The iconic godfather of French cuisine

EVEN rock stars have heroes. And so it was that when Alain Ducasse set foot on the MAD symposium in Copenhagen last year - a convention of chefs from around the world - he reduced culinary stars such as Noma's Rene Redzepi, Momofuku's David Chang and Coi's Daniel Patterson into nervous fanboys meeting the man whose name is practically synonymous with French cuisine.

"Alain is like one of the godfathers of cuisine," says Chef Redzepi. "I grew up reading his books, studying them meticulously, so to me Alain Ducasse is a big part of the cook I have become."

After 25 years and over 20 Michelin stars, the 57-year-old chef-entrepreneur continues to chalk up new ventures the way other people collect stamps. In 2013 alone, he closed his restaurant at Plaza Athenee for refurbishment and took over the Restaurant Le Meurice from its departing chef, three Michelin-starred Yannick Alleno. He opened an upscale chocolate boutique, acquired an old bistro as part of a conservation project and was recruited by American space agency Nasa to create special event meals for astronauts (which he had already been doing for the French equivalent CNES since 2006). He's also written a kid's cookbook, is re-opening Plaza Athenee this year and plans to open restaurants in London and a French-Chinese restaurant in Beijing in…