Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson hosted a dinner for President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama this week at his newest restaurant Red Rooster in Harlem.

The small dinner party of 50 shelled out $30,800 (€27,710) per plate for the party fundraiser.

Samuelsson is one of the president’s favorite chefs and has been called upon to cook a handful of state dinners for him in the past.

Frenchman Paul Bocuse, credited as the father of “nouvelle cuisine” and the first of the celebrity chefs, was named “chef of the century” by America’s leading cooking school on Wednesday.

The Culinary Institute of America named Bocuse the top chef of the 20th century, citing the 85-year-old’s legendary career in which he transformed both food on plates and the lives of the people who cooked.

“He is one of the greatest, most significant chefs of all time,” Tim Ryan, president of the institute said at an event with Bocuse in New York prior to the awards ceremony.

Here today, gone tomorrow. Chef John Fraser’s pop-up restaurant is slated to open for just nine months, giving diners a short-lived gastronomic experience.

Chef Kofoed Rasmus of Denmark today won the Bocuse d’Or, a biannual cooking contest that draws the elite of the culinary world to the French city of Lyon.

Rasmus was victorious in a competition where spectators pack the grandstands to cheer on their national teams. The runner-up was Tommy Myllymaki Sweden.

The third place went to Gunnar Hvarnes Norway. The best meat platter prize was won by France and the best fish award by Switzerland.

KLM announced a partnership with Dutch chef Jonnie Boer this week, adding yet another name to the roster of kitchen superstars providing our in-flight meals.

From December 1, business class passengers onboard the flag-carrier of the Netherlands will be able to enjoy traditional Dutch food designed by Boer, whose Restaurant de Librije is ranked as one of the best in the world.

Menu selections will be accompanied by wines selected by his wife Therese Boer and served on tableware created by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.

When it comes to meal time, the French do it differently. That is the argument being put to UNESCO as it decides this week whether French cuisine deserves a spot on its intangible heritage list.

“The gastronomic meal of the French” is seen as a strong contender as the UN agency meets in Nairobi from Monday to Friday to consider new submissions for the list, set up in 2003 to safeguard cultural traditions, rituals and crafts.

France’s submission to the list centres around the ritual of the festive meal in a country where food is a key part of social life.