A self-taught chef, Alan Geaam became the world’s first and only Lebanese Michelin star awardee just 10 months after opening his fourth restaurant “I received the global industry’s highest culinary honor for incorporating Lebanese techniques and ingredients into French dishes,” he told HN.
Chef Geaam explained that the initial idea came to him by chance, prompted by curiosity about what kind of dish would result from this experimentation.
“Interestingly, and to my surprise, I felt overwhelmed by emotion, which brought about a slew of ideas that have continued to grow ever since,” he said. “Also, every time I used one ingredient or another, my mind raced back in time to various stages of my life, from childhood and the home I grew up in to the food my mother prepared.”
Chef Geaam believes that “passion, love and heart” are all elements that have the capacity to open doors to incredible tastes and flavors, which people highly appreciate.
“That was also when I began to pair these dishes with the stories of their origin, thereby adding an additional layer that had previously been missing,” he noted.
Chef Geaam told HN that rather than going after another star, he sees his next big step as ensuring that he preserves the one he’s been awarded. “That’s not to say that I don’t aspire for a second or even a third star, but I’ve worked long and hard to arrive where I am today,” he said. “However, my greatest dream is to find the best ways to contribute to Lebanese cuisine and in so doing, to Lebanon.”
