CHEFS from France

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary French Chefs of all time. This list of famous French Chefs is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Joël Robuchon (1945 - 2018)

With an HPI of 61.26, Joël Robuchon is the most famous French Chef.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.

Joël Robuchon (French pronunciation: [ʒɔɛl ʁɔbyʃɔ̃], 7 April 1945 – 6 August 2018) was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's best worker) in cuisine in 1976. He published several cookbooks, two of which have been translated into English, chaired the committee for the Larousse Gastronomique, and hosted culinary television shows in France. He operated more than a dozen restaurants across Bangkok, Bordeaux, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Madrid, Monaco, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and New York City. His restaurants have been acclaimed, and in 2016 he held 31 Michelin Guide stars among them, the most any restaurateur has ever held.

2. Marie Harel (1761 - 1844)

With an HPI of 55.84, Marie Harel is the 2nd most famous French Chef.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Marie Harel (born Marie Catherine Fontaine; April 28, 1761 – November 9, 1844) was a French cheesemaker, who, along with Abbot Charles-Jean Bonvoust, invented Camembert cheese, according to local legend.

3. Alain Ducasse (1956 - )

With an HPI of 54.20, Alain Ducasse is the 3rd most famous French Chef.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Alain Ducasse (French: [alɛ̃ dykas]; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide.