3 Michelin Star Chefs: Pierre Gagnaire, Sketch

Pierre Gagnaire is chef patron of Sketch, three Michelin-starred restaurant in london, Mayfair.

• Other chefs with three Michelin stars

Coming from a family of restaurant owners, food was always in Pierre Gagnaire’s blood. The French native currently has three Michelin stars and 5 AA Rosettes at Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library).

Early career 

Born in Apinac, France, Pierre was the son of two restaurant owners and began his career as an apprentice, learning the fundamentals of traditional cuisine.

Pierre’s cooking places its roots in traditional French cooking. However, with various layers of inspired creativity and modern techniques, his dishes transform into symbols of contemporary ideas and refined masterpieces.

Despite confessing that he is a bad student of molecular cuisine, Pierre explains that it is a vital part of his culinary story, which seems to be forever evolving.

Pierre embarked on his culinary path at Paul Bocuse’s restaurant in 1965. The experience had such an impact on him that, enamoured by the world of the culinary arts, he enrolled in an apprenticeship at restaurant Juliette in Lyon in 1966. Two years later, he took his first role as a commis chef in restaurant Tante Alice, also in Lyon.

In 1974, Pierre worked with chef Alain Senderens at the restaurant Lucas Carton, Paris. This is where he was first introduced to creative cuisine, something that would affect the rest of his food career.

After two years of exploring the world, Pierre returned to his family restaurant, Le Clos Fleuri, and took over the kitchen.

In 1976, Pierre won his first Michelin star.

In 1981, he went solo and opened his own restaurant Aux Passementiers, in Saint-Etienne, which won him 2 Michelin stars.

In 1992, he opened a second restaurant, restaurant Pierre Gagnaire.

However, this did not work out for Pierre and he found himself bankrupt in 1996, and he left for Paris.

With the support of his friends, he opened another restaurant under his name in Paris. Just 2 years later, he won 3 Michelin stars. This then led to him opening restaurants worldwide, including London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Dubai and Los Angeles. 

He also has two Michelin-starred Pierre Gagnaire Gastronomic Restaurant in Le Grande Maison in Bordeaux, headed up by Jean-Denis Lebras.

What is the food like at Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library?

The Lecture Room and Library is one of the rooms in his Sketch restaurant in London. With a dress code of “art smart”, the gastronomic restaurant room was created by Gabhan O’Keeffe and provides a spacious and relaxing atmosphere. 

Pierre has embraced the idea that food is art. He marks his “eras” by a dish and the year of its creation. This ensures he remains relevant in the ever-changing world. Food is not just something that needs to taste good, it needs to be “poetry on a plate”, and the visual presentation of his food is extremely important.

Dishes combine a variety of traditional ingredients and flavours in such a refined way that they emerge as pieces of artwork. Executed by chef Johannes Nudig in Pierre’s absence, the cuisine never falters and always showcases the finest quality of taste and aesthetics, punctuated by bold and imaginative highlights. With 11 restaurants to juggle around the world, Pierre ensures that they are to his standard by being very personally involved in all the projects and people.

Achievements 

After collaborating with professor Herve Deville, Pierre released 2 cookbooks; 'La Cuisine C’est de l’Amour, de l’Art, de la Technique' (Cooking is Love, Art andTechnique) and 'Alchimistes aux Fourneaux.'

The 5-AA Rosettes restaurant received its first Michelin star in 2005, its second in 2012 and its third in 2019. 

Videos of Pierre Gagnaire: