Selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of America’s “Best New Chefs” in and by Esquire magazine’s restaurant critic John Mariani as one of “America’s New Chefs to Watch in 1995, Pascal Oudin set new standards on the South Florida regional American culinary map.

Born in Moulin, France, Oudin perceived his training in the great kitchens of France, under the guidance of the three-star Michelin luminaries Roger Verge, Alain Ducasse, Gaston Lenotre, and Joseph Rostang.

Oudin modified the way Florida and the new world cuisine are perceived by combining his French cooking techniques with the tropical ingredients and ethnic influences of the region. Accolades have followed. The Wine Spectator said of Oudin’s cooking that it “has achieved a delicate balance of tastes and textures, one that many other Florida chefs might well copy.” The Grand Cafe was honored by South Florida magazine as one of the best restaurants in the region, and best in Dade County. Zagat survey listed The Grand Cafe in Miami’s “Top 20 Food Rankings,” calling it “a treat in all respects,” and saying that “the serious regional American restaurant offers some of Miami’s finest dining … with impeccable food.”

In 1989 Oudin won the prestigious Florida Chef of the Year award from Chefs of America while opening the Colonnade Hotel in Coral Gables. Prior to assuming his position at the Grand Bay Hotel, Oudin was part of the opening team of “Festival Disney” at Euro-Disney in Paris. In 2000 he opened his own place, Pascal’s on Ponce. Once again there has been applause from every quarter; in 2007 he was named Best Chef, Miami.
 

Hailed by critics as one of the outstanding new chefs to arrive on the Brazilian restaurant scene, Claude Troisgros thinks his success was fated: ‚“I always knew what I would be when I grew up,‚” he explains.

Claude Troisgros has cooking in his blood ‚Äì literally in the genes. His father Pierre and uncle Jean founded the celebrated Troisgros of Roanne where Claude was turning out a perfect beurre blanc when most children were learning the alphabet. ‚“I was raised in the kitchen,‚” he says.

At 16 Troisgros went to the Hotel School of Thonon-les-Bains and on to an apprenticeship with Paul Bocuse. Years before, Bocuse, a family friend, had made seven-year-old Claude sign a ‚“contract‚” stipulating that his first job would be at Bocuse´ restaurant. Troisgros spent several years working in Europe´s most celebrated kitchens, including Taillevent in Paris, the Connaught in London, and Tantris in Munich, with stops at Troisgros between jobs. When Gaston Lenotre offered him a position as chef at his restaurant Pre-Catalan in Rio de Janeiro, Troisgros jetted off to Brazil with a two-year contract. Once there, he fell in love with a country — and with Marlene Pereira da Silva, who became his wife. In Brazil he began to use tropical ingredients, localizing his family´s signature French cuisine. He even launched Roanne, his first solo restaurant venture, across the street from the city´s open-air market. Word quickly spread, leading to the elegant but informal restaurant Claude Troisgros. Trendsetters and power brokers made it their new dining spot; critics applauded. Troisgros followed with another Roanne in Sao Paulo, and a cookbook, Da Cabeca a Panela (‚“from the head to the saucepan‚”).

Claude Troisgros´ C.T./Claude Troisgros in Manhattan was the first culinary venture in the U.S. for a member of the Troisgros family. ‚“Something acidic, something crispy, and something green,‚” he says, in every dish. Troisgros quickly won over the likes of Ruth Reichl of the New York Times, who awarded him three stars. Troisgros, of course, became a member of the James Beard Foundation, and looked to Miami for his next spot, Blue Door. Rio, however, is his home. Rio, and the three-star Claude Troisgros restaurant. It is in Rio that he has already left his imprint on the country´s culinary style and scene. He is consulting chef for the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro as well as for La Tavola d´Oro, a restaurant in Aracaju. He is an active member of Brazil´s most prominent culinary associations, including The Brazilian Association of Restaurant Owners, The Hotel, Bar, & Restaurant Trade Association of Rio de Janeiro, and the National Brazilian Association of Haute Cuisine. He also serves as a distinguished member of the jury of the School of French Haute Cuisine, and the jury for the Pinhao Cooking Contest in Rio.

Only a chef with a pilot´s license could spot the site for a French country inn from a small plane flying above the rolling hills of Virginia. Since L´Auberge Provencale opened in July 1981, this full-service inn has been a haven for Washingtonians who make the short trip to the Shenandoah Valley.

A fourth-generation chef, Borel began his training ‚“the old-fashioned way,‚” he says, starting at age seven by peeling potatoes for Hotel du Louvre, his grandfather´s two-star Michelin restaurant in Avignon, France.

After his family relocated to Key West, Florida, Borel eventually bought his father´s restaurant, Chez Emile, and later opened a small café called the Deck. ‚“When I had my restaurants in Key West I began to use more tropical ingredients, which opened up my creativity,‚” he says.

His cuisine remains firmly rooted in his native Provence, however, drawing heavily on such ingredients from the Mediterranean kitchen as fresh herbs, tomatoes, and olives for signature dishes like Apple Wood-smoked Rabbit served with Fresh Basil Pasta; Pheasant with Rosemary and Vanilla; and Foie Gras with Cactus Pears.

The atmosphere of L´Auberge Provencale is also decidedly French, with the three dining rooms decorated in French fabrics and French country antiques that range from a Louis XIV lavabo to a duck press to hand-painted plates. The extensive collection of original art, from Picasso to Dufy, completes the Inn that Chef Borel calls ‚“not pretentious‚” but ‚“a respite from the otherwise hectic world.‚”

Borel divides his time between running L´Auberge Provencale with his wife Celeste and coaching soccer for his son Christian. He is also the gardener for his inn, drawing the freshest ingredients from his orchards and crops. ‚“For the future, I see my cuisine evolving, yet I do not believe in nouveau ideas or trends. Being in the country allows me to pace my progress to maintain the highest standards of quality,‚” says Borel.