Woman Chef Wins 3rd Michelin Star

By JULIETTE ROSSANT (with additional reporting from Paris by Moira Chambers) It is time sing out "hail to the chef!" No, not presidential candidate Ségolène Royale but, reports The Independent, Chef Anne-Sophie Pic. Anne-Sophie is first woman chef to win three Michelin stars in 56 years. The Independent commented: The triumph of Mme Pic, 37, was also a triumph for family tradition over globe-trotting, celebrity chefdom. Mme Pic is the fourth generation of her family to cook in Maison Pic, a hotel-restaurant in Valence in the Rhone valley that began as a lunch stop for motorists on the main road from Paris to the south in the early 20th century. She took over the kitchen 10 years ago, with no formal training except by her father, Jacques, who had died five years earlier. (more) Anne-Sophie has put her faith in other women as well, and currently has 11 women working in her kitchen. In 2006 she opened a less expensive bistrot called 7 par Anne-Sopphie Pic. Super Chef in the making? Other chefs to gain three stars this year include: Alléno (Le Meurice, Paris), Frédéric Anton (Le Pré Catelan, Paris), Pascal Barbot (L'Astrance, Paris) et Jacques Lameloise(Chagny, Saône-et-Loire). 26 restaurants in France have three stars. Now that Michelin is on this side of the Atlantic, with guides for New York and San Francisco, we can hope that they will not be as tardy in recognizing the great talent and achievements of American women chefs. Meantime, let's hear what the chef says: This is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. It is something that we have worked for for years. I would like to see many more women chefs. If this could inspire more girls to take up the profession, that would be marvellous. Bravo, Chef! Press releases: Michelin [PDF] [2.6 MB] Related news: Independent, Plus News, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Mercury, Bloomberg, New York Times, Telegraph, Montreal Gazette, BBC, Houston Chronicle, San Diego Union-Tribune, Guardian, International Herald Tribune, Vancouver Sun, Times Daily, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington Post Previous articles: Michelin Guide New York 2006 Alain Senderens: The Next Revolution? The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski World in My Kitchen: Exerpt in France Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef [White House Woman Chef - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef