Who are the chefs with the most Michelin stars? For the first time ever, we’ve mapped the rise of the five most Michelin-starred chefs over the last three decades, visualising their journey in a single graph.
Before 1997, it was unheard of for a chef to hold more than five stars at once. That all changed when Alain Ducasse shattered expectations, managing two three-star restaurants simultaneously—taking over Joël Robuchon’s iconic Paris establishment while still running Le Louis XV in Monaco.
Robuchon, despite announcing his retirement, made a spectacular return in 2003. With Michelin expanding its reach into Asia, he rapidly amassed an astonishing 20-plus stars by 2009. Even after his passing in 2019, his legacy endures—his restaurant group remains the most Michelin-starred to this day.
Current Ranking (as of February 2025) |
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Ducasse continues to follow closely behind, while new challengers, such as Yannick Alléno and Enrico Bartolini, have entered the race.

Methodology in brief
For this analysis, we’ve focused solely on the five chefs who have historically held the most Michelin stars at any given time. Our figures reflect only the official Michelin stars awarded each year across all their restaurants. If the Michelin Guide stops covering a region (as it did with Las Vegas), the stars from those restaurants are lost.
Many rankings misleadingly add up every star a chef has ever earned throughout their career, leading to inflated numbers. This results in misconceptions—like the claim that TV-celebrity Gordon Ramsay has had 17 stars, when in reality, he holds just 8 in 2024.
Of course, many other chefs have accumulated impressive numbers over time, including Martín Berasategui and Anne-Sophie Pic. However, our selection highlights only the five chefs who have, at their peak, held the most Michelin stars simultaneously.