The US chef Julia Child (1912-2004) discovered her passion for cooking relatively late in her life. While her husband was working for the US Foreign Office in France, she opened up to the country's famed cuisine and attended the renowned cooking school Cordon Bleu in Paris. Later on, she taught Americans how to cook like the French through books and TV shows such as "The French Chef."

Clemens Wilmenrod (1906-1967), Germany's first TV chef, can also truly be called a pioneer. From 1953 onwards, the trained actor invented rather special recipes. In his view, no rules should block a cook's inspiration. Wilmenrod became known as the inventor of "Toast Hawaii," a toast with ham and grilled cheese topped with a maraschino cherry in the middle of a slice of pineapple.

Men are still dominating the world of gourmet cooking. But Hélène Darroze is a notable exception: The French woman who has already held two Michelin stars runs restaurants in Paris and London. "Restaurant" magazine has named her this year's best chef in the world. Darroze is following a long family tradition: She is the fourth generation chef, as the three previous also ran a restaurant.

You could say Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson created a new culinary hot spot in one of the coldest places on Earth - right near the North Pole. Heading the famed restaurant Fäviken, which used to be an old barn, he's the creator of New Nordic cuisine. His slogan is: "The more you limit yourself, the more creative you will be." At age 31, he is among the youngest top chefs of the world.

The Argentinian top chef has learned to trust his intuition above all. Instead of just cooking in a kitchen, he creates culinary delights over bonfires. For years, he has been travelling around the world creating his dishes - preferably a bit scorched, to add extra taste. His philosophy in a nutshell: Wherever you can make a fire, you can cook too.

Yet another culinary superstar is David Chang, an American with Korean roots. With his legendary Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village, he started fueling the appetite of New Yorkers for kimchi 10 years ago. His Momofuku Culinary Lab is filled with food experts creating new tastes through fermentation.

His restaurant Osteria Francescana is ranked second on the San Pellegrino list "The World's 50 Best Restaurants." In May 2012, more than 300,000 wheels of parmiggiano reggiano were damaged during an earthquake in Italy. That prompted the three-star chef to create a special risotto recipe using those broken pieces of reggiano. As restaurants worldwide followed his example, all the cheese was sold.

Vikas Khanna quickly rose from rags to riches. The New York-based top chef from Amritsar, India, is seen as the ambassador of Indian cuisine throughout the world. The TV chef who also writes books and produces documentaries, carries out social projects such as his "Cook for a Smile" campaign aimed at reducing malnutrition among children in India.

The cuisine of Reuben Riffel is direct and rich in flavors. Like hardly anybody else, the South African chef has come to represent the open-minded attitude of his country. His culinary art is a mixture of South African and international influences. Riffel also produces cook books, stars in TV shows and is an ambassador of the initiative "Hope Through Action."

Vienna-born Sarah Wiener seems to be everywhere, giving lectures on healthy nutrition, running restaurants and catering businesses, and travelling to many different regions for a TV show highlighting her culinary discoveries and adventures. But Wiener also knows the value of traditional healthy meals: Her Sarah-Wiener Foundation is campaigning "for healthy children and sound food."