NEW VIDEO: Yannick Alléno, Pavillon Ledoyen
Yannick Alléno is the chef owner of Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris.
The 3,000 square meter restaurant on Avenue Dutuit in Paris' 8th district, neighbouring The Avenue des Champs-Élysées, employs more than 100 people - and seats approximately 40. Alongside this a smaller Japanese restaurant also owned by the chef, L'Abysse, which has a single Michelin star.
Launched five years ago, the restaurant received its third Michelin star in 2015.
The former head chef at Hotel Le Meurice, who began training as a chef at Le Relais Louis XIII under Manuel Martinez when he was just 15, left to open his own restaurant. The chef turns fifty this summer, and after 35 years, he said his passion for his job lives strong.
He believes his classical training with six Meilleurs Ouvriers de France - a prestigious award given to the country's best craftsmen - has meant that all doors have always been open to him.
"My classic bases are huge. I can go everywhere with my food because with that basis you can really understand world influences."
Describing his food as "real French modern cuisine," the chef explained that the key to this is to perfect the execution of sauces.
"Sauces are the verb of French cuisine," he said.
The chef said it took him many years to understand this fine tuning a technique called extraction. This means to "cook things at the perfect temperature," he said, and to extract moisture through freezing.
The chef, who has trained more than 30 now Michelin-starred chefs, said he said he has deep trust in his kitchen brigade.
"I try to give them the possibility to become great chefs."
And although there are very talented chefs around the world, he said: "I think France is the capital of food in the world," he said.
"Of course you have very talented chefs on the planet and it's very good for customers and for sharing."
"We have a big advantage. We are in France. The products are the best in the world."
The chef firstly describes success as having a good work-life balance. Secondly, he said, although having Michelin stars is something the team at Le Pavillion have earned and deserved through hard graft, he said, customers must always come first.
"If the customers are happy, generally speaking I'm sure you can get stars."
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