Secrets of a Michelin-Starred Family | Gourmet Journeys

In this black car, prestigious passengers. Queen Sylvia of Sweden and her husband, King Karl XV Gustaf. Protocol welcome for the monarchs. Tonight, Mark Heberlin, French chef, presides in the kitchen alongside a great Swedish chef. Mark specifically came to help us. But who takes care of your restaurant then? The others. We are a close, supportive family who always care for one another. Thank you truly, your majesty. Everything is decided in the next few minutes. 250 esteemed guests of Mark came for a significant charity gala. The chef is really worried. On the menu, there is homemade foie gras toast prepared specially by Mark in Alsace. Happy, Philippe? No, I have some left. Yes, let's... stop, stop, stop. A little, a little. No, no, no, no, no, no. I did it. There are real artists. There are true artists. We must leave out two artists. Modest. Yet the king himself comes to greet the virtuoso in the kitchen. All good now? Yes, everything is great now and we can finally enjoy it fully. Okay. Thank you, dear young friends, for your kindness and enthusiasm. I hope you take the time to taste. For years, the Royal Court of Sweden has called upon Mark Heberlin. He belongs to the very exclusive club of the best French chefs. Only about 20 of them can claim three stars. Are these the stars here? Yes, on the back. Those are definitely the Michelin stars. It's truly exceptional when you know how hard you have to fight to get a star. But you, Mark, have three. That's truly fantastic. Remember to polish them occasionally. Thank you. Thank you so very much indeed for all your ongoing and invaluable support. The Queen is captivated. Behind the scenes, Mark can savor his success. Thank you for your help. See you next time. See you soon in Alsace. Thanks. To the poles. A small village of 500 souls. The Berlin stronghold. Between the church and the town hall, the impressive Lille Inn. Mark and his family's restaurant. An institution here. Back from Sweden. Okay. Jean-Pierre, Mark's uncle. 82 years old, one of the elders of the Heberlin dynasty. He has worked at the inn since 1950. He's in several photos. Very small. I was tall. And that's my brother. That's the grandfather who founded the house with the green tree. In the beginning, it was the green tree in the 1900s, a riverside tavern on the island. The Peugeot family was among the first customers. But it was Paul and Jean-Pierre in the 50s who built the reputation of the Lille Inn. Jean-Pierre in the dining room and Paul in the kitchen. They received their first Michelin star in 1952, their second in 1957, and the third in 1967, marking their excellence. Marc will take up the torch a few years later. Forty years of three stars. Only Paul Bocuse does better. For 40 years, the powerful and celebrities have come to the heart of Alsace, especially for the Heberlin's cuisine. Jean-Pierre is the family's great pride, preserving everything in his golden books as the memory keeper. Shall we start with the last one or... Ah, there it is, midfield. There's Alto Macchione. And that's Coluche. He did Merry Christmas. He performed... There is Roquassine. We don't hear much about Roquassine anymore. Another important historical figure of the house. Marie, Mark's mother, Paul's wife. Mother and wife of great chefs, Marie doesn't cook, except rarely. Gonzala, are you coming down? You really don't seem to recognize or acknowledge me at all anymore. Gonzala? Are you coming down? Yes or no? When Marie prepares a meal, it's especially for the village storks. Even when there are customers, it looks like they enjoy it. As soon as there are customers in the garden, they come down. 6.30 p.m. Before the unchanging ritual service dinner of the Heberlin clan. Three generations at the table. All have taken or will take part in the family saga. But today, an empty chair. That of the patriarch. Paul is absent. But nobody takes his place. Everyone in their place. Ah, here comes Serge. Hi, Serge. Hi, Thria. Doing good. Doing good. Serge Dops, our sommelier for over 30 years, has been the best in the world since 89. All right, now we're definitely going to enter the magnificent jewel of the Aubergine de Lille's marvelous cellar. Jewel of the Inn. A remarkable 75,000 bottles are stored there. I'm going to show you a little gem. Interested? Yes. Here. We'll surely manage to get there. Indeed, here it is. So you see, this is a wine from the year 1895. The grandmother is also here, who, as it happens, was born in the very same year of 1895. Whenever she had, for example, a birthday celebration, when she turned 70, 75, all the way until she was 94 years old. Unfortunately, she didn't reach 95. We would have opened a bottle from 1895. It would have been 100 years. Is that one pricey? We sell it for around 8,000 euros. It's not cheap, but it's irreplaceable and truly worth the investment for its unique qualities. 8.30 p.m., the guests have arrived. Regular wealthy patrons or special occasions. 85 privileged guests each evening. It works perfectly. It's foie gras and mousse. Next, two racks of lamb, as if they were worth more. We're not after glamour or the sophisticated cooking of a trendy restaurant here. Rather, it's the tradition and know-how of Heberlin. 26 dishes on the menu, some of them timeless. Ah, it's the frog mousse that my father created over 40 years ago, the year we got the three stars in 67. Maybe it's thanks to this dish that he got three stars and it's still on the menu. Who's there? Which painting is that? 24 cooks in the kitchen and just as many staff in the dining room. And among the must-haves, we have pork loin with leek ravioli or veal kidneys with potato millefuille pancakes. To live up to their stars, to stay in the firmament, some have fallen. This year... Five three-star French restaurants face the disgrace of the Michelin Guide, like one of Berlin's top ones. We're always afraid. We're always worried and anxious. You, see? They took away a star, a three-star rating, from my esteemed friend Rina. Never did we think. And like that, it's them who judge, not you. Next March, once again. and for the 41st time, the Eberlins will have to retake the exam, just like everyone else.