French chef Alain Ducasse gains Michelin star and loses another

French superchef Alain Ducasse won a third Michelin star for his restaurant at Paris's Plaza Athenee hotel but lost one at the equally opulent Le Meurice, the country's most prestigious gastronomic guide said Monday.

Christian Le Squer also gained a third star for another grand Parisian hotel, the George V as the industry reeled after the apparent suicide Sunday of top chef Benoit Violier.

"Alain Ducasse took a brave decision to come up with a style of cooking based around the idea of 'naturalness'" at the Plaza Athenee, the guide's US-born international director Michael Ellis said. "Christian Le Squer is a real virtuoso," he added.