Alain Ducasse

Las Vegas Chefs

Known for his incomparable French cuisine and his innovative dining concepts, Alain Ducasse is without a doubt one of the world's most decorated chefs. In 2002, GQ magazine awarded him Best Chef in their “Men of the Year” issue, and the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences named him “Finest Chef in the World” in 2003.

Born on a farm in the southwest region of France, Ducasse learned to appreciate ingredients like duck, geese, boletus mushrooms and foie gras at a young age. He began his life in the kitchen working for a number of famous chefs, including Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre and Roger Vergé. He moved between L'Amandier in Mougins and La Terrasse in Juan-Les-Pins before taking on Le Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris. There, at the impressive young age of 33, he turned the operation into the first hotel restaurant to be awarded three stars in the Michelin Red Guide.

In 1996 he opened the Alain Ducasse restaurant in Paris, and by 1998 became the first and only French chef to have six stars to his name - three for his namesake restaurant and three for Le Louis XV. This was soon followed by the opening of his first concept restaurant, Spoon, Food & Wine - also in Paris. Featuring multi-ethnic cuisine, the celebrated hotspot ultimately led to the opening of identical concept restaurants in Mauritius, London, Saint Tropez and Hong Kong.

Since then, Ducasse has moved on to even bigger things. He currently heads prestigious restaurants around the world, including Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse in Monaco, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York and Beige-Alain Ducasse in Tokyo. He is president of the hotel association “Châteaux & Hôtels de France” and runs country inns in Provence (La Bastide de Moustiers, L'Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de La Celle and Le Domaine des Andéols), in the Basque Country (L'Hôtel Ostapé) and in Tuscany (L'Andana, Tenuta la Badiola). He is involved in the bistro cuisine (Aux Lyonnais and Benoit in Paris, Iparla in the French Basque Country and Benoit in Tokyo) and still finds time to create new dining concepts like Bar & Boeuf in Monaco, serving only sea bass and beef.

Impressively, on top of all that, Ducasse has also managed to write 16 books, open a bakery/grocery store, and of course, oversee Mix - his one-of-a-kind experience at Mandalay Bay, Mix, featuring contemporary and classic French and American dishes with global accents.

These days, Alain Ducasse may no longer work in the kitchen, but he still provides the driving inspiration behind some of the world's most renowned restaurants. He creates the recipes and atmosphere, he contributes to the interior design, and most importantly, he manages all the talent. After all, in his own words, “It is the executive chef who is responsible for making it perfect every day.”