Daniel Humm’s Greek pilgrimage
Condé Nast coverage spotlights chef Daniel Humm traveling to Greece as creative research for a new NYC restaurant, calling out millennia‑old culinary traditions as inspiration for the menu. The piece frames the project as a deep cultural dive rather than a simple trend‑driven menu. (x.com)
Daniel Humm traveled to Greece in a two-week research trip with members of his Eleven Madison Park team to study local techniques and ingredients, according to the Condé Nast feature reproduced by Yahoo Travel on March 21, 2026. (travel.yahoo.com) The group drove into Crete’s mountains, followed a local goatherd up to a stone mitato, and took part in the humane slaughter and communal preparation of an animal as part of their field research. (travel.yahoo.com) Humm says a previous lunch at Taverna Oikonomou in Athens—where he was struck by a largely vegetable meal—inspired the itinerary that led the team to Tínos and other islands. (travel.yahoo.com) On the ground in Athens he connected with local restaurateurs including Vassilis Bakasis and chef Manolis Papoutsakis of Pharaoh, the wood‑fire, natural‑wine venue noted for its vinyl music nights and Bib Gourmand recognition. (travel.yahoo.com) Condé Nast reports Humm intends to use that research to shape both Eleven Madison Park’s menu work and a new restaurant he plans to open in Manhattan’s West Village later in 2026. (travel.yahoo.com) The trip comes after Humm’s high‑profile roles outside the kitchen—he co‑founded the nonprofit Rethink Food and was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Food Education in September 2024—context the piece links to his interest in food systems and tradition. (rethinkfood.org)
