Guy Savoy, Michelin-starred chef: 'At 15, I spent all my summer holidays cooking at a refreshment stand'
At 9 am, inside his Paris restaurant, the air was already filled with delicious aromas. Dressed in a spotless jacket, he sipped lemonade, carefully choosing his words to describe his profession. Just below, on two floors, dozens of cooks, pastry chefs and apprentices bustled in front of the stoves. Through the windows, you could see the Louvre and, to the side, the Académie des Beaux-Arts, where Guy Savoy was inducted at the end of 2024, almost like an additional star on his journey as a great French chef.
I wouldn't be where I am today if...
... I hadn't been born in France 71 years ago and if I had spent my childhood in another country. It is obvious to me that I would never have had the idea to become a chef. At least, not at that time. Today, you can be born anywhere and want to become a chef. But in the 1950s and 1960s, there was only one place with such a diversity of products, with cheeses and vineyards in nearly every region, clearly defined seasons and above all, only one country that glorified gastronomy: France.
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