Raised in an orphanage, where he would take refuge in the kitchen to avoid the rough-and-tumble of the yard, Greg Marchand started cooking as teenager and completed culinary school in France. But then, with no one and nothing to keep him there, he left to cook in the great kitchens of the world, from Gramercy Tavern in New York to the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. Six years ago, he returned home to become one of the most talked-about chefs in Paris. His food is an exceptional amalgam of French technique, reverence for fine product, and the best and most interesting flavours and methods he encountered during the 12 years he spent cooking around the world. His game-changing restaurant, Frenchie, has breathed new life into the French bistro scene, with food that is so exuberant, so interesting, that Anthony Bourdain has shot a No Reservations segment there. And it's where those in the know, including Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl, go to eat while in Paris.