Alain Ducasse has thrown his chef’s hat into the increasingly saturated Parisian chocolate scene with a bean-to-chocolate store that will open this week.

Alain Ducasse has invited 200 of the world’s top chefs with a combined 300 Michelin stars to a culinary summit in Monte Carlo celebrating Mediterranean inspired cuisine.

French culinary titans Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy will share the stage August 28 as judges on the US cooking reality show MasterChef.

Fancy a piece of the Eiffel Tower for the dining room? Furniture once used in the Paris landmark’s high-end eatery the Jules Verne will go under the hammer in September, auctioneers said on Wednesday.

Dubbed “Bancs d’Hiver,” the temporary winter menu at the Hotel Plaza Athénée will serve a multi-course meal themed around seasonal winter ingredients.

The menu includes dishes like cream of chestnut soup, roasted pears, with cream and Savoie biscuits, and raclette, a traditional, hearty French dish that involves melting cheese over boiled potatoes, ham and pickles.

The wintry dining experience is to be served in the hotel’s courtyard which is frozen over every year to serve as a miniature skating rink for guests.

The Michelin restaurant guide for Great Britain and Ireland celebrated its 100th birthday Tuesday by highlighting the culinary excellence of the country’s “gastro-pubs”, or pubs with fine food.

French female chef Helene Darroze (below) gained two stars in the 2011 edition of the famed foodies’ guide, less than a year after she lost a second star in Paris.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay kept his prized three stars, as did fellow Briton Heston Blumenthal and Frenchmen Alain Roux and Alain Ducasse.