Alain Ducasse. [CR Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images] Alain Ducasse. [CR Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images]



4)  Alain Ducasse

Celebrated chef Alain Ducasse (formerly of French nationality, but recently granted citizenship from Monaco) originally trained under renowned chef Roger Vergé, where he learned the Provençal style which was to flavour much of his later cooking.

His restaurant at Sofitel Demeure Le Parc Hotel in Paris received three stars just eight months after opening in 1996.

In June 2000, he opened the Alain Ducasse restaurant in New York City's Essex House hotel, which received three stars but closed in 2007. Ducass has since opened two more US outlets, in New York and Washington.

He also runs a cooking school for the general public in Paris and another for chefs — the Alain Ducasse Formation (ADF), which also works with the European Space Agency, developing food for astronauts in space.

Ducasse has authored numerous books and today is involved with multiple outlets around the world, including dessert restaurant Tamaris in Beirut, Lebanon.

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