If cooking is the way to one's heart, Daniel Boulud should be able to attribute much of his success to his understanding of food. "I think that every restaurant is the chef's soul," he says in documentary "A Certain Taste for America."

In an ongoing series entitled "Art de Vivre: The Art of Eating Today," led by the French Institute in New York City on Monday, a screening of the film (very doting on Boulud) was followed by a panel discussion reflecting upon the art of eating and, more specifically, the importance of sustainability and sourcing food.

As a world-renowned chef hailing from a small hamlet outside Lyon, Boulud has achieved his veritable empire -- 10 successful restaurants based in New York, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Beijing -- by striving to keep a strict culinary focus on seasonal cooking and high-quality ingredients.

More on Boulud's rise to fame, and the panel discussion on sustainable produce, obesity in America, seasonal cooking and its debatable expenses, after the jump.

As the perfect embodiment of the farm-to-table mentality, Boulud was raised on his family's farm, which, close friend and actor Gérard Depardieu insists is what gave him his energy and "respect for produce." Though Boulud admits to preferring cooking with his grandmother in the kitchen over menial farm tasks, he understands -- and treasures -- the value of the link between farm and restaurant.

After dropping out of trade school -- with the complaint, "They teach cafeteria cooking! We eat better at home!" -- Boulud was sent to train at famed Lyon restaurant Nandro at age 14, where he earned his cooking chops. The following year, he apprenticed with chef Paul Bocuse, who generously gave him a glass of wine to welcome him as an adult despite his young age, a kind gesture of the sort Boulud has continued to emulate in his rise to fame.

In the film, Boulud is depicted as endlessly lighthearted -- he teases a young server about growing gray hairs and takes another's bike for a spin around the block; he plays pétanque; he greets Lyon market vendors with warm embraces and jokes -- but it's this quality combined with his drive that accounts for his success. Confirms Boulud, "I worked very hard to get where I did in America, but it was with fun and passion."

After serving at a string of establishments -- working with chefs like Roger Vergé, Georges Blanc and Michel Guérard in France, cooking at the European Commission in Washington, D.C., opening the Polo Lounge at New York's Westbury Hotel, then having acclaimed tenure at Le Cirque -- Boulud launched his own chain of refined eateries starting with Daniel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1993.

But Boulud never "lost his culinary roots." In addition to his strong focus on seasonal cooking -- a target gaining increasing importance -- he remembers his struggle (allowing sous chefs ample opportunities to advance quickly), maintains a strong sense of perfection (painstakingly showing staff how to plate a dish) and has become highly involved in charitable events.

Boulud credits himself at his DB Bistro Moderne, saying "Now there's really a way of cooking a hamburger 'gourmet.' " Modest, he may not always be, but Boulud has earned his status as one of the premiere, world-renowned French chefs through his passion, hard work and understanding of the importance of seasonal produce.

Confirms Bon Appétit editor Barbara Fairchild, "He's very perceptive as to what the American public wants."

And, according to the panel discussion, the American public wants healthy -- but not necessarily "organic" -- sustainable food at affordable prices. The panel's moderator, food writer and Saveur magazine wine editor David Rosengarten, warned, "What picked up speed 10 years ago was a quest for quality ... Today if you're not a locavore, you're a dinosaur."

Argues Janine Yaro, an investment banker applying Wall Street knowledge to the food industry, the organic label is "actually more food for thought," given the convoluted and often misleading inaccurate system determining whether or not a product can label itself as "organic." In a study conducted last year, 16 percent of "organic" food was laced with the same chemicals used in "nonorganic" produce, while 34 percent of the nonorganic produce had no pesticide traces whatsoever. Stated Yaro, "The food industry is kind of a mess right now."

While "organic" can be a misleading term, says chef-turned-farmer Eberhard Muller, "Organics has become a catchall for the food that we think of as healthy, sustainable and local." To him, "sustainability means that you have to rotate crops and use your fields in a fashion without chemicals" as much as possible.

Regrets Boulud, "It's not always easy to think local 12 months a year," but he still stresses the importance of seasonal cooking.

Fat was also a major topic of the discussion. Author of the upcoming book "Fresh From the Farm," writer Natalie Sann argues that the bottom line is "to find healthy food that tastes good. if you eat something really good, you don't need to eat so much."

Quipped Boulud, "Pork belly has never been more in fashion! Don't worry about the fat!" In terms of eating local and eating better, he advises, "Look for abundance." If produce is scarce, it's obviously being imported from further distances.

To those who argue that fresh produce is prohibitively expensive compared to grocery-store steals, Boulud counters, "In season there is a huge abundance of produce and the products are much less expensive. You can cook very affordably if you know how to recycle your leftovers."

In the end, chef Joel Robuchon summarized the film and discussion best when he said "Cooking is an act of love" -- and, according to the panelists, an emphasis on local, seasonal produce is best for the environment and consumers alike.