From Homelessness to Michelin Fame: Chef Alan Geaam’s Incredible Reinvention

​People love stories of the underdog, fighting against misfortune and the often cruel hand of fate. Alan Geaam must have pondered about his life as he walked the streets of Paris as a19 year old dishwasher, and dreamt of one day having his own restaurant as he slept in the glow of the Parisian moonlight.
At a recent event at A Tout France, at the French Embassy in New York, Chef Alan Geaam told the story of how France gave him the opportunity to become a Michelin star chef with his own series of restaurants. Earlier in his life, he gained valuable experience while doing his national service in the Lebanese military rising to the title of personal chef for the colonel of his regiment.
At the event, we asked Chef Geaam what he felt was his definition of luxury. He replied, “Luxury for me is a soft baguette or some French bread dipped in olive oil and some vegetables.” For some, this seems simple, but in the mind of a chef, even the simplest of ingredients can be luxurious.

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