Keller's culinary master classes cook up a storm
China DailyFrom left: Three of Thomas Keller's signature dishes — Hass Avocado and Kaluga Queen organic caviar "Louie"; Macaroni and cheese; steak and eggs. Fast forward to today, Keller, now 69, has reaped an impressive seven Michelin stars across his celebrated establishments: Per Se in New York and The French Laundry in California have each been honored with three stars, with the additional star gracing the Surf Club Restaurant in Florida. "I learned that when washing dishes when I was 14 years old, but I didn't understand it from a professional point of view then," Keller says, adding that his philosophy of cooking has remained unchanged over the decades, and that the first thing is the ingredients. No matter whether it's fine dining or casual dining, Keller says that chefs look for the best ingredients they can find and then their skill dictates the quality of the results.