Woman chef wins three Michelin stars  

France's Michelin guide gave its coveted three star award to a restaurant run by a woman chef on Wednesday, but other top eateries lost out in the annual ritual that can bring glory or despair to the culinary elite.

Anne-Sophie Pic, a partly self-taught cook whose father and grandfather both held the rare three star rating, was awarded the distinction for her Pic restaurant in Valence, southeastern France, in the 2007 guide due out next Wednesday.

"If I can encourage people and show them that you can accomplish a lot of things then I'll do it," Pic told French television.

"Everything is possible as long as you are willing to take your passions as far as they'll go," she added.
The restaurant lost a star three years after her father's death, and Pic made it her mission to win it back. She dedicated the award to her father.

"Me having this star is my final homage to him," she said. "It was a real challenge and at the same time truly motivating."