Inventing Cuisine: Michel Guerard

The concept of "Nouvelle Cuisine" owes much, if not everything, to maestro chef Michel Gu?rard. The proprietor of several restaurants in France, he struck a unique note by inventing three "levels" of cuisine based on degrees of heartiness: cuisine minceur, a very light and delicate, health-conscious array of foods served in small portions, cuisine gourmande, described by Gu?rard as "a sensual symphony of classical and romantic dishes," and cuisine de terroir an extremely heavy and robust array of dishes that holds nothing back. This unique program from director Paul Lacoste finds four amateur chefs preparing Gu?rard recipes in the "Nouvelle Cuisine" mode, under the culinary artist's immediate supervision, and receiving detailed feedback and suggestions from him on the end products.