Darroze

Alain Ducasse’s influence is also felt throughout the industry in the chefs he has trained. Hélène Darroze is one of them. She is a native of the south-western region of the Landes, where the Darroze family had reigned in their famous restaurant for many years. Hélène set up her own restaurant in Paris and quickly scooped up two Michelin stars and the limelight fell not only on Basque country cusine and southwest produce, but also on the woman herself. She is a tiny, fragile yet steely woman, fiercely proud of her achievement, brushing off the notion of machismo within the industry.