Chef and restaurateur Yannick Alléno has accolades coming out of his ears. Boasting 15 Michelin stars attached to a comparatively modest 18 eateries across France, Monaco, Italy, South Korea and Dubai, the 54-year-old Frenchman lays claim to being the second best chef in the world — if you believe the Michelin man’s hype. And no matter which rankings you choose to follow, in a global industry worth more than $2.5 trillion, this carries some serious weight.
Given such success, and all the bells and whistles that come with it, you’d be forgiven for assuming Alléno might be a touch The Menu. After all, much of the discourse around hyper-successful chefs implies they must be neurotic, controlling and insular, driven to madness in the pursuit of perfection. Though after a 24-hour stint with Alléno, exploring his Parisian restaurants and meeting his teams, I’m fairly certain he’s anything but. Instead he’s warm, patient and charismatic, attaching his success to the science behind the carefully honed, pioneering techniques that have become his calling card.
