Chef Jay Fai cooks everything herself over two blazing charcoal fires in the alley, using only the highest-quality ingredients to serve customers who are willing to wait several hours to nab a table.
Robuchon won more Michelin stars than any other chef. He embraced his role as a steward of France's cultural treasures and rejected pretentiousness. After all, his signature dish was potato puree.
Sébastien Bras runs Le Suquet, a restaurant in southern France that first won its three stars in 1999. He cited the pressure of anonymous visits from the guide's inspectors two or three times a year.