Neither. He currently holds 21 stars. He has a few restaurants that hold 3-star rating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Ducasse

Ah, so theoretically you can be a 300 star Michelin chef and never have cooked anything so long as you're rich enough to buy some restaurants.

Weird, I always thought, the way it's presented on British TV shows, that the Chef de Cuisine was rated but it makes more sense to rate the restaurant as an ensemble. I suppose then though he doesn’t hold the stars the restaurants do; and he can't really be head chef at each if he's not there most of the week.

Interesting though, thank you for the correction (and to the sibling commenters too, thanks).

It's about how many restaurants a chef "owns". I do find it odd as well (how about the head chefs for each restaurant, do they also get Michelin stars?), but this is how it works.

The restaurant itself gets the star rating. The executive chef will gain a lot of attention at a michelin rated restaurant, this is true for all staff. Also you have to keep in mind that executive chefs at michelin rated restaurants do not make as much money as you expect. Most of the ones in the Bay Area are sub $100k.

Thank you for the clarification. That makes sense

Figured I would also add that its a big deal for everyone who works there because it is as much about food as it is service. The service between a 1-star rated restaurant and most other unrated restaurants is night and day.

He owns several restaurants that have been awarded Michelin stars.