PHILIPPE LEGENDRE

Originally from the Vendée region in north-western France, Philippe Legendre started out as an apprentice at the Embruns. He went on to work for some of the finest restaurants in Paris, including the Lucas Carton, the Ritz and Tallievent. His flair did not go unnoticed; Legendre was awarded the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France award, which honours France's finest artisans, in 1996. In 1999, he joined Le Cinq for their December opening and guided the restaurant to its first Michelin-star in just two months. Nonetheless, this success did not bring about complacency. Within just a span of one year, Legendre and his team went on to earn Le Cinq a second Michelin-star. Finally, in 2003, he gained the highest recognition in the culinary world, three-Michelin-star. In that same year, Legendre received the honour of being voted "Chef of the Year" by his culinary compatriots in the French magazine Le Chef.

SANTI SANTAMARÍA

Taste is the ultimate measure of a dish. Behind this apparently simple belief of Santi Santamaría lies a cuisine so elaborate that every creation is an expression of emotions, culture and sensations. Deeply inspired by his Catalan heritage and traditions, Santamaría carefully transforms the diverse range of ingredients from its purest form into simple yet magnificent expressions of flavours. Completely self-taught; Santamaría never worked in any other restaurant in his life. He honed and refined his technical skills by learning from the people who worked with him and taking extensive gastronomic trips throughout Europe. In 1995, Santamaría became the first chef in Catalonia to receive three-Michelin-star, an extraordinary achievement in the gastronomy world and a definite indication of greatness as one of the icons of Catalan cuisine.