The character arc of Anne-Sophie Pic

A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record

Born on 12 July 1969 in Valence, in south-east France, the daughter of the chef Jacques Pic and granddaughter of Andre Pic, who first won the family restaurant three Michelin stars in 1934. Between then and now sit a decision not to follow them, management training and internships in Japan and the United States, a return to the restaurant in 1992 at twenty three, her father's death three months later, a move to the front of house, the loss of the third star in 1995, control of the restaurant taken in 1997 with no formal cooking training, the three stars regained in 2007, and restaurants opened in Lausanne, Paris and London. The line below draws the story so far, in order.

Drag along the line to move, pinch or use the buttons to look closer. Tap the line to pluck it, or any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.

Who is Anne-Sophie Pic?

Three months with her father, and then the kitchen was hers.

She grew up inside a three-star restaurant. Her grandfather first won it three Michelin stars in 1934 and was known for a crayfish gratin, and her father ran it after him. She decided at first not to follow either of them: she went abroad to train in management, and worked in Japan and the United States as an intern for a jeweller and a champagne house. What brought her back was, in her own word, passion.

In 1992, at twenty three, she returned to the family restaurant to train under her father and become a chef. He died three months later. She moved to working the front of the house instead. In 1995 the restaurant lost its third Michelin star, and she has said that the sense of having lost her father's star is what sent her back into the kitchen. In 1997 she took control of the restaurant. She had no formal training in cooking at all.

Ten years later, in 2007, she regained the three stars. It was only the fourth time a woman had held three Michelin stars, and that same year she was the only woman on a French newspaper's list of the twenty highest-earning chefs in the country. She opened a second restaurant in Lausanne, which was awarded two stars in 2009 and has kept them, a first Paris restaurant in September 2012, which has one, and a first London restaurant in 2017. She was named best female chef by an international restaurant list in 2011, and she holds ten Michelin stars in total, which is more than any other female chef.

The moments

Anne-Sophie Pic's timeline.

The 1960s

12 Jul 1969

Born in Valence

Everyday. Two generations of three-star chefs, and she grew up in the dining room.

The 1980s

~1988

She decides not to cook

Setback, and it changed everything. She went the other way on purpose, and got as far as Japan.

The 1990s

~1992

She comes home at twenty three

Milestone, and it changed everything. She came back to be taught by her father.

~1992

Three months later

Setback, and it changed everything. Three months of lessons, and then there was nobody to teach her.

~1995

The third star goes

Setback, and it changed everything. The star her grandfather won in 1934 came off the door.

1 Jan 1996

Front of house, or the stove

Crossroads, decided.

The paths laid out: go into the kitchen, taken, or stay in the dining room. She regained the three Michelin stars in 2007, only the fourth woman ever to hold them.

~1997

She takes control

Milestone, and it changed everything. Twenty eight years old, running a famous kitchen, with no qualification in it.

The 2000s

~2007

The three stars back

Milestone, and it changed everything. Twelve years after it was taken, and only the fourth woman ever to hold three.

~2009

Two stars in Lausanne

Milestone, and it changed her direction. A second country, and two more stars.

The 2010s

~2011

Best female chef

Milestone. An international list, and she was at the top of it.

Sep 2012

Paris

Milestone, and it changed her direction. Valence is a long way from Paris, and she waited until she was ready.

~2017

London, and ten stars

Milestone, and it changed everything. Ten stars across four cities, more than any other woman in the trade.

Valence is still the address and the third star is still on the door. What it has set moving is a correction to a story that gets told about family businesses: she inherited the restaurant and none of the training, lost the star that came with the name, and won it back herself with nobody left to teach her.

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Anne-Sophie Pic: frequently asked questions

What people ask about her line.

What is Anne-Sophie Pic's character arc?

A chef's daughter who decided not to cook and trained in management abroad, came home at twenty three to learn from her father, lost him three months later, watched the restaurant lose its third star, took control with no training and won the stars back.

Did Anne-Sophie Pic train as a chef?

No, not formally. She had three months learning from her father before he died, and she has no cookery qualification. She had trained in management and worked as an intern in Japan and the United States before returning to the family restaurant in 1992.

What happened to Maison Pic's third star?

It was lost in 1995, not long after the death of her father and decades after her grandfather first won it in 1934. Anne-Sophie Pic has said that the sense of having lost her father's star is what sent her back into the kitchen.

When did Anne-Sophie Pic regain three Michelin stars?

In 2007, a decade on from taking control of the restaurant in 1997. It was only the fourth time a female chef had held three Michelin stars, and that same year she was the only woman on a French list of the twenty highest-earning chefs in the country.

How many Michelin stars does Anne-Sophie Pic have?

Ten, which is more than any other female chef. They are spread across her restaurants in Valence, Lausanne, which took two in 2009, Paris, which opened in September 2012, and London, which opened in 2017.

Why did Anne-Sophie Pic not want to be a chef?

She initially decided not to follow her father and grandfather and went overseas to train in management instead, working as an intern for a jeweller and a champagne house. She has said what drew her back to the restaurant was passion.

Where does this timeline of Anne-Sophie Pic's life come from?

From the public record. Character Arc drew every moment on this line from the sources listed at the foot of the page, and the kind and weight of each moment are our editorial reading. Anne-Sophie Pic isn't a Member of Character Arc and has no connection with it, and no feeling is attributed to her.

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Sources

Anne-Sophie Pic, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
Michelin Guide records for Maison Pic, Lausanne, Paris and London.
The World's 50 Best Restaurants, best female chef, 2011.