Soups were dull, so they never found a place on Thomas Keller's menus — until Chapel's version proved soups ideal for showcasing an array of produce. One of the things that's most important for a cook ...

It took a few years to find this book; I've been searching intermittently for it ever since chef Alain Ducasse told me in an interview that he considers Alain Chapel to be his "spiritual master".

What are your childhood memories of food? “I was born in 1967, in the town of Flers, in Normandy, France, but growing up we lived in Paris as my parents were charcutiers and caterers there. Every ...