Food & beverage
Three decades in In her 30-year career, that instinctive drive, intuitive nature and curious spirit – sparked by that so-called French energy – has taken Pic’s brand across continents and around the world, sweeping up awards and accolades like a magnet along the way; ultimately earning Pic the title of the most decorated female chef in the world. Breaking down the work that went into earning that title, Pic holds 12 Michelin stars; two in her restaurant in London and three in her flagship restaurant in her hometown of Valence – making her the only female chef in France to receive the top Michelin prize. La Dame de Pic in Paris, Hong Kong and La Dame de Pic – Le 1920 in Megève each holding a star. In fact, Pic’s Dubai outpost received a star mere weeks after we spoke, and her two-Michelin-starred eponymous restaurant at Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace in Switzerland reopened following renovations in the autumn of 2024. That’s not to mention her partnerships with luxury brands like Dior, which has introduced Pic to Japan, and her book, Suffusion, released in 2023 in France with an English copy last year. Having such a global outreach – and presumably a busy schedule – you must wonder how Pic can keep an eye on everything. She explains that, rather than outstretching herself across the world, Pic invites each of her executive chefs to Valence to “come into my universe” and regain some of that energy. “You need curiosity, you need to experience new ways,” she stresses, “And have this relationship that will indicate to the taste and to the emotion.” After learning and recharging under Pic in France, during which there’s no restaurant service so they can remain focused and dedicated to developing new dishes, they return invigorated to their Pic outpost and apply back on their local terroir.
Far from home From speaking with Pic, it’s clear that it always comes back to her hometown in France’s Rhône region, both literally and metaphorically. Valence is not just the town where Pic grew up and kept as a base since, but it is also the site of her family’s restaurant, one that has been in the family for more than a century. Anne-Sophie is the fourth generation Pic to take the helm of the family restaurant, Maison Pic, first opened by her great- grandparents, Eugene and Sophie Pic, in 1889. It passed through the generations, with her grandfather Andre being the first to win three Michelin stars for the establishment. While there’s no denying hailing from such a rich bloodline of culinary masters has its benefits – such as spending weekends and school holidays acting as
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an additional pair of hands in the kitchen – it also comes with a heavy serving of pressure. Not least because when Pic was just 23 and had returned to the family establishment to begin formal culinary training – following briefly rejecting the family trade to attend business management school – her father and biggest inspiration, Jacques Pic, suddenly passed away. When the restaurant lost its third star in Michelin tradition, Pic was inspired to take control of the kitchen. A decade later in 2007, the third star returned to its pride of place. I ask Pic if, despite having almost fourfold the number of stars now attached to the Pic name, she still feels pressure to continue her family’s legacy, through serving their dishes and recipes: “You can respect the way you have been taught, but my family taught me that you cannot take a recipe and not move it, because otherwise it disappears,” she philosophises. “It did take a lot to change the recipes of my father or my grandfather. But finally, at 40 years old, I decided to really make my own cuisine.”
Above: The art deco bar.
Below: Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge.
Opposite: French chef Anne Sophie Pic.
Four Seasons
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