Why a French chef with 21 Michelin stars is betting on the Middle East

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French culinary legend Alain Ducasse has opened two restaurants in Doha and one of them, IDAM, just earned Qatar’s first Michelin star. We take a look at how he's bringing fine dining to the desert.

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00:00These are some of the culinary creations that have earned French chef Alain Ducasse his latest

00:09Michelin star. He has racked up 21 over his lifetime, but it's the first one for the tiny

00:16nation of Qatar. For decades, the Michelin Guide focused mostly on Europe and a few cities in the

00:23U.S. Famous chefs are said to have sleepless nights just before its publication. But they're trying to

00:30diversify, as more and more people are turning to food influencers for recommendations. Ooh, wow, this is not

00:38a conventional baklava. The recent recognition has inspired local Qatari chefs to aim for the stars too.

00:46My dream to get the Michelin star, I hope. But running upscale restaurants in the middle of the

00:53desert, where almost nothing grows, is expensive and a hard sell. So, how do you build a culinary

01:02powerhouse in a harsh climate? And what does it take to earn a star?

01:13Here at Idam, chef Fabrice Rousseau leads the kitchen, bringing Ducasse's vision to life.

01:19Today, Fabrice is preparing his favorite dish, a sardine tartare. He seasons it with piment d'espaulette

01:26and adds a smoked mackerel vinaigrette. Next, he tops it with a generous amount of caviar and garnishes it with lemon gel.

01:44and adds a smoked mackerel vinaigrette next he tops it with a generous amount of caviar

01:52and garnishes it with lemon gel it brings some kick it brings some freshness to finish

01:59he adds a little touch of luxury a gold leaf presentation has its importance but i believe

02:05the flavors are much more important actually so the first when you eat a dish you eat it with the

02:10ice by the end the taste will win on that idam offers two menus including a prefix experience

02:17menu for just over 200 it changes seasonally and includes dishes like lightly cooked carabineros

02:25from spain with crystal caviar topped with a bisque dukas spent two years researching qatar's culinary

02:33roots sharing meals with home cooks and learning nomadic traditions to develop a menu that is a

02:39balancing act between two cuisines this kind of innovative cooking is what got the attention of

02:57michelin the restaurant rating system dates back 125 years and it began far from the kitchen

03:06michelin michelin a french tire company started handing out red booklets to drivers with tips on

03:13where to refuel fix a tire or grab a decent roadside meal then in 1926 it began raiding

03:21restaurants across the country five years later the current system was launched one star meant worth a

03:28stop two meant worth a detour and three worth a special journey famous chefs are said to have sleepless nights

03:37just before its publication in case they lose one of their coveted stars a network of michelin inspectors

03:45dine anonymously and judge restaurants on five universal criteria the quality of the product

03:52the master of cooking techniques the balance and harmony in flavors the personality as expressed on

04:00the plates and last but not least the consistency but critics of the guide argued that the recommendations

04:06were too high-end so in 1997 michelin launched the beep gourmand category it highlights affordable dining

04:16options like family-run joints and modern bistros where guests can enjoy a three-course meal at a reasonable

04:23price but it took michelin nearly a century to expand beyond europe the guide started covering new york city

04:31in 2005 and two years later it reached asia featuring restaurants in tokyo today it rates more than 30 000

04:40establishments in 50 countries before adding a city inspectors spend years mapping the culinary scene

04:49they consider a new location based on factors like creativity emerging talent and international interest

04:56today more and more people do consider that good food is the first reason to travel for sometimes

05:06before you know culture and even nature while michelin stars are still considered the most prestigious

05:13award by chefs the guide's relevance is being challenged in a world of tick tock taste tests and

05:20influencer-driven reviews hey besties we are still on the hunt for the best tacos in philadelphia

05:25and shows like the bear have shown just how hard it is to run a fine dining establishment especially in this

05:32economy the average restaurant in the u.s has seen a 35 percent increase in both food and labor costs since

05:412020. as a result eating out has become more expensive with average menu prices rising by 31 percent between

05:51february 2020 to april 2025. now chefs are seeing fewer reservations whether it's for mom and pop joints

06:00or michelin star eateries and the competition has become more intense the conservator who arrive

06:07chez nous avant he s'est informé il est capricieux il est infidèle il est a peur il est foody

06:14blablabla et il faut encore étonner c'est ça notre job en fait c'est d'essayer d'être un peu en avance

06:23that's why ducasse launched a second restaurant in doha

06:26g1 that's less fancy than edam but still pretty luxurious

06:36i think i'll go with the g1 menu ambiance plays a big part in the restaurant's appeal

06:43its decor is meant to evoke the meeting of the desert and the sea the interior is adorned with

06:49four million swarovski beads a nod to the nation's main industry before the oil boom of the 70s and 80s

06:58okay let's go with the red snapper please

07:03inside the kitchen 15 cooks from different countries prepare elaborate dishes like this starter with a

07:10local fish called hamur

07:11the menu is a collaboration between a team of chefs and ducasse the dishes here are served family style

07:21like the nomadic meals shared in the qatari desert it's a typical qatari dish it's made with wheat

07:28cooked with chicken so they smudge it all together on the top you have traditional ghee with the chicken

07:34juice yummy all right thank you so much jiwan can serve up to 120 guests a day with entrees starting

07:42at about 16 dollars and it's this combination of quality food at an affordable price point that won

07:50jiwan a beep gorma award this year

07:55but bringing this kind of cuisine to the desert comes with unique challenges especially in sourcing local

08:02ingredients in doha outdoor farms are a rarity because the temperature in the summer can reach

08:18over 110 degrees fahrenheit and water is scarce that means the restaurants need to import some of

08:25their ingredients we source our ingredients from all over the world because in katar there are two seasons

08:31winter and summer the winter time is actually the time where we can source the ingredients locally

08:36dietary restrictions are another challenge in creating french cuisine islam is the official

08:42religion so all meat must be halal small farmers in europe will not make those meat halal so we have

08:50to find the different types of meats they are amazed but they are not surprised by our ability to prepare

08:56finally a french food with a local ingredient which is fried which is the chameau

09:02and in particular the young chameaux

09:06alcohol is also off the menu because ducasse's restaurants in qatar are housed inside national

09:13museums run by the government that has pushed idam's mixologist ratan robie to be creative

09:19it's not about replacing cocktail it's about offering a elevated flavorful experience that

09:30stands on its own each drink is designed to complement and even enhance the flavor of the dishes

09:38so even though there's no alcohol in robbie's creations michelin gave him the exceptional cocktail award

09:44back in 2013 when ducasse first opened idam doha wasn't anywhere on the global culinary map

10:01at the time qatar's museum authorities invited ducasse to possibly open a restaurant in one of their

10:08landmarks the museum of islamic art so ducasse applied some of the same rules he has at other

10:25restaurants now nearly 12 years after idam first opened its doors ducasse's bet paid off when they

10:49earned one of the country's first michelin stars and his success is also boosting

10:54doha's culinary identity as the city tries to compete with dubai across the persian gulf these

11:01days restaurants from world famous chefs like jean george gordon ramsay and danny garcia all have

11:08locations in doha and the markets are filled with spices from south asia and delicacies from other

11:17countries you get just about everything in this market including look at all these beautiful spices i

11:22wish you could smell them they smell amazing

11:34very savory and buttery now local chefs are also aiming for global recognition while embracing tradition

11:44at bilham bar a high-end restaurant the menu is devoted to contemporary qatari cuisine

11:56my name is mohammed abdullah known in qatar bil khams bil khams its meaning with the five fingers how

12:03you will eat the rice or you will eat anything with the five fingers in instagram snapchat

12:08tiktok most of the social media my name is bil khams he learned to cook from his grandmother while still in

12:17school

12:20one of his signature starters is a fried dumpling

12:27qatari people they like the smell they like how uh it will be like a burn a little bit like caramelized

12:33like that today chef muhammad leads a 75-person team including 31 kitchen staff who come from india nepal

12:43and the philippines and he's even added some of their flavors to his menu the restaurant serves up to

12:501200 guests on busy nights they are say you will be the head chef or executive chef in this restaurant you

12:57know i cannot sleep this day i came here at 7 30 i leave from here at two o'clock morning you know from

13:04morning to morning all the main ingredients are sourced locally from white truffle found in the qatari

13:11desert to the lamb served here even the oil is rendered in-house just as his grandmother taught him the

13:18rice very gold and but the pure oil the fat oil but some high quality ingredients do have to be imported

13:26like basmati rice from india himalayan pink salt and other spices his food is served on custom

13:33stainless steel trays carved in india it's all handmade they have a hammer they like do with with

13:42his hammer like that for the tree it's take a long time bilhambar has already earned awards for

13:48promoting qatari culture and for its growing popularity put your four fingers like that whoa and put it here

13:56did you remember the black dry lemon we will squeeze it sorry one of them here they are the qatari they

14:02like to do like that

14:08now chef muhammad has his eyes set on a new goal my dream to get the mission star

14:14i hope and what's next for the man who's wanted many many many times

14:20so here we are always in this quest of an evolution permanent always ask questions

14:26not to be inscribed in our habits etc it is our job it is what we do every day we evolve

14:32your.

14:36A

14:38the

14:40the

14:42the

14:44the

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