Claude Godard

Claude Godard, Madison Bistro, New York

Chef Claude Godard has been passionate about food and the art of cooking his entire life. Born in Burgundy into a family of prominent chefs including his grandfather, Gaston and his father, Jean-Claude, Godard received his formal training at the School of Culinary Arts in Paris.

Godard made a name for himself in France early in his career by working with some of Paris’ most renowned chefs, including Alain Dutournier and Jean-Pierre Vigato, and in some of Paris’ most renowned restaurants, including Lasserre.

In 1989, Claude ventured to Johannesburg, South Africa to work in Ile de France and La Bastille. A few years later Godard returned to Burgundy to work alongside his father in their Michelin star rated family restaurant, Restaurant Godard. While in Burgundy, he also worked alongside the distinguished, Anne Willan at the famous La Varenne Cooking School. In 1995 the French government asked Godard to prepare a state dinner for Cuban president, Fidel Castro.

Godard came to the U.S. in 1998 with the mission of making high-quality traditional French cuisine accessible to New Yorkers. After falling in love with the dynamic energy and diversity of New York, he decided to open Madison Bistro.

In 2003 Godard was asked to become a member of Maitre Cuisiniers de France, joining the ranks of the world’s most renowned French chefs. In 2008 he was inducted into the prestigious Académie Culinaire de France.

Even after receiving such notable honors, Godard prides himself in serving exquisite, yet simple French food in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Since 1998, Madison Bistro has provided a comfortable, yet elegant dining experience for loyal neighborhood regulars, out of town guests, businessmen and women and any and everyone else.