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On these pages, Cornish turbot and tables
at CORE by Clare Smyth, London. ©CORE

Food storytellers, visionaries and, first and foremost, artists. Clare Smyth has also made a deep mark on haute cuisine. With
These are the women who have revolutionized haute cuisine, Core by Clare Smyth in the heart of London, she has redefined the
winning an accolade that few can boast: three Michelin stars. An very idea of culinary luxury, transforming humble ingredients
achievement that goes beyond technical talent, and that celebrates into extraordinary experiences. The proof is in his Potato, dulse
the ability to transform each dish into a cultural, traditional and seaweed beurre blanc, herring and trout roe where potatoes,
creative story. Today, among the eight women who have reached a childhood memory, explode in flavor combined with simple
this gastronomic Olympus over the course of time, six continue ingredients. The three Michelin stars, awarded in 2021, celebrate a
to embody three-star excellence: Nadia Santini, Ana Roš, Clare vision in which simplicity and refinement come together, making
Smyth, Dominique Crenn, Anne-Sophie Pic and Hélène Darroze. each dish a perfect expression of technique and passion.
They are joined by Annie Féolde, the first Italian to achieve three Overseas, Dominique Crenn has brought his poetic and
stars at Enoteca Pinchiorri, and Carme Ruscalleda, a pioneer of personal vision to the fore with Atelier Crenn in San Francisco,
Catalan cuisine. Although today Féolde and Ruscalleda no longer awarded three stars in 2018. His cuisine, deeply influenced by his
hold the title (the former passed the reins to Riccardo Monco, Breton roots, is distinguished by an artistic sensibility that makes
while the latter closed the Sant Pau), their contribution paved the each dish an emotional experience, capable of transforming food
way for a new way of conceiving gastronomy, leaving an indelible into a universal language. The current tasting menu focuses on
mark on the history of taste. pescetarian and plant-based ingredients, with an emphasis on
Among contemporary protagonists, Nadia Santini is a leading products from the sea and local farms.
figure. Her cuisine, in the Dal Pescatore restaurant in Canneto In France, Anne-Sophie Pic continues to embody the
sull’Oglio, is an example of balance and grace, in which Italian excellence of the great gastronomic tradition, interpreted with a
tradition is skillfully enhanced. It is no coincidence that Nadia’s bold and personal spirit. Pic, in Valence, is the symbol of a culinary
Tortelli di zucca (pumpkin Tortelli) were selected by the ‘Red’ as dynasty that Anne-Sophie has taken to new heights. Winning the
one of the five best dishes of the last 70 years. three stars in 2007 was an act of continuity and innovation, as her
Her restaurant, deeply rooted in her family history, is a sensibility has redefined the boundaries of taste. She is described
project that she built together with her husband Antonio and as a ‘tightrope walker’ because of the acrobatics to which diners’
which, in 1996, won three Michelin stars, transforming a corner of palates are subjected. They are given only two options: to choose
the Mantuan countryside into a place of gastronomic pilgrimage. between seven or ten courses.
Further north, in the Slovenian mountains, Ana Roš has created Hélène Darroze, on the other hand, represents the essence of
another culinary revolution. Hiša Franko, the restaurant contemporary French cuisine in one of the world’s most vibrant
immersed in the nature of the Julian Alps and inherited from cities, London. At the Connaught, her approach enhances the
her husband Valter Kramar, is a workshop of creativity where raw material with impeccable technique and a narrative ability
every dish tells the story of the land. Local ingredients, modern that turns each course into a tale. The three stars, obtained in
techniques and boundless imagination have led Ana, a former 2021, are the result of a journey that weaves together tradition
skier with aspirations as a diplomat, to obtain three stars in 2023. and modernity, always with an eye on the absolute quality of the
“I am not cooking my dreams. I am only cooking my reality,” ingredients.
writes Ana Ros, who seasonally renews her menu. Despite this, To sit at their tables is a journey into culture, art and perfection.
the Corn Beignets with fermented ricotta and smoked trout roe For those seeking not only luxury but also the deeper meaning of
and the Summer Hay-crusted Baked Potato with sour cream and the term, these chefs offer privileged access to a universe where
caviar have, over time, become immovable ‘classics’. food becomes memory and inspiration.

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