... Show More
52m 9s
Sep 2024
From Crystal Pepsi to Cool Ranch Doritos: Lessons from David Novak
David Novak, co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, joins host Jeff Berman to share lessons from scaling one of the world’s largest restaurant companies. Hear how his focus on listening, team recognition, and taking big swings helped grow a fast food empire to a $32 billion ma ... Show More
32m 4s
Aug 26
Small Town Billionaire: How John Bragg Built 3 Empires [Outliers]
One man controls half the world's wild blueberries, built North America's largest private telecom, and did it all without ever leaving his hometown of 1,100 people. In this episode, we decode the counterintuitive playbook of patient capital, rural advantage, and why Bragg's refus ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2025
How Tommy Mello Became a Billionaire Painting Garage Doors (And How He Shares the Wealth)
What does it take to turn a blue-collar business into a billion-dollar empire?For Tommy Mello, the answer is simple: relentless competition, strategic investing, and an unwavering commitment to winning. From painting garage doors to building A1 Garage Doors into a massive industr ... Show More
30m 47s
Aug 13
How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Marketing with Nick Lafferty, Growth Marketer at Profound | Ep. 339
Search is changing for the first time since Google launched. And it’s changing fast. Daniel’s out, Tamara’s IN. In this episode, she sits down with Nick Lafferty, Growth Marketer at Profound, to unpack the seismic shift from traditional SEO to AI-powered search engines like ChatG ... Show More
30m 56s