Anne-Sophie Pic’s early years are firmly rooted in the cooking scene, with both her father Jacques Pic and grandfather Andre Pic acting as leading chefs for their prestigious restaurant Maison Pic. By the time of Anne-Sophie Pic’s birth, her grandfather had already attained three Michelin Stars with Jacques Pic continuing to maintain them throughout his tenure as head chef of the restaurant.
However, Anne-Sophie Pic did not initially call to her family’s culinary trade. Instead seeking a career in management, working in Japan and America for companies like Cartier and Moet & Chandon. Yet, this calling would not go unheard for too long; at age 23, Pic returned to be tutored by her father in 1992, yet tragically he died only three months into training his daughter. Subsequently, Pic decided to work front of house and by 1995 Maison Pic lost its third Michelin Star. Pic cites this as her primary motivator for returning to the kitchen, viewing it as though she “lost her father’s star” that he spent his life maintaining.
In 1997, despite having no formal training or knowledge in the kitchen, Pic took control of her restaurant. By 2007, she returned the restaurant to its former glory by winning back it’s third Michelin Star, marking the fourth time that a female chef had attained three Michelin Stars. This new found status as one of France’s most reputable chefs lead her to being named within French newspaper Le Figario’s list of the top twenty richest chefs.
By 2009, Pic sought to expand her restaurant empire, opening a second venue Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic in Lausanne, Switzerland. Continuing her family’s legacy, the restaurant attained two Michelin Stars by 2009. Bolstered by her success, Pic would continue in opening new restaurants with a trend of attaining Michelin Stars swiftly after.
From her success in the kitchen, Pic has attained many awards, most notably she was named a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor as well as the Veuve Clicquot World’s best female chef award, marking it as the first time this award had been received.
Anne-Sophie Pic also places a great deal of emphasis on the emotional authenticity and creativity of her food. In an interview with SquareMeal, she mentions that she gets “huge pleasure out of trying to intensify the quantities of a given product” - this passion and care for food is abundant throughout her career and has solidified her as a titan of the culinary world.
SquareMeal has several interviews with Anne Sophie-Pic, most notably as part of the Ayala SquareMeal Best Female Chefs of 2021 series as well as a snappy two minutes on her restaurant La Dame de Pic.