DANIEL Boulud may be a famous chef, but he’s also a savvy businessman. That combination has helped the Lyon native – who has lived in New York since the 1980s – build his restaurant empire and continue to expand it around the world.

In town to oversee the opening of the new Maison Boulud at Marina Bay Sands last week, the French restaurateur shows no signs of slowing down. The Singapore restaurant is just one of four restaurants he plans to open this year, with one in Riyadh and two more in the US.

His longevity – his two-Michelin-starred flagship Restaurant Daniel in New York recently celebrated its 30th anniversary – is no mean feat given the highly competitive F&B industry. His first restaurant in Singapore, db Bistro, has stayed at the same location opposite the Sands Theatre since the integrated resort opened in 2010.  And he’s confident about the newly rebranded Maison Boulud which takes up a double-storey space in another section of the luxury mall once occupied by Justin Quek’s JustIN  and Chinoiserie.