THE 30 MOST FAMOUS COOKS AND CHEFS IN HISTORY - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

There are famous chefs in history who have had an impact worldwide for their influences on other colleagues and on universal gastronomy. Many of them have received the Michelin star award for their own restaurants, these being the highest distinction within the gastronomic sector.

The history of cuisine is very varied and has changed over the centuries including new contributions, new ideas and new creations. Restaurants would not be what they are today, if it weren't for the French Revolution of the 18th century. And it is that the first great chefs were influenced by the doctrines of Antonie Careme, chef of kings and one of those who devised French haute cuisine.

Auguste Escoffier proposed to improve and revolutionize the rules and techniques proposed by Careme. She removed the kitchens from underground places and established the first rules of hygiene and food handling, creating the first cookbooks.

Top 30 most famous chefs in history

1- Alain Ducasse

Famous French chef born in 1956. His access to fame was thanks to the advanced working methods used in the kitchen and, for cooking food at a very low temperature.

He worked at the La Terrasse restaurant, at the Hotel Juana, in Juan Les Pins and did a prestigious job at Le Louis XV, being the first hotel restaurant to obtain three Michelin stars.

Official website here

2- Andoni Luis Aduriz

Born in 1971 in Spain. He is one of the most famous chefs in that country and in the world. He has worked at El Bulli, for another renowned chef, Ferran Adriá.

Since 1998 he has had his own restaurant called Mugaritz, which has been awarded the National and Euskadi Gastronomy Award. Taking third place in the list of the best restaurants in the world.

Official website here

3- Anne-Sophie Pic

Cook born in 1969 in France. She is the only French woman who has a restaurant with three Michelin stars, which she has won twice.

The name of his restaurant is Mison Pic, located in Valence and opened by his great-grandmother. She is the only woman with Helene Darroze to have a Michelin star.

Official website here

4- Bobby Flay

His full name is Robert William Flay, but he has become famous under the nickname Bobby.

He was born in Manhattan in 1964. He began to dedicate himself to cooking at the age of 17 and by 2004 he shone with his work at the American Bar in New York. Her work has been highly praised by various media outlets, including the New York Times.

Bobby took advantage of his commercial sense and his ability to communicate ideas, to publish more than 4 books and be the protagonist of several TV programs

Official website here

5- Carme Ruscalleda

Born in 1952 in Barcelona, ​​she is one of the most prominent Catalan cooks in Spanish gastronomy. And one of the most famous cooks in the world, owner of the Sant Pau restaurant in Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona, ​​which has received three Michelin stars. And two restaurants in Tokyo, holders of two of these awards.

Official website here

6- Daniel Garcia

Born in Marbella, Málaga in 1975. He is known as Dani García. Making avant-garde recipes and cooking with liquid nitrogen at temperatures below 196 degrees below zero, he has received the Chef L´Avenir award, as the best young chef in Europe, an award granted by the International Academy of Gastronomy.

Official website here

7- Donato de Santis

Born in Milan, Italy in 1964. Throughout his professional career as a chef, he worked in the most famous restaurants in Los Angeles, United States.

His creativity has been the reason he has met celebrities, and Gianni Versace has hired him as his personal chef.

In 2000 he settled in Argentina, where he has edited his own book and has been the star of innumerable TV programs of the renowned channel El Gourmet that reach all of Latin America.

Official website here

8- Escoffier Auguste

French chef born in 1846 and died in 1935. He is called the Emperor of Chefs because he popularized and updated the cooking methods of his country.

Among his greatest recognitions, he rescued the Hungarian culinary heritage by adapting it to French guidelines, embodying this gastronomic compilation in the book La Cuisinehongroise, a myth of gastronomy in France.

The dishes invented by him are currently offered in various restaurants.

9- Ferran Adriá Acosta

Born in 1962 in Barcelona, ​​Spain. He is currently the most famous chef in the world for his creative and revolutionary character, which have led him to stand out in molecular cuisine.

Since 2011 it has a non-profit foundation.

10- Giada de Laurentiis

Born in 1970 in Rome, Italy, she is an Italian Chef belonging to the world of celebrities. Daughter of the film director Agostino de Laurentiis, anthropologist, merchant, book writer, chef, star of several television shows, she has belonged to the world of celebrities since her childhood.

Official website here

11- Gordon Ramsay

Born in 1966 in Scotland, he is recognized for being a cook and television presenter in the United States and the United Kingdom, which has made him famous worldwide.

Ramsay has a successful career having received 12 Michelin stars throughout it. And his restaurant being the best in London for more than 8 years.

Official website here

12- Heston Blumenthal

Born in 1966 in London, he is together with Ferran Adriá one of the most innovative in molecular cuisine.

His restaurant The Fast Duck, open since 1995, is one of the most prestigious in the gastronomic world today.

13- Jacques Pepin

Born in France in 1935, at 81 he is one of the most experienced French chefs. And one of the most respected in the world.

Throughout his career he has written more than twenty books on gastronomy, greatly influencing American cuisine.

Official website here

14- Jamie Oliver

His full name is James Trevor Oliver. He was born in Essex, UK in 1975. He became one of the most influential chefs there.

He was discovered by the BBC who made him one of the media characters on one of their programs. Which launched him to stardom.

Throughout his professional career, he has participated in various television programs and written many cookbooks.

Official website here

15- Jean Pierre Clause

Born in 1757 in northern France. Its fame was due to the successful creation of the Paté de Contades (Strasbourg foie gras paté). Which began to manufacture and sell.

16- Joan Roca

Born in 1964 in Spain, he is one of the most famous chefs in the world. Disciple of Ferran Adriá, owner of the Celler de Can Roca restaurant, in Girona. Being located in the first position of the most prestigious lists of the most recognized restaurants in the world.

Official website here

17- Marie Antonie Careme

Born in 1784 in Paris and died in 1833, he was known for being Europe's first scholar of sauces in French cuisine.

In addition to being a cook, he was an architect and has transferred his architectural drawings to his cakes, which has made him famous. Appearing in newspapers around the world thanks to their work.

18- Mario Batali

Born in 1960 in the city of Washington. His first restaurant was opened in 1998 in New York, which he called Babbo, for which he received the award for the best restaurant of that year.

Its success allowed it to open nine more restaurants in the same city, and others in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

He has written several books on cooking and participated in a television program with which he toured Spain.

Official website here

19- Martin Berasategui

He was born in 1960 in San Sebastián, Spain. It is one of the greatest references of the new Basque cuisine.

In his professional career he stands out for the creation of new products and flavors. At 26 he received his first Michelin star. His best known restaurant is located in Lasarte, which has three stars.

According to the list of a French magazine called Le Chef, of the 100 best chefs in the world of the year 2016, Martín Berasategui is in seventh place.

Official website here

20- Massimo Bottura

Italian chef born in 1962. Owner of the Osteria Francescana restaurant in the city of Modena, which has three Michelin stars and was classified as the first best restaurant in the world in The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Awards of 2016.c He is one of the chefs most famous Italians around the world.

Official website here

21- Michel Bras

Born in Gabriac, France in 1946. His popularity was expanded by how he treats the nature of food.

His restaurant located in Laguile, was voted and placed by Restaurant Top 50 magazine, in 2008, in the seventh position on the list that includes the best restaurants in the world.

Official website here

22- Paul Bocouse

Born in 1926 in France, French chef recognized worldwide for being the founder of nouvelle cuisine.

In 1975 he was distinguished with the Legion of Honor, being the first of his profession to obtain this distinction.

Official website here

23- Pedro Subijana

Born in 1948 in San Sebastián Spain. Renowned for being one of the masters of traditional Basque gastronomy.

In his restaurant called Akelarre, he has a research and development department, dedicated to studying all the recipes before preparing them. Characterized by creating simple dishes, with maximum dedication to elements such as aroma, texture and flavor.

Official website here

24- Pierre Gagnaire

French chef born in 1950 in Apinac, Loire. Renowned for the fusion in the kitchen and for having managed to overturn the concept of traditional French cuisine. His influence on the kitchen became internationally recognized, having introduced to it, concepts of molecular gastronomy.

Official website here

25- Quique Dacosta

Spanish chef born in the province of Cáceres, Spain in 1972. His restaurant Quique Dacosta is considered one of the greatest references in world cuisine. Standing out for the conjunction of techniques, elaborations, international products and an updated menu regarding the popular culture of Valencia.

Official website here

26- Rachael Ray

Chef born in New York in 1968. She is recognized for her sympathy and her presence in countless TV programs.

Due to her vast experience, Rachael taught cooking classes in a course she called 30 minutes meals, which was unthinkable, attracting the attention of the CBS television network.

She was hired and from her job, she was nominated for the Emmy Awards. She participated in various programs until she produced her own, called Rachael Ray, which quickly became one of the television programs of the 2006 season.

In the same year she was named Best Leader and in the following year, recognized as Personality of the Year. The press calls her the best television star.

Official website here

27- Sandra Lee

Cook born in 1966 in Los Angeles, California. It is recognized for working with pre-packaged products to a greater extent, and to a much lesser extent, with fresh food. He calls this technique Semi-Homemade. She has participated in various programs and written a few books.

28- Santiago Santamaria i Puig

Born in 1957 in Barcelona, ​​Spain and died in 2011. He was a Spanish chef, one of the most awarded by the Michelin Guide for his restaurant Can Fabes.

He wrote numerous books, being one of the most respected chefs in the world. Standing out for the style of his cuisine, and for being one of the first of the time to use wild plants and edible flowers in his dishes.

29- Thomas Keller

American chef born in 1955. He is recognized as one of the best chefs in the United States today.

With his restaurants he set the standard for world gastronomy, being awarded three consecutive times as one of the best chefs, by the New York Michelin Guide.

Official website here

30- Wolfgang Puck

Born in Austria in 1949, he is a chef recognized as the 'King of Fusion'. His first restaurant called Spago, opened in 1982, was located in Hollywood, so it quickly became a meeting point for celebrities.

Taking advantage of this, Puck opened other restaurants with the same name in different cities.

He is currently recognized for being the one who prepared the gala dinners at the subsequent Oscar awards ceremony, for more than 16 consecutive years.

Official website here

References

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6. Rosengarten, D. (2012, Oct 29). Ten Most Important Chefs of My Lifetime. Retrieved from Forbes.
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11. Images taken from the respective official websites of the chefs