Here's How Many Michelin Stars Yannick Alléno Has Accrued
In the land of culinary excellence, Michelin stars are the equivalent of winning a Super Bowl or an Oscar and equally as rigorous. It doesn't happen overnight. A chef must be at the top of his or her game. The Michelin Guide says there are a lot of criteria that go into achieving this feat even once, but there is a select group who have more than one of these coveted awards. Michelin stars rain down on those restaurants where the quality, creativity, and consistency of food and service are beyond compare. It starts with exceptional food, a dining experience you want to write home about, and mastery of cooking techniques coupled with a higher knowledge of flavors and textures.
Having multiple stars is obviously impressive, and French chef Yannick Alléno has 12 of these shiny, golden stars — enough to form his own constellation. But how did he score so many of these accolades, and are there chefs who have more than Alléno?
A focus on free ingredients and sauces
Known as the father of Modern Cuisine, Alléno was at the forefront of using fresh, seasonal ingredients, which probably speaks to why he has so many of those stars. Among his many eateries, the Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris is, perhaps, Alléno's pièce de résistance as it plays home to three of his esteemed restaurants, including Alléno Paris, which has three Michelin stars, L'Abysse, which has two, and Pavyllon, which has one.
What's the secret to so many awards? The renowned chef told Port Magazine that his success can be traced to his transformation of sauces and using them to evolve dishes. Alléno has even opened The School of Sauce in the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon to pass his sauce knowledge on to upcoming and coming chefs.
But while Alléno's 12 stars have us saying, "We're not worthy," there are other chefs who have more. As of April 2023, the late chef Joël Robuchon is at the top of the chef mountain with a whopping 31 Michelin stars while Alain Ducasse has 21, Gordon Ramsay has 17, and Pierre Gagnaire has 14.