15 of the best chefs in the world and their signature dishes to try in 2021 (2023)

Famed for her French food, Anne-Sophie Pic has a long series of accolades in her name and is one of the best chefs in the world. From regaining three Michelin stars for her family restaurant Maison Pic to earning the Best Female Chef award by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2011, she has established herself as the queen of French cuisine and one of the most famous chefs anywhere in the world.

Pic took inspiration from her father and grandfather to join the culinary arts. With no formal training in the field, she took over Maison Pic after her father’s passing and brought back its three Michelin stars in 2007.

The 51-year-old has a legacy of winning over guests with her creations, however, her Berlingots continue to be on the signature spot till date. The delectable pasta parcels are loaded with wild garlic, seasonal wild mushrooms, a hint of Voatsiperifery pepper and lightly-smoked Brillat Savarin cheese.

Restaurants:

• Maison Pic
• Restaurant Anne Sophie Pic
• La Dame de Pic

Sample Dishes:

• Les Berlingots
• Le Mille-Feuille Blanc
• Le Homard Bleu (blue lobster)
• L’huitre Tarbouriech

Contact: https://anne-sophie-pic.com/contact/?lang=en

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChefAnneSophiePic
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/annesophiepic/

Virgilio Martínez

Chef Virgilio Martínez added the wow factor to traditional Peruvian food by reinventing it with modern cooking techniques and using contemporary ingredients. Collectively, his offbeat approach to gastronomy contributed to the current stature. His modern Peruvian-style restaurant Lima in London won a Michelin star in 2014.

While Martínez has not listed a particular dish as his signature item, his Waters of Nanay is one of the most popular creations till date. The platter of this delicacy includes a piranha fish served inside piranha heads with its sharp teeth placed on top. The crispy fish skin delicacy is supported by cocona and achiote flavours.

Martínez was profiled on the Netflix series Chef’s Table.

Restaurants:

• Central Restaurante
• Lima
• Senzo

Sample Dishes:

• Land of Corn
• Waters of Nanay
• Marine Soil
• Close Fishing

Contact: https://centralrestaurante.com.pe/en/contact.html

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirgilioCentral
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/virgiliocentral/

Gordon Ramsay

Hell’s Kitchen, Hotel Hell, Masterchef and Kitchen Nightmares introduced us to an outspoken, strict, and short-tempered Gordon Ramsay who settles for nothing less than excellence on a platter. However, Ramsey did not become one of the best chefs in the world for his charisma alone, he also is a multi-Michelin star chef who owns thirty-five restaurants across the globe – the most celebrated one being Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London.

The dish that Ramsay is highly famed for is Beef Wellington. This one is a package of filet mignon covered in whole-grain mustard and layers of prosciutto, pulverized mushrooms, a herbed crepe, and puff pastry. This calzone of flavours is then baked until meat reaches perfection.

Forbes quoted 2020 earnings of the Michelin star chef at $70 million and named him the 19th high-earning celebrity in the world.

Restaurants:

• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
• Pétrus
• Savoy Grill
• Lucky Cat
• Au Trianon
• London House
• Street Pizza
• Gordan Ramsay Bar & Grill
• Street Burger
• The Narrow
• York and Albany
• Bread Street Kitchen
• Union Street Cafe
• Heddon Street Kitchen

Sample Dishes:

• Beef Wellington with mushroom duxelles
• Sautéed asparagus
• Five-spice crispy duck with black cherry glaze
• Sesame crusted tuna with cucumber salad
• Rack of lamb with glazed thumbelina carrots
• Chicken suprême with root vegetables
• Raspberry soufflé
• Beef Wellington

Contact: https://www.gordonramsay.com/

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gordonramsay
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/gordongram/

Alain Ducasse

French-born Alain Ducasse is a Monégasque chef who holds the highest number of Michelin stars in the world. Of the 20 stars he holds, three belong to Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester – the highest ranking on the prestigious guide.

Over a three-decade period, Alain Ducasse rose from chef to head chef and, at present, owns about 30 restaurants around the world and is considered one of the best chefs in the world who modernised and elevated French cuisine. In 2013, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

While Ducasse’s culinary expertise has won him a fortune of awards throughout his career, the Cookpot continues to be his signature delicacy. The ‘glocal’ trend as he calls it, is like an ode from the 64-year-old to the various cultures of the world. In a slow cooker designed by Ducasse himself, he stews seven seasonal vegetables until they release every inborn flavour.

The famous ‘Cookpot’ is now an essential tool found in most kitchens across the world.

Restaurants:

• Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse à l’Hôtel de Paris
• Le Meurice Alain Ducasse
• Allard
• Aux Lyonnais
• Beige
• Benoit
• Champeaux
• Jiwan
• Muni La Terrasse
• Bib & Guss
• Cucina Mutualité
• Cucina Byblos
• Sample Dishes:
• Rum Baba
• Cappon Margo
• Curried Cod and Mussels
• Braised Root Vegetables and Cabbage with Fall Fruit
• Double-Baked Cheese Soufflé with Parmesan Cream
• Hazelnut, Nutella and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches

Contact: https://www.ducasse-paris.com/en/contact

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alain.ducasse.965
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/alainducasse/

Clare Smyth

A former Chef Patron at Gordon Ramsay Restaurant, Northern Irish chef Clare Smyth is famed for her sophisticated cooking style with British ingredients. With several accolades in her name – first female chef to be awarded three Michelin stars, Chef of The Year in 2013, World’s Best Chef and so on – Smyth established herself as a winner in the otherwise male-dominated industry.

Core, Smyth’s restaurant in London, earned two Michelin stars within just two years of its induction. She also turned caterer at the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex – Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding ‘after-party’.

The 42-year-old is known for creating incredible delicacies with simple ingredients and her signature dish Potato and Roe is an example. It is a tribute to the chef’s homeland.

On a platter, freshly cooked potatoes are accompanied by potato crisps on top with a touch of dulse beurre blanc sauce, herring, herbs and trout roe.

Restaurant:

• Core by Clare Smyth

Sample Dishes:

• Potate and Roe
• Jellied Eels
• Lamb Carrot

Contact: contact@claresmyth.com

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057759353792
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/chefclaresmyth/

Heston Blumenthal

Celebrating an enticing union of food and science, Heston Blumenthal introduced the world to ‘gastronomic alchemy’ and has been thrilling foodies ever since. Blumenthal developed an interest in cooking after paying a visit to the three Michelin-starred restaurant L’Oustau de Baumanière.

Decades later, Blumenthal bought a run-down pub and reopened it as The Fat Duck. This marked the beginning of an amazing food journey where Heston emphasised on breaking free of the rigidity of food and eating what we want. Some of his major assignments were pioneering the usage of liquid nitrogen and a multi-sensory way of cooking.

One of the most successful dishes by Blumenthal is called ‘Sound of the Sea’ where he serves seaweed, kelp and seafood presented in a way that the dish resembles a seashore. Not just that, the dish is served with a conch shell that has an iPod playing the sounds of the sea and seagulls.

Undeniably, Blumenthal’s innovative food sent shockwaves beyond gastronomy, introducing the world to the science of flavour pairing. With four restaurants and several cookbooks to his name, Blumenthal is undeniably one fine chef in the world.

Restaurants:

• Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• The Fat Duck
• The Crown At Bray
• The Hind’s Head
  

Sample Dishes:

• Snail Porridge
• Meat Fruit
• Savoury Ice Cream: Egg and Bacon
• Botrytis Cinerea
• Mock Turtle Soup
• Savoury Ice Lollies

Contact: Heston@freuds.com

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HestonBlumenthalTeam/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehestonblumenthalteam/

Wolfgang Puck

One of the most celebrated chefs of the world, Wolfgang Puck truly worked his way to success. The Austrian-American Chef has over 20 restaurants and is famously known for his modern French style of cooking in America.

For all the Kardashian fans, Puck also catered for Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries wedding. A regular guest judge on Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef, he has also made several appearances in CSI, Las Vegas, The Simpsons and The Muse.

Coming from a humble background in Austria, Puck started cooking to escape from his strict father and fell in love with creating magic in the kitchen. He landed in America when he was 24 and started working at Ma Maison. Soon, he opened his first restaurant, Spago, and it soon became the talk of the town. Puck has never looked back ever since and today owns an empire of cafes, restaurants and food products.

Restaurants:

• Spago
• Chinois on Main
• CUT by Wolfgang Puck
• Wolfgang Puck Express
• The Kitchen
• Cafe at the End of the Universe
• Merois
• Ospero
• Culture Kitchen

Sample Dishes:

• Smoked Salmon Pizza
• Roasted Baby Beet Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese
• Butternut Squash Tortellini with Sage Butter Sauce
• Wolfgang’s Famous Chicken Pot Pie
  

Contact: https://wolfgangpuck.com/

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfgangpuck
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/wolfgangpuck/

Vineet Bhatia

Love spicy and absolute desi style food? Check out Vineet Bhatia’s modern Indian cuisine. Bhatia is a chef, author, restaurateur and a prominent media personality. He is known to be the only Indian chef with two Michelin stars. He started off with Zaika with his business partners in the year 1999. Soon after he came up with two beautiful Indian-themed restaurants, Rasoi in London and Switzerland, in the year 2006.

As of today, he has 11 restaurants across the globe, including Mauritius, Los Angeles, Dubai, Geneva, Mumbai and London. He has it all covered to bring the best spicy traditional Indian food with a touch of modern drama.

Many chefs in London claim that Bhatia has taken cooking to a new level and proved to the world that Indian food is evolving and has exquisite tastes!

Bhatia earned a Michelin star for his restaurant Zaika in London in 2001. His famous seafood upma is widely known for its tantalising taste. Along with that, his Amritsari battered cod recipe, a fish dish with a precise blend of traditional Indian spices and British fish supper style is a must try!

Restaurants:

• Indego
• Maharaja
• Rasoi
• Ziya
• Amari
• Maharaja East
• Kama
• Indya

Sample Dishes:

• Sweet fennel lollipop
• Chilli prawns with red onion and turmeric khichdi
• Gratinated pine nut-basil chicken with saffron mayo
• Grilled peaches, white chocolate rabdi and cardamom panna cotta
• Dhunga Machli Tikka

Contact: contact@vineetbhatia.com

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheVineetBhatia
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/chefvineet/

Xavi Donnay

Making waves in the world of desserts is 39-year-old Spanish pastry chef, Xavi Donnay, from Barcelona.

He has a strong background of working under renowned chefs of five Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain. He is presently the head chef at the legendary Martín Berasategui’s restaurant in Lasarte, Spain. He won the Best Chef Awards 2020 for all his desserts.

Although Donnay does not own a restaurant, he has reached great heights over a short span of time. He has been invited all over Paris to work as the head pastry chef for his innovative and highly creative way of making desserts.

Donnay experiments with Asian spices, fruits and vegetables with his extraordinary collection of chocolate flavours to make the best desserts. He combines two passions: his art of plated dessert, creativity, innovation, intensity, and the taste of Spain.

One of the most demanded desserts of Donnay is the White Chocolate Mousse which exudes the richness of chocolate. His passion fruit cream has won numerous awards for its creativity and blast of taste.

Restaurant: Works at Lasarte

Sample Dishes:

• White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Roche
• Corsican Clementine Chocolate
• Sicilian Blood Orange Petit Chou

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xavi.donnay
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/xavidonnay/

Marco Pierre White

British chef Marco Pierre is an influential TV personality and possibly the first celebrity chef. At the age of 32, White became the youngest chef to attain three Michelin stars at that time, and he has trained Mario Batali, Curtis Stone, Shannon Bennett, as well as Gordon Ramsay. Yup, you read that right!

The half-British and half-Italian chef excels in the finest Italian and French cuisines. Marco Pierre is considered to be the pioneer of mixing of cuisines to make some of the finest dishes. Having written several cookbooks about different cuisines and different styles of cooking, he is known for experimenting with Asian spices in British dishes.

He has eight exclusive restaurants in England. The chefs at his restaurants claim White to be a ghost who can appear anytime, anywhere and on any day in the kitchen to make new recipes and check on them. He also owns restaurants in Ireland and plans to expand globally.

As a mentor to many chefs, the entire culinary world was surprised when White announced his retirement. However, they still get a chance to taste his exquisite dishes through his cooking classes and new recipes.

Today, Marco Pierre White, even without cooking, is worth $40 million. He has been a prominent judge on Hell’s Kitchen Australia, MasterChef, and many more.

Restaurants:

• London Steakhouse Co
• Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill
• Wheeler’s
• Marco’s New York Italian
• Steakhouse, Bar & Grill
• Courtyard, Bar & Grill
• Marconi
• Bardolino
• Mr White’s English Chophouse

Sample Dishes:

• Roast Chicken
• Ratatouille
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Roast Lamb
• Spaghetti Carbonara
  Chilli Con Carne

Contact: https://www.marcopierrewhite.co/contact

Social Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marco.pierrewhite.56
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcopierrewhit/

This story first appeared on Prestige Hong Kong.