What Famous Chefs Eat on the Road, And Why

NEW YORK -- What do famous chefs have for breakfast when they travel? Oatmeal, mostly.

For lunch? Something light, perhaps grilled fish or an egg salad sandwich on whole-wheat toast. For a quick bite? A Whopper and fries will do nicely.

Yes, when they are on the road, the stars of restaurants like Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and Daniel in Manhattan eat pretty much like you and me before 8 p.m.

After 8 p.m., they get serious. They are adept at finding the best local restaurants, even in out-of-the-way villages, and they tuck into the foie gras and grilled turbot with gusto. But in general, they prefer simplicity at breakfast and lunch.

That early in the day, "I don't want an intellectual meal where you have to engage your critical facilities," said Patrick O'Connell, the chef at the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. "I only wish to engage these once a day, at night. The rest of the time I like to be normal. It can be exhausting listening to your inner voice analyzing the food you're consuming."

Some chefs do indulge in elaborate breakfasts from time to time.

Daniel Boulud, the chef at Daniel and restaurants elsewhere, prepares a fancy breakfast for his family on special occasions that scrambled eggs garnished with chives and grated lemon zest, accompanied by steamed Yukon gold or German Butterball potatoes, plus smoked salmon or caviar served with creme fraiche.

But for breakfast on the road, Boulud is content with granola, plain yogurt, fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee.

"Granola's much healthier than a croissant," said Boulud, a native of Lyon, France.

Plain old cereal was the most cited choice of the 10 chefs interviewed for this article? -- most of whom work at two or more restaurants. Thomas Keller of French Laundry in Yountville, California, brings instant oatmeal in a bag for breakfast on business trips. "It's a healthy fast food," he said. Gray Kunz, the chef of Cafe Gray in Manhattan, favors Irish oatmeal with milk and brown sugar, plus plain yogurt with fresh fruit, ideally berries. At home, when he can make the oatmeal himself, he adds salt, sugar, shredded apples and cinnamon.

The chefs are equally unfussy about lunch, generally choosing sparse fare like fish or a salad, and asking for bottled water rather than a glass of wine. Why such restraint? "A lot of food with wine makes me sleepy," said Wolfgang Puck, the chef at Spago in Los Angeles.

Others tuck unapologetically into fat-laden fast food or calorie-rich soul food.

Recently, Boulud went out of his way to try the hamburger at a Los Angeles landmark, the Apple Pan; while visiting Nashville, he lined up for grits, barbecued ribs and chicken, pulled pork, collard greens and cornbread at Nick's Famous Barbecue.

Keller says he used to have a weakness for Burger King's Whopper with extra cheese and French fries, but now that he lives in California, he has switched his allegiance to the cheeseburgers at In-N-Out Burger, with French fries and a milkshake. He also favors Krispy Kreme doughnuts. "I like pretty much all junk food," he said.

Visiting local markets to study what chefs are buying is a must for many chefs, including Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, who is famous for her devotion to locally grown organic foods.

"I ask people at the farmers' market what restaurant is buying that beautiful stuff," she said.

For a sure bet, Puck's simple advice is to dine in the best upscale restaurants, which are easy to find by consulting restaurant guides, web sites and food magazines.