A French chef with two much-coveted Michelin stars, will bring his signature palette of Bordeaux cuisine to the Ritz-Carlton Beijing this week, serving up emblematic dishes such as foie gras de canard, grilled sardines and turbot with sea urchin.

Chef Michel Portos will serve up an indulgent 7-course menu at Cepe restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton on Beijing's Financial Street from Aug. 27 to Sept. 3.

Michel, 48, took a roundabout path to becoming a master chef. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a diver or motorcyclist. Later, his father encouraged him to follow in his footsteps and become an accountant. Michel went so far as to get a baccalaureate degree in accountancy.

But his dreams were elsewhere. He had found his passion in the delicious dishes of his mother's cooking, and convinced his family to enroll him in the culinary arts program at the Centre de Formation d'Apprentis in Marseille, where he graduated at the top of class. He earned his first Michelin star in 2001 and the second in 2009.