David Fillat and Institut Paul Bocuse – Écully, France
Chef Biography David Fillat was born in 1968 and is equated with Elvis Presley by the students where he now works as one of the three Patisserie chefs at the Institute Paul Bocuse in Lyon. The Great Chefs television crew was taping Georges Blanc in Vonnas, France back in 1998 when Chef Georges suggested that they [...]
Jean-Luc Albin and Maurice French Pastries – Metairie, Louisiana
Chef Biography Born in Briancon, in the French Alps, Jean-Luc’s father was a talented chef. When he was 15, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He worked in small resort hotels in the south of France, signed on as a 3-year apprentice in Marseilles, then got a classical job with legendary Chef Alexandre [...]
Thomas Ferlesch & Werkstatt
Chef Biography Thomas Ferlesch was born and raised in Austria and educated at the prestigious Gastgewerbefachschule in Vienna. He then apprenticed at the Restaurant Schottenkeller in Vienna, before climbing the kitchen ladder of the Hotel Belvedere in Switzerland and the Princess Hotel in Bermuda. In 1979 he immigrated to the United States to become chef [...]
Douglas Rodriguez and De Rodriguez Cuba – Miami, FL
Chef Biography Douglas Rodriguez, who claims to be the Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, is the son of Cuban immigrants, raised in Miami. He grew up with the sights, smells and tastes of Cuban/American cuisine and developed a passion for food early on. At 14, he landed his first restaurant job as a summer apprentice [...]
Jean Claude Poilevey and Le Bouchon – Chicago, IL
Chef Biography Born in the Burgundy Region of France, Poilevey started learning his trade at age 14 in a series of local restaurant kitchens. In the mid-1960’s, he moved to London and worked at the Café Royale and the Colony Club. In 1968, he and the late Great Chef Jean Banchet, were recruited to open [...]
Gabor Merci and Gundel – Budapest, Hungary
Chef Biography When the Great Chefs television team traveled to Budapest Hungary in 1999, they filmed Chef Kalman Kalla at the world famous Gundel, that survived two world wars and years of economic crises under communism. He trained under Master Chef Egon Eigen at the Duna Hotel in Budapest, then the Hungarian Embassy in Washington DC, before arriving at [...]
Laurent Jeannin & Georges V Hotel
Chef Biography Born in 1968 at Maisons Laffittes in Vendee, France, Laurent Jeannin began his apprenticeship in 1983 at age 15 at Pâtisserie Valade in Vichy, France. He received his CAP Pâtissier/Chocolatier degree in Moulins, Avermes in 1986 and then went on to become Commis Pâtissier with Pierre Hermé at Pâtisserie Fauchon in Paris in [...]
Anne Quatrano and Bacchanalia – Atlanta, Georgia
Chef Biography Hawaiian born Clifford Harrison had already graduated from the University of Hawaii before deciding to enroll at San Francisco’s California Culinary Academy. There he met his future wife, Anne Quatrano. When they graduated from culinary school in 1987, they both did a stint with the late Judy Rogers at the Zuni Café in [...]
Everett Reid & Good Elephant Bistro
Chef Biography Everett Reid trained at the Culinary Institute, then traveled to London to study at the Cordon Bleu before returning to work his way up the kitchen ladder in New York and Boston restaurants. In 1985, Chef Reid and his wife, Linda, opened American Seasons Restaurant on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. In October [...]
Zack Grumet & Silly Skinny Chix
Chef Biography Zack Grumet began his career on Long Island, New York where he spent every Thursday cooking with his mother. Within five hours, they would prepare the family's weekly supply of bread, rolls, cakes, pies and cookies. At age 18, he moved to Brookline, Massachusetts and apprenticed at Kupel's Bake & Bagel where he [...]
