Pierre Gagnaire is one of the world's most famous chefs, whose Michelin three-star cuisine has been dazzling diners around the globe for decades. Gagnaire's masterpieces earned him his first Michelin star in 1976, and since then food-lovers and more stars have been gravitating his way. Today a total of seven Michelin stars shine over him. Gagnaire, at 60, is full of energy and in constant motion, endlessly moving between his 10 restaurants around the world, including one in Tokyo's ANA InterContinental Hotel. Guests at every Pierre Gagnaire restaurant are treated like royalty: They enjoy beautiful decor, magnificent cooking and impeccable service. It's the dishes themselves, however, that are the biggest stars in Gagnaire's galaxy — full of great stories, every bite has a punch line and every plate has a happy ending.

I'm very lucky that I am a little talented with my hands. One day I realized that, for me, it's possible to tell a story with food. That's all I know how to do. Only that.

Food is a way to give tenderness to people. I put all my love and energy into my dishes. For 42 years I've been trying to be honest and to define food as a part of life. My form of expression is cooking, but it's not the food, it is the people (those who make it and those who eat it) who are the most important ingredients in life. And that's the simple truth, no matter how elaborate my dishes get.