Modern cuisine is a result of hundreds, if not thousands of years of culinary tradition. Humans have been cooking food since the invention of the fire, so we have a long tradition of prepping meals in different ways.
While today’s Chefs are more creative than ever and come up with new culinary techniques, there are many who lived hundreds of years ago and are responsible for our dining experiences as we know them today.
In this article, we talk about the top 10 Chefs in the world. Our list will include influences from the past and present. Our list is entirely subjective, so you might disagree with some of our choices. The aim is to highlight the top 10 Chefs who have shaped the culinary world as we know it today.
1. Marie-Antoine Carême
Marie-Antoine Carême is a legendary French Chef who revolutionized how professional kitchens operate. He’s considered the father of Haute cuisine and French cuisine and his impact is felt to this day.
Marie-Antoine Carême is responsible for standardizing the modern Chef uniform, including the toque blanche — the tall white hats you see Chefs wear to this day. We wrote a comprehensive article detailing the intricacies of the Chef’s uniform.
Some of his “inventions” that are still commonly used today are his sculptures of marzipan, sugar and pastry, known as pièces montées. All of them are staples in fine dining to this day. Additionally, he came up with the “mother sauces” — bechamel, veloute, tomate, espagnole and hollandaise. These sauces are used as garnish and are the foundation for hundreds of dishes prepared today.
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2. Georges Auguste Escoffier
Georges Auguste Escoffier, also known as the King of Chefs or the King’s Chef, is another legendary French Chef. He’s the reason why modern, professional kitchens operate how they do today. He invented the “Brigade de Cuisine.”
This is a military-style hierarchy that allows kitchens to operate as smoothly and cohesively as possible. The Brigade de Cuisine was first used in the Savoy Hotel in London.
Besides coming up with the Brigade de Cuisine, Georges Auguste Escoffier is credited with developing over 10,000 recipes. He also popularized and updated traditional French cuisine.
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3. Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is the most popular Chef in the world today. While he’s mostly known for his outlandish TV personality, he’s truly one of the best Chefs in the world.
Over his long-standing career, he received seventeen Michelin stars, but only holds eight Michelin stars right now. He owns 35 restaurants all over the world. His namesake restaurant — the Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, has had three Michelin stars since 2001.
Besides revolutionizing British cuisine, Gordon Ramsay has also revolutionized the world of cooking TV. Gordon Ramse made a fortune from TV shows like Master Chef, Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen.
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4. Yoshihiro Murata
Yoshihiro Murata is a legendary Japanese Chef who owns multiple Michelin-star restaurants around the world. His restaurants hold a total of seven Michelin stars. Yoshihiro is called the “maestro of Kaiseki cuisine.”
Yoshihiro Murata owns Kikunoi, a three Michelin stars ryōtei (traditional Japanese restaurant accepting new customers by referral) located in Kyoto that has been in his family for over a hundred years. At Kikunoi, he’s carrying on the family tradition by serving Kaiseki cuisine using a modern and innovative style.
His latest restaurant is Tokimeite, a Wagyu restaurant located in Mayfair, London. This restaurant showcases his dedication to expanding his restaurant business internationally.
Photo Credit: Yoshihiro Takanashi Instagram
5. Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal is another British celebrity Chef. Also known as the “Mad Scientist of Food”, he combines his culinary arts and technology to create a next-level culinary experience. Blumenthal calls his cooking approach “multi-sensory cooking.” He claims that eating is one of the few activities where we use all senses at the same time.
He owns the world-renowned Fat Duck Restaurant, which was only the third restaurant awarded a Michelin star in London.
In 2002, he filmed “Kitchen Chemistry with Heston Blumenthal”, which gained wide recognition. In 2008, he moved to BBC’s Channel 4, where he joined Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
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6. Anne-Sophie Pic
Anne-Sophie Pic is a French Chef best known for her Maison Pic restaurant. She’s only the fourth female Michelin star Chef to hold three Michelin stars. She holds a total of eight stars over her five restaurants, which is the most a female Chef holds today.
Anne-Sophie Pic comes from a long line of Chefs. Her grandfather was Andre Pic, who invented the crayfish gratin dish. This was one of Maison Pic’s most famous signature dishes that gained them their three Michelin stars in 1934.
She didn’t want to follow in their footsteps initially. Instead, she decided to work overseas at different companies like Cartier and Moët & Chandon. However, it wasn’t long until she was drawn back to the family’s restaurant to work as a Chef and carry on the tradition.
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7. Julia Child
Julia Child is a legendary American Chef responsible for introducing French cuisine to the U.S. with the help of her cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. She also has a captivating TV presence, and she helped popularize cooking shows in a period when culinary education was hard to get.
Her show, called The French Chef, went on the air unedited and raw since TV technology in the 60s was limited. As a result, her witty jokes and sometimes even mistakes would appear in the final version, resulting in extreme authenticity and approachability.
In 1981, she founded the American Institute of Wine & Food to advance the understanding, quality and appreciation of wine and food pairing innovations. She’s also directly responsible for advancing the Sommelier field to what it is today.
Photo Credit: ©Lynn Gilbert Wikimedia Commons
8. Joël Robuchon
Joël Robuchon is considered the best Chef in modern French cuisine by many. He won the prestigious French award Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France’s Best Worker) and was named Chef of the Century by Gault Millau.
He owned over a dozen restaurants across Paris, London, Hong Kong, Madrid, Monako, Singapore, Tokyo, New York City, Bordeaux, Bangkok, Macau, Taipei and Shanghai. His restaurants held 31 Michelin stars in 2016, the most anyone has ever had.
Joël Robuchon was known for his relentless perfectionism. He once stated that there’s no such thing as a “perfect meal”, as one can always do better. His cooking was heavily influenced by the simplicity of Japanese cuisine and he led the way in creating a more delicate style that focused on using natural ingredients.
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9. Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià is a famous Spanish Chef. His elBulli restaurant was considered the Mecca for fine-dining. He transformed elBulli from a traditional French-style restaurant into a cooking laboratory. He pioneered the use of molecular gastronomy techniques and technologies.
Ferran Adrià aimed to combine flavors and structures, pushing the boundaries and creating dishes that are creative, experimental and fun. He still holds deep respect for Catalonian traditions and flavors.
Although elBulli closed its doors as a restaurant, it now operates as a museum. The museum is called elBulli1846, as a reference to the 1846 recipes that were developed in the restaurant. There, you can find notes, wax and plastic reconstructions of the dishes and learn more about the history of the restaurant and the Chef.
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10. Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse is a 21 Michelin star Chef who owns restaurants all over the world. His most famous restaurants are Le Louis XV at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. He’s the first Chef to own restaurants carrying three Michelin stars in three different cities.
Besides being a standout Chef, Alain Ducasse is renowned for his writing and overall influences in the culinary world. As such, he was named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.
Although each restaurant he owns is very distinct in its aesthetic and energy, they all share the same connection between nature and humanity.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Feature photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
