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'Dr. Chef, voilà! That's me." French chef Anne-Sophie Pic is self-effacing as she speaks of the honorary doctorate recently bestowed on her by the University of Montreal.

Really, she prefers to call herself a "cook" rather than a chef, albeit one who was voted chef of the year in 2007 by the 8,000 chefs of the Michelin Guide and who has been recognized in her own country as a chevalier, or knight, of arts and letters.

Then there is the fact that she is the only woman in France in more than a half century whose restaurant (La Maison Pic, in Valence) has been awarded not one, not two, but three Michelin stars, the vaunted guide's highest rating.

Ms. Pic, petite, dark-haired and shy, is not one to promote herself. She'd rather let her food speak for her, whether it's line-caught steamed sea bass, blue lobster, or pigeon pan-roasted whole and served with rhubarb, celery and a thick slice of foie gras. Thirteen years after taking charge of La Maison Pic, which was begun by her grandfather and continued by her father, she is still learning, questioning and experimenting with shapes, textures and flavours.

In the process, she has shaken up what traditionally has been a macho, mustachioed world. She once told the Libération newspaper that in the beginning, her gender created something of a scandal. In fact, France's culinary scene is still dominated by male chefs, and Ms. Pic is only the fourth French female chef ever to receive three Michelin stars.

Ms. Pic, 39, married and the mother of a toddler, is glad she did not listen to the critics. After growing up in an apartment above the restaurant and visiting its kitchen after school every day, she left home to study business. She returned to pursue her passion for cooking, taking over the restaurant after her father's sudden death. In 2007, her decision was validated when she earned back the third Michelin star, which had been lost after her father died.

With her honorary doctorate, she is one of the few chefs (including renowned Spanish surrealist Ferran Adria) who has been recognized by an institution that doesn't have a culinary arts degree program.

Ms. Pic was touched, gratified and a bit surprised when she heard she had been singled out as part of the Jacques-Cartier Dialogues, an annual event that brings intellectuals from the academic, business, political and artistic sectors of France to Canada for a series of round tables with their Quebec counterparts. Only a few of the French visitors are given honorary degrees each year.

During her trip to Montreal (her first to Canada), she was able to promote her vision of cooking as a calling that requires passion, patience and a willingness to avoid putting pepper on vegetables, and she was inspired by produce that is rarely seen in France.

"The varieties of beets were remarkable, and the cranberries - sweet, sour and tart - and, well, what more is there to say?"

Actually, lots, for she also loved products such as maple syrup, and the creativity of Canadian chefs such as Normand Laprise of Toqué! in Montreal's business district, whose kitchen she toured.

"I definitely want to come back," she said.