Yesterday, I was listening to an interview with Chef Jean Imbert, who has just earned another Michelin star.
A few fun facts about this remarkable gentleman:Jean Imbert is an incredibly talented chef, entrepreneur, and visionary. His rise to fame began when he won the third season of France's Top Chef. In 2021, he succeeded Alain Ducasse as the head chef at the prestigious Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris. Expanding his culinary influence globally, he took charge of the dining venues at The Brando, an exclusive resort on Polynesia’s Tetiaroa atoll, in 2023. Most recently, in March 2025, he opened La Forêt Secrète at Disneyland Paris's Disneyland Hotel.
In the interview, this passionate and hardworking chef—who often speaks fondly of his grandmother, with whom he opened his first restaurant—shared how deeply hurt he had been by scathing criticism from the French media a few years ago.
As is often the case in France, extraordinary personalities tend to face harsh scrutiny.
Imbert revealed that he had framed these critical articles and hung them in his office.
But, as he spoke aloud in the interview, he finally declared that, upon returning home, he would take them down—at last.
Yes, Jean Imbert, it is time to reserve your energy and positivity for those who truly deserve it.Bravo for this powerful step forward. "Let it go"—such a simple phrase, yet so difficult to embrace...
What are you ready to let go of today?
