"Anne-Sophie Pic" news and stories

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• French chef Anne-Sophie Pic grabs an honorary doctorate from the University of Montreal.
• Rob Mifsud discusses the rising trend of high-price cookbooks from signature chefs.
• And if you're gearing up for another Christmas celebration on the 6th, try these dinner twists.

Anne-Sophie Pic now has a very prestigious distinction - she is the only woman in the world who currently holds a Michelin three-star ranking. Though she is the fourth woman to obtain the top award since it's inception in 1926, this is the first time in more than 50 years that it has been given out to a female. Being awarded three stars definitely runs in her family, her father received his in 1973, and her grandfather in 1934.

In addition to Anne-Sophie's restaurant 'Pic', located in the city of Valence, Michelin promoted four others to three stars:

• Barbot's Astrance in western Paris
• Le Meurice, run by Yannick Alleno, in central Paris
• Pre Catelan, in the Bois de Boulogne, west of Paris
• Lameloise, in Chagny, in the Burgundy region

Seven new two-star restaurants made the guide, as well as 50 new one-stars. The 2007 guide goes on sale next week, however the English version will not be available until late March.

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