“I
grew up in the kitchen,” says Yannick Alléno from his first UK restaurant, Pavyllon, at Four Seasons, Park Lane, in London. From a very young age, Alléno spent much of his childhood helping out at the various bistros his parents ran in the Parisian suburbs. By the time he reached the wise age of eight, he’d set his sights on running his own establishment. Good thing too, as he is now one of the most decorated chefs in the world — holding 17 Michelin stars across his 19 restaurants.
Born in Puteaux, on the border of Paris, the culinary champ’s first lessons came from his grandmother, who would teach Alléno and his cousins the craft of cooking during their summer holidays at her countryside house. Official training started at age 15 when he enrolled in the catering and hospitality school — Lycée Santos-Dumont in Saint-Cloud. Various apprenticeships with top chefs followed. Even now, despite being at the height of his game, he is insistent that the learning never stops. “We learn every day. That’s the beauty of the job,” he says.
Yannick Alléno, one of the most decorated chefs in the world
Alléno won his first Michelin star in 1999 for Scribe in Paris. The following stars came in quick succession. He now has something of an empire with his multitude of restaurants, a boutique chocolate shop in Paris as well as a food magazine called YAM — Yannick Alléno Magazine.
