Earlier this season, Café Boulud welcomed Christopher Zabita as its new executive chef. He is only the fifth person to hold that position at the restaurant, which opened inside The Brazilian Court Hotel in 2003.
Although Zabita is originally from New Jersey, he started his cooking career in Orlando, at Disney’s Victoria & Albert’s and Yachtsman Steakhouse. He went on to work at Restaurant Marc Forgione and the Walker Hotel, both in New York, as well as Battello in his home state. And he’s no stranger to the Boulud empire, having served as sous chef at Bar Boulud in Manhattan.
While this pedigree comes through in his deft treatment of ingredients—whether they be as humble as chicken or as high-end as Wagyu—Zabita takes pride in creating signature dishes that reflect his Italian roots and deep love of pasta. Case in point: his duck sugo fusillotti, featuring duck braised in red wine with dark chocolate, cinnamon, and sage, served with a pasta that he describes as just a bit larger than fusilli, plus sweet potato puree and sage gremolata.
In addition to specials like these, regulars at Café Boulud can expect to see Zabita’s influence across the menu, to include an abundance of locally sourced ingredients. He often finds inspiration from area farmers markets, incorporates fresh produce from Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee, and utilizes finishing salts and other products from Palm Beach Salt Co. “It’s fun to keep the localness of everything as much as we can,” says Zabita, adding that he’s excited to marry his culinary style with Florida’s unique seasonality.
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