Chefs all over the world dedicate their lives to earning at least one of the coveted Michelin stars in recognition of their excellence. The Michelin star is undoubtedly the highest honor in the international culinary industry. Some have gone so far as to call them the "Oscars of the Culinary World". However, there are a select few who have managed to amass an astonishing number of stars in their top restaurants.
1. Alain Ducasse – 19 Michelin stars
Renowned chef Alain Ducasse is synonymous with breaking the record for Michelin stars, who currently has 17 stars in his collection, making him one of the best chefs in the world. Over the years, he built a business empire with 36 restaurants around the world. He is also one of only two chefs to hold 21 Michelin stars in his career, and the first chef to own three Michelin-starred restaurants in three cities. In addition to being known for his fine French cuisine, Ducasse is the only chef on this list to have sent his food into space. In 2015, he sent his meals to astronauts on the International Space Station.
2. Pierre Gagnaire – 14 Michelin stars
Another famous French chef, Pierre Gagnaire has collected as many as 14 stars in his 40-year career. He won his first when he was only 26 years old. The Michelin guide says that this chef is a "fusion cuisine" who breaks the classic rules of French cuisine. Gagnair's eponymous flagship restaurant on Rue Balzac in Paris has retained three Michelin stars for more than two decades, quite a feat in the culinary world. Today, he oversees 18 fine-dining restaurants worldwide, including Sketch in London, one of Mayfair's top Michelin-starred restaurants.
3. Martin Berasategui – 12 Michelin stars
Martin Berasategui is a Spanish chef who has 12 stars in his collection. He is also one of the few select chefs in the world who has two restaurants with three Michelin stars. This exceptional chef received his first Michelin star at the age of 25 for his first restaurant, Restaurante Martin Berasategui. The famous restaurant received its third Michelin star in 2001 and has been on the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world for six years. During his 44-year career, Berasategui opened three more Michelin-starred restaurants in Tenerife and Barcelona. It also owns six other restaurants around the world (in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Costa Rica). He is considered a legend in the world of traditional Basque cuisine and one of the world's best chefs.
4. Yannick Alleno – 10 Michelin stars
Yannick Alleno runs eighteen restaurants around the world. His Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen is one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, located in the gardens of the Champs-Élysées. In 2020, his restaurant Ledoyen Paviljon became the independent establishment with the most stars in the world. Since 2013, Yannick Alléno has been researching and developing French cuisine to such an extent that he started his own culinary movement called “Modern Cuisine”. As part of his research, he carefully studied sauces and even patented the Extractions® technique. Yannick says this process allows concentration and fullness of flavor, providing texture, a long finish and minerality.
5. Anne-Sophie Pic – 8 Michelin stars
Anne-Sophie Pic is the chef with the most Michelin stars won by her restaurants. After her father's death in 1997, she took over the management of the family restaurant, Maison Pic, without formal culinary training. She earned three stars for running the restaurant, then opened another one, Anne-Sophie Pic, which glorifies family cuisine from Valencia. The aim is to show an innovative spirit, as the Michelin guide says, "connecting the history of the Pic family with the history of French gastronomy".
6. Gordon Ramsay – 7 Michelin stars
Gordon Ramsay is probably the most famous chef in the world. Although he has received 16 Michelin stars in his career, he currently has seven. His signature Gordon Ramsay Restaurant in London has held 3 stars since 2001, making it London's longest-running restaurant. Gordon, a chef, restaurateur and TV personality, was born in Scotland and has 35 restaurants around the world and built a successful empire. According to the Forbes list of the richest people in the world in 2019, he ranked 35th. As of 2020, Gordon Ramsay's empire net worth is estimated at $220 million, most of which comes from his popular TV shows like Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and MasterChef.
7. Thomas Keller – 7 Michelin stars
He is the most decorated chef in America and currently holds 7 stars. He is also the only American chef to hold all six of the seven stars at the same time. One of its five restaurants, The French Laundry, with three Michelin stars, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and has twice been named the best restaurant on the planet. Keller, a native of California, is widely known in America for his French-style cooking, and has made a name for himself in France. It can be said that he is one of the best chefs in America.
8. Yoshihiro Murata – 7 Michelin stars
With four restaurants worldwide and 7 Michelin stars, this Japanese chef is a culinary icon who has been promoting Japanese cuisine for almost 50 years. He is considered a master of kaiseki cuisine and won the prestigious American Express Icon Award in 2020. Murata is the third generation owner of a century-old ryotei in Kikunoa, Kyoto, where he pays homage to the classic kaiseki cuisine of his ancestors with a fresh and modern approach. Murat's latest venture is Tokimeite, an authentic waygu restaurant in Mayfair. The expansion of his culinary empire into Europe is not the only sign of his global success.
9. Seiji Yamamoto – 7 Michelin stars
One of Japan's most famous chefs, Seiji Yamamoto sent the eel for tomography to better understand its anatomy. In addition to his dedication to understanding the science of cooking, he is also known for combining the time-honored tradition of kaiseki cooking with the modern techniques of molecular gastronomy. Since its opening, Yamamoto's Tokyo restaurant Ryugin has become synonymous with this type of cuisine. Now he also runs two overseas subsidiaries, one in Hong Kong and the other in Taipei, both of which have been ranked in the top 50 restaurants in Asia. His way of cooking reflects the preciousness of Japanese delicacies, turning simple ingredients into works of art. In 2019, he was selected for the first American Express Icon Award, in recognition of his contribution to the integration of avant-garde cooking by mixing classical Japanese tradition.
10. Andreas Caminada – 7 Michelin stars
Award-winning Swiss chef Andreas Caminada began his career as a humble pastry chef. But at the age of 26, he took over as chef at Schloss Schauenstein, a historic castle in the Swiss Alps. Since then, the restaurant has achieved unprecedented success, receiving 3 Michelin stars and 19 Gault Millau points. Caminada also has 2 Michelin-starred restaurants, Andreas Caminade's IGNIV at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz and Badrutt's Palace-Hotel. The latter is only open in winter.
11. Heston Blumenthal – 6 Michelin stars
Heston has 6 Michelin stars in his collection. Elizabeth II also awarded him an award for his merits in gastronomy. Blumenthal, like several other chefs on this list, is passionate about food science. He is known for experimenting with food pairings, identifying molecular similarities in different ingredients and combining them. Although this innovative chef discovered his love for cooking at a young age, he held various jobs before settling into his profession. A turning point in Blumenthal's career came in 1995 when he opened his own restaurant, The Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire. In 2005, it was named the best restaurant in the world, known for its fourteen-course tasting menu, which includes dishes such as scrambled eggs with nitro eggs and bacon ice cream.
12. Masahiro Yoshitake – 6 Michelin stars
Another Japanese chef on the list, Masahiro Yoshitake, managed to win six Michelin stars with just two restaurants. His Tokyo restaurant, Sushi Yoshitake, is an intimate, seven-seat sushi bar run by a team of four. His highly regarded restaurant received three Michelin stars in 2012 and is currently the only 3-star omakase restaurant in Tokyo. Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning "I'll leave it to you", a common practice in Japan that allows the chef to showcase seasonal ingredients through a series of inventive dishes and specialty sushi. Since then, Yoshitake has expanded to Hong Kong and opened Sushi Shikon at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, which has received three Michelin stars since 2014.
In memory of: Joël Robuchon – 31 Michelin stars
Joël Robuchon, widely known as the "boss of the century", passed away on August 6, 2018. During his career, he won quite a number of Michelin stars and ranks among the biggest winners of this kind of award. This French chef was known as a pioneer of the post-nouvelle cuisine era, and his relentless perfectionism spilled over into a more authentic, timeless French cuisine. He owned twelve restaurants around the world and was also a mentor to Gordon Ramsay.
