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- Fabien Ferré is the executive chef of La Table du Castellet, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant.
- French media touted Ferré as the youngest three-Michelin-starred chef.
- But at least two other chefs have clinched the award at an even younger age.
A 35-year-old French chef just earned three Michelin stars — but he isn't the youngest to clinch the most coveted honor in the fine-dining world.
Fabien Ferré is the executive chef of La Table du Castellet. The restaurant was awarded three stars at the Michelin Guide award ceremony on Monday in Tours, France. It was one of 30 restaurants in France awarded three stars by the Guide.
"I'm not good at speeches, but I'm a little better at cooking," Ferré said in French in a broadcast of the event posted on YouTube, as quoted by the local newspaper Le Parisien. In the broadcast, Ferré could be seen putting on Michelin's iconic white chef coat over a black T-shirt.
"Would I have ever imagined being on this stage with the greatest award?" Ferré added. He appeared to be holding back tears.
Ferré's parents were pastry chefs, per Le Parisien. He grew up in Burgundy, a region in central France known for its vineyards.
Ferré did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
From sous chef to executive chef in 14 years
Ferré started his culinary career at age 21 in 2010 as a sous chef at La Maison Troisgros, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, his LinkedIn page shows. He worked there for three years.
Ferré then joined La Table du Castellet in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, where he honed his specialization in creative French haute cuisine, his LinkedIn shows.
After working as a sous chef de cuisine there for almost three years, Ferré was promoted to head chef — a position he held for seven years. In February 2023, Ferré became the restaurant's executive chef.
La Table du Castellet is notably more affordable than many Michelin-starred restaurants in France. A four-dish set lunch starts at 120 euros, or $130, and a six-dish set dinner starts at 180 euros. For comparison, Plénitude, a three-Michlin-starred restaurant in Paris, charges 390 euros for a four-course set menu and 475 euros for a six-course set menu. La Table du Castellet did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
While several French media outlets, including Le Parisien, reported that Ferré is the youngest chef to earn three Michelin stars, several chefs achieved the rare accolade at an even younger age.
In 1994, British chef Marco Pierre White's restaurant Harveys clinched three Michelin stars when he was 32, CNN reported. In 2002, Italian chef Massimiliano Alajmo's restaurant Le Calandre earned three Michelin stars, per the Michelin Guide. Alajmo was 28 at the time.