Let’s get inside the mind and heart of some of the world’s genius chefs. Here are three of the latest and greatest interviews with chefs from different parts of the world. Learn from their life experiences and what they’re really like in the kitchen.

We’ve gathered some famous chefs’ interviews that will deal with just a few of the common questions they are asked so you can learn more about them and their passion for food.

Gordon Ramsay

Here are the answers of this famous ‘volatile’ top chef of Hell’s Kitchen in an ‘interview with chefs’ moment by bon appetit:

• What is the most fun you have had as a chef?

I’ve been lucky enough to have had lots of incredible experiences, but last year I had the honor of cooking at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday party in London. The atmosphere was electric, and it was a huge privilege to be involved.

• What was your own worst kitchen nightmare?

I can’t remember the last time something went really wrong. But right at the start of my career, I did a stint at a resort in the French Alps. One day the head chef asked me to put the fresh bouillabaisse outside in the freezing cold to chill it. By the evening it had festered and formed a thick froth on top. It was absolutely disgusting.

• What restaurants do you like to eat at other than your own?

I love Nobu and Chez Bruce in London. There’s also a beautiful little tapas restaurant in South London called Lola Rojo. In the U.S., I recently visited Michel Richard’s Citronelle, which was fantastic.

• What would be your last supper?

Sea bass is the king of fish, so my idea of the perfect last meal would be a beautiful fillet, pan-fried with a light sorrel sauce, or served roasted with artichokes and a chive creme fraiche.

Alain Ducasse

Learn from one of the famous chef interviews by business times with Alain Ducasse, a French fine-dining icon with 20 Michelin stars.

• What do you think chefs, especially younger ones, should do?

Think about your clients, and what you can do to keep your restaurants busy. Think about your customers and having said that, can you really fill up your restaurant without media or the support of the guides. Or if you don’t have the support of the rankings on the website. The reality is that there are many talents out there who will not be recognized and it’s terrible and sad.

• What are some of the highs and lows of your career and how do you deal with setbacks?

I only focus on the good parts.  It’s a decision that you make when you wake up in the morning. Success is a balance of what’s good and what’s not. Even if you have 49 percent of bad, you still have 51 percent of good. Even if there’s a lot of downsides, what counts is that you also have some positive.

Joel Robuchon

Read some of the highlights of a ‘talk to a chef’  moment from Decanter with Joel Robuchon, the world-renowned chef, who died at the age of 73. His customers did not mind what the cost was to eat what he prepared because the quality of the meals was always so exceptional, with a service that was equally so unforced and effortless.

• What are the details that you look for in a great restaurant?

The welcome is key. I am always looking at the small details, such as whether the table has been dressed carefully. If there are wrinkles in the tablecloth, you know that other things behind the scenes will have similar shortcuts. I like a restaurant to smell good, not just for the promise of great cooking, but rather to be assured that nothing is interfering with the scent of the food itself.

Service has to be kind and effortless, not academic. I want it to feel spontaneous from the heart. And above all, I want to feel that the chef loves what he does. Cooking is an act of love, and that love must be transferred to the guests.

• What is your favorite dish to order in a restaurant?

A good steak-frites. That is one of the key dishes that you can order in a restaurant anywhere — and is often where a chef can show off his skills through the simplest of dishes by choosing the best cut, preparing it to perfection.

• How has your philosophy on food evolved?

I still believe that the quality of the cooking is paramount…I know how difficult it is to be simple and still remain exceptional. It’s the hardest combination to achieve, and today I regard it as the greatest success because it is all about the pleasure of the client.

As I get older I return to the truth of flavors.  I hate not being able to identify what I eat.  We must show respect for the food we eat and the clients we are preparing it for.

Learning From Interviews With the World’s Greatest Chefs

We hope these famous interviews with chefs have given you a glimpse of what it takes to be the best in the industry as a professional chef. We learn from them that anything worth celebrating and earning recognition for entails a huge amount of effort and passion.