chef world, daniel. the name of his three-star eponymous restaurant in manhattan, one of many in an empire that stretches from london to singapore. he came from here, a farm outside the city of lyon, through the city's great kitchens to la cirque in new york, then his flagship. >> when did you start working with food? >> 14 years old, 1969. i started as an apprentice in lyon. >> he started as so many french cooks of his time did, at the very bottom. as a 14-year-old apprentice in the restaurant nandron. what was your first job in the kitchen? >> they used to call me the beaver, because i was just washing every single day. they make you clean the vegetable, they make you carry all the boxes from the market. >> 14. you can't do that anymore, can you? >> i don't think you can make him work 12 hours a day and pay him maybe a buck a month. >> ah, the good old days. >> yeah, well.