Chef Jocelyn Herland

ALAIN DUCASSE at the DORCHESTER

[London] 3 Michelin Stars

Born in Auvergne, France, Jocelyn Herland, has worked with Alain Ducasse in Paris for several years. From 1997-2000, he was Chef de Partie at Restaurant Alain Ducasse at 59 Avenue Poincarré (3-Michelin stars). He then moved as Chef de partie to the Restaurant Opéra (1-Michelin star) at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Paris, and as Sous Chef to the Royal Monceau Hotel. In December 2003, when Alain Ducasse introduced new Head Chef Christophe Moret to Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée in Paris, Jocelyn joined him as Sous Chef, progressing to his most recent post as Chef Adjoint (deputy). Jocelyn interprets Alain Ducasse’s cuisine in London in a contemporary and refined way. In keeping with Alain Ducasse’s philosophy, the ingredients are the key elements. Jocelyn Herland only uses the freshest and most seasonal products, strictly sourced for their quality and provenance.

Chef Horst Petermann

RICO's KUNSTSTUBEN

[Zurich] 2 Michelin Stars

Chef Rene Redzepi

NOMA

[Copenhagen] 3 Michelin Stars

Noma is best known for its fanatical approach to foraging but there is much more to this ground-breaking restaurant than the mere picking of Mother Nature's pocket. It's the entire package, from its ingredient ingenuity to flawless execution, that makes it a beacon of excellence and which leads to an emotive, intense, liberating way of eating, unlike any other. Many have copied chef Rene Redzepi's approach, most have failed. For the best in class, Noma really is the number one place to go.

Chef Werner Pichmaier

ANNA SACHER Restaurant

[Vienna] 2 Michelin Stars

Following extensive renovation work the Anna Sacher restaurant is now radiant in bright green pleasantly offset by black furniture with golden highlights. This interior design merely serves to underscore the splendour of the paintings by Anton Faistauer hanging in the restaurant and the priceless Lobmeyr crystal chandeliers. This interior contrasts starkly with the straight, unpretentious line taken by Sacher's chef de cuisine Werner Pichmaier in his contemporary, light interpretation of traditional Austrian cuisine. It goes without saying that he uses high-quality regional products for all his basic ingredients.

Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz

MUGARITZ

[San Sebastian] 3 Michelin Stars

Andoni Luis Aduriz cooked with nearly all the Spanish greats before becoming a household Spanish culinary name himself. After studying at the Donostia School of Cuisine in San Sebastian, Spain, Aduriz worked for Ramón Roteta, Hilario Arbelaitz, Jean Louis Neichel, Juan Mari Arzak, Fermín Arrambide and Pedro Subijana. In1993 he joined the team at el Bulli, headed by Ferran Adrià, and in 1996 moved to a chef position under Martín Berasategui at his eponymous restaurant outside San Sebastian. Two years later he began working on his own at Mugaritz, the restaurant he has run since 1998. Aduriz has been described by the international gastronomic press as “the most important gastronomic phenomenon on the world scene in recent times.” He is regularly highlighted in the pages of prestigious magazines such as the Swedish Gourmet, the French Gault&Millau (where he’s received a 19/20 rating), The New York Times Magazine, Saveur, the Italian Gambero Rosso and the Japanese Cuisine Kingdom or Specialités. In 2002 he was awarded the National Prize for Gastronomy, and the Spanish guide Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía named him “Chef of the Year” and “Patissier of the Year.” In 2003 the Basque Gastronomy Academy awarded him the “Euskadi Prize for Gastronomy to the Best Restaurateur” and in 2005 the Michelin guide awarded him a second star. In 2006 Mugaritz obtained the 10th place in the “The World's 50 Best Restaurants” list awarded by Restaurant Magazine. In 2011, Mugaritz is now considered among the world’s top three restaurants.

Chef Pedro Subijana

Akelarre

[San Sebastian] 3 Michelin Stars

Chef Phil Howard

THE SQUARE

[London] 2 Michelin Stars

A chef’s chef, Howard is rarely away from the stove and has won numerous accolades including two Michelin stars (awarded in 1998) & the BMW Square Meal Restaurant of the Year 2008. After studying bio-chemistry at university, he signed up for an apprenticeship at Roux Restaurants before working with such heavyweights as Simon Hopkinson and Marco Pierre White. Known for his classy, but seasonal French food, he has spent much of his career nurturing young chefs and enjoys showcasing his protégé Brett Graham at his other restaurant, The Ledbury in Notting Hill.

Chef Michel Roth

THE RITZ PARIS

[Paris] 2 Michelin Stars

He chose at the age of 15 years, his job: cook. Apprenti à l' Auberge de la charrue d'or à Sarreguemines, il enchaîne les postes à l' Auberge de L'Ill à Illhausern , le Crocodile à Strasbourg , deux Grandes tables étoilées en Alsace et Ledoyen à Paris . Apprentice at the Inn of the plow gold Sarreguemines, it connects the positions at the Auberge de L'Ill in Illhausern the Crocodile Strasbourg, two large spreadsheets starred in Alsace and Ledoyen in Paris. En 1981, il entre comme premier commis au Ritz, place Vendôme . In 1981, he became a chief clerk at the Ritz, Place Vendome. Il collectionne les trophées prestigieux, prix Taittinger en 1985, Escoffier en 1986, Bocuse d'or et Meilleur ouvrier de France en 1991, il devient chef de cuisine de L'Espadon en 1992. He collects trophies prestigious Taittinger prices in 1985, Escoffier in 1986, Bocuse d'Or and Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1991, he became head chef of The Swordfish in 1992. Le 10 juin 1999, il quitte la place Vendôme pour l'Avenue Franklin Roosevelt chez Lasserre , à la retraite depuis 1997. On June 10, 1999, he left the Place Vendome to the Rue Franklin Roosevelt in Lasserre, who retired in 1997. Puis le Ritz le rappelle en septembre 2001 ce qu'il accepte. Then the Ritz recalls in September 2001 that it accepts. Chevalier dans l' Ordre national du Mérite en 2003, puis Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur en 2006. Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2003 and Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2006. L'Espadon a été récompensé d'une deuxième étoile au guide Michelin en mars 2009. The Swordfish was awarded a second Michelin star in March 2009. Il est le cuisinier français le plus titré. It is the French cook the most successful. Il sait tout en préservant la tradition assurer la continuité de la haute gastronomie française. He knows while preserving the traditional continuity of French haute cuisine.

Chef Carlo Cracco

CRACCO

[Milan] 2 Michelin Stars

Carlo Cracco is often credited – and occasionally derided – as being the ringleader of a small but important group of Italian chefs attempting to break away from the constraints of cooking 'traditional' food. At his eponymous Milan restaurant he creates challenging cuisine that has won him considerable acclaim from the major Italian guides and two stars from Michelin. If you're not a fan of sea urchins, snails and slugs, though, it may be one to swerve.

Chef Heiko Neider

Dolder Grand Restaurant

[Zurich] 2 Michelin Stars

Originally from Germany, Heiko Nieder completed his apprenticeship as a chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hamburg. His career has taken him from the Restaurant Le Canard in Hamburg, the Hotel zur Traube in Grevenbroich and the Restaurant Vau in Berlin. For five years he was Head Chef at the L'Orquivit in Bonn. It was there, in 2003, that Nieder's creative cuisine won him the Gault Millau title of Discovery of the Year. In 2004 he was awarded a Michelin star and in 2007 17 Gault Millau points. He has held the position of Chef Fine Dining at the Dolder Grand's The Restaurant since the opening. The Restaurant was awarded four Fs by the German magazine Der Feinschmecker (The Gourmet) in June 2008.

Chef Michel Rostang

Michel Rostang

[Paris] 2 Michelin Stars

Michel Rostang is one of Paris's most creative chefs, the fifth generation of a distinguished French "cooking family." His restaurant contains four dining rooms paneled in mahogany, cherrywood, or pearwood; some have frosted Lalique crystal panels. Changing every 2 months, the menu offers modern improvements on cuisine bourgeoise. Truffles are the dish of choice in midwinter, and you'll find racks of suckling lamb from the salt marshes of France's western coast in spring; in game season, look for pheasant and venison. Year-round staples are quail eggs with sea urchins; fricassee of sole; quenelles of whitefish with a lobster sauce; canard au sang (duck prepared in a duck press with a sauce of red wine, foie gras, and its own blood); and Bresse chicken with mushroom purée and a salad composed of the chicken's thighs.

Chef Juan-Marie Arzak

ARZAK

[San Sebastian] 3 Michelin Stars

If you like your food pretty, this is the place. Father-and-daughter team Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak Espina's plates look fantastic: striking, colourful and imaginative, yet for the most part unfussy. The pair run the kitchen as equals and are a major presence in the dining room. Like the food, it pulls off the neat trick of balancing tradition and innovation, with warm, familiar service.

Chef Lionel Rigolet

COMME CHEZ SOI

[Brussels] 2 Michelin Stars

It all began in 1926 when Georges Cuvelier, a brave inhabitant of the southern Belgian Borinage region escaped the coal mines to open a small restaurant in Brussels. A regular customer told him each visit : "Georges, in your restaurant we eat like at home." It did not take long for him to come up with the name "Comme chez Soi". When the restaurant moved to its present location on Place Rouppe, Georges Cuvelier's daughter married Louis Wynants, a pork-butcher from the Flemish town of Tienen. Louis Wynants took the quality of the kitchen to higher levels. Their son was Pierre Wynants. He studied at famous restaurants throughout Europe and met Marie-Thérèse. From this union came two daughters, Laurence and Véronique. Laurence, the eldest, has married Lionel Rigolet, a young culinary talent who rapidly became a key element for the thouse. The couple now has little Jessica and Loïc, a fifth generation...

Chef Eric Briffard

GEORGE V

[Paris] 2 Michelin Stars

Who has doubts about the choice of Eric Briffard to command the kitchen of the Four Seasons Hôtel George V---the perfect embodiment of French luxury? Eric's quest for perfection is known to all gourmets. His brilliance, technique and expertise are owed to seven years of touring France and to Joël Robuchon, whose refinement and delicate touch has brought a new standard to presentations. Briffard, the grandson of small farmers who baked their own bread and produced their own nut oil, is at the helm of the largest kitchen team in Europe: 115 cooks, 7 apprentices, 15 sous-chefs and 13 sommeliers---this is quite impressive. Aside from 50 customers in the restaurant , he also oversees room service for 90 to 120 people and the gallery with 200 clients. Seventeen- and eighteen-hour days in the kitchen are not uncommon; six days out of seven, he comes in first and leaves last. His approach consists in getting the best produce in the region, and preparing it with taste and elegance. Try the fresh crab meat or the appetizer of abalone from the Brittany coast with seaweed butter, watercress fondant and hen broth flavored with lemongrass. The course of Normandy scallops with celeriac-black truffle mousseline and green apple rémoulade is a real lesson in freshness and flavors. His saddle of lamb with piment d’Espelette will not dissapoint. Desserts, such as the Mont Blanc Georges V with Mandarin sherbet, are also exceptional.

Chef Gerald Angelmahr

Restaurant KORSO

[Vienna] 2 Michelin Stars

Angelmahr's new concept is just as interesting as the exciting contrast between the Korso's historic dining room and its illuminated onyx wall. In line with his casual style, Angelmahr combines traditional dishes with creative innovations. Born in 1981 in Schwechat near Vienna, Gerald Angelmahr spent his apprentice years at the famous Hotel Imperial in Vienna. Between 2003 and 2005 he assisted in the opening of the Hotel Le Méridien Vienna as Chef de Partie. Following successful steps in his career at award-winning Restaurant Meinl am Graben and design hotel Aenea in Reifnitz at Lake Wörthersee, Carinthia, Angelmahr returned to the Hotel Imperial in 2007. As Sous Chef he pampered state visitors and crowned heads as well as the guests of award-winning Restaurant Imperial with his culinary creations. The 27-year-old newcomer was the winner of "The Young Wild Cooks" competition in 2007 and underwent practical training with star chef Ferran Adrià.

Chef Jean Pierre Bruneau

BRUNEAU

[Brussels] 2 Michelin Stars

Two stars shine especially bright in the Capital of Europe’s gastronomic constellation. These are those of Jean-Pierre Bruneau’s restaurant, which for 30 years has been perfecting a culinary art that is unanimously acclaimed by real gourmets. Although he respects tradition and well-known recipes, the chef is always seeking to offer a cuisine that is innovative and imaginative yet excludes any eccentricity. Working with the finest products in the tranquillity of his elegant house, Bruneau is therefore not the least bit proud to offer only the very best to a clientele as loyal as it is cosmopolitan. Not only does the caviar come direct from Iran and the truffles from the Carpentries, but the fish, the shell fish, the meat, the poultry and the game are also chosen with the greatest care. And if the cook receives only the “nec plus ultra” from his numerous suppliers, it is because he has a secret shared by only a few of the country’s restaurateurs today: rising early, in order to go to the morning market, as fresh produce is a guarantee of quality. Maintaining good and strong friendships is equally as important.

Chef Josean Martínez Alija

Restaurante Guggenheim

[Bilbao]

My philosophy is a work in progress, which, during nearly two decades, has grown to harmonize with the things with which I most closely identify: basically, the authentic and the natural. In some way, the value of my output will be in the eye of the beholder, but I aim to bring my diners to a world in which everything is special. Perhaps the work consists in discovering where it is exactly—the magic that makes it special. The aromas connect you to memories and create an infinite number of imaginary ideas that invite you to travel and play. It’s where sensitivity and instinct come face to face with consciousness and permit access to a world of endless possibility. To cook is to transform; change; provoke; and conjugate flavors, textures, dreams, and appearances. To cook is to give life to ideas and share unique experiences by taking on new challenges. A dish approaches wisdom when it provokes emotions and promotes good health. To surprise with the familiar is difficult, as it is inherently a challenge; it transports us to the essence: the earth and its bounty. Currently I’m preparing a work which I will present in Identità Golose in Milan under the theme: “The luxury of simplicity,” in which I reflect on the pure essence of my cooking as though it were a brief Japanese poem, or haiku.

Chef Gualtieri Marchesi

MARCHESI

[Brescia Italy] 3 Michelin Stars

Chef Yves Mattagne

The Sea Grill

[Brussels] 2 Michelin Stars

Yves Mattagne is a Belgium-born chef critically acclaimed for his dishes at the Sea Grill, one of Brussels’ top restaurants. His abilities and deep affinity with the ingredients paved the path towards the gold medal at the concourse European fish chef competition in 1992. Later, from 1993 to 1999, he was successively awarded the Chef d'Or Gault Millau and L'Oscar Cuisinier by Le Club des Gastronomes de Belgique. At Gourmet Abu Dhabi, diners will be able to taste Mattagne’s awesome seafood cuisine, and understand why he is a two-Michelin-starred chef.

LE GAVROCHE - London

Michel Roux [2 Michelin Stars]

The Master's Master.

The brother's Roux have single-handedly been the breeding ground for all the top 2-3 star Michelin Chefs in the UK. Their students include Marco-Pierre White, Phil Howard, Gordon Ramsay....the list goes on and on...

HELENE DARROZE - Paris

Helene Darroze [2 Michelin Stars]

Grand-Daughter of Michelin-starred Jacques Darroze, the belle-Helene has just taken over the kitchens at London's Connaught Hotel - Blimey!

PETROSSIAN - Paris

Armen Petrossian

Petrossian bought these priceless Caviar pearls to the west after the Bolshevik revolution and simply continue to do so.

PIED-A-TERRE - London

Shane Osborn [2 Michelin Stars]

Ex-Australia Osborn's dishes keeps being confused as modern French by Haute Gallic gastronomes - strewth!

DOMINIQUE BOUCHET - Paris

Dominique Bouchet [12 Michelin Stars]

A student and part of the team which elevated Robuchon's Jamin to legendary status, Bouchet brings 3 stars to every establishment he has ever worked in from the Hotel Crillon to the Tour D'Argent and now his first-ever private restaurant in Paris.

JOIA - Milan

Pietro Leeman [2 Michelin Stars]

A student of Gualtieri Marchese and disciple of the legendary Freddy Girardet, Swiss-Italian born Pietro Leeman also spent a number of years in Japan which informs his "vegetarian" haute cuisine.

LOUIS 13th - Paris

Manuel Martinez [2 Michelin Stars]

Named after the King who just happened to be ordained on these premises over Two centuries earlier.

MOSIMANNS - London

Anton Mosimann

The "Master's Master". Mosimann is the only chef in the world who can boast 2 royal warrants and clients which include No.10 Downing St as well!

Trained in Switzerland by one of Escoffier's proteges.

ALAIN SENDERENS [previously LUCAS CARTON]

Alain Senderens - 3 Michelin Stars

The "Master of Masters". Alain Ducasse was his protege. Great modern Chefs like Carlo Cracco, Christian Delouvrier and a long list of others have found their epiphany at this Parisien Temple of Gastronomy.

RESTAURANT 48 - Athens

Christoforos Peskias

A disciple of Charlie Trotter, Peskias deconstructs classic Greek Cuisine and imbues it with a modern gastronomic patina. The dining room is also an architectural masterpiece.

SPONDI - Athens

Arnaud Bignon - 2 Michelin Stars

Ex protege of Eric Frechon [Paris' Bristol], Bignon has received the first 2-star rating ever given to a restaurant in Greece. And it's well deserved!

TAXI - Melbourne

Michael Lambie

Ex -3 star Marco-Pierre White Restaurant executive chef Lambie has embarked on a modern cuisinal course whilst in a Melbourne landmark restaurant.

VUE DE MONDE - Melbourne

Shannon Bennett

Already a Melbourne institution, Bennett studied many years under London masters before applying his craft.

BENNELONG @ SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Guillaume Brahimi

A disciple of the legendary Joel Robuchon [he even completed 3 stages at Jamin!], Brahimi brings his Parisien technique to an Architectural Icon - The Sydney Opera House.

NOBU - Melbourne

Tadashi Takahashi

NOBU - Need anything be said? Robert DeNiro's infatuation on a plate.

BECASSE - Sydney

Justin North

A student of Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir, NZ born North found his epiphanies at Paris' Pierre Gagnaire and then, of all places, at Liam Tomlin's Sydney restaurant.

PIER - Sydney

Greg Doyle

The King of all things Fish in Australia.

ARIA - Sydney

Matt Moran

Following in the footsteps of his close friend Gordon Ramsay, Matt Moran also has his TV show "THE CHOPPING BLOCK" as well as consulting for Singapore Airlines.

INTERLUDE - Melbourne

Robin Wickens

Classically trained in London then trailblazing into the world of Molecular Gastronomy, Wicken's humour is very evident in the spectacular dishes he assembles.

MARQUE - Sydney

Mark Best

A disciple of Alain Passard, Best came to cooking quite late in life but seems to have made up for it with his talent for dishes with a zest of zen.

YOSHII - Sydney

Yoshii Ryuichi

Mixing foie-gras with sushi is one of Ryuichi Yoshii's ways to bridge the gap between Western Food-Wine marriages. His is the "vice-versa" of East meets West.

VAROULKO - Athens

Lefteris Lazarou - 1 Michelin Star

Absolutely fresh fish [just caught] is the start of what goes on the plate at this very awarded and iconic Athens restaurant [with views of the Acropolis!].

PETRUS @ BERKELEY - London

Marcus Wareing [2 Michelin Stars]

Wareing is Gordon Ramsay's partner in Culinary Crime. A fastidious perfectionism yields sublime examples of current food art.

Jean-Louis Nomicos - 2 Michelin Stars

Nomicos is a student of Senderen's Ducase as well as Marchesi and after 8 years at Lassere, has founds his own unique direction.

ALAIN PASSARD - Paris

3 Michelin Stars

GORDON RAMSAY - London

3 Michelin Stars

Gordon Ramsay

Before Gordon became a TV celebrity, he was quite a good chef...