NEW YORK • This is how it began, the career of one of the most versatile, ingenious and adventurous chefs in the history of American cuisine.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten can pinpoint the day, the place and the words. His family had taken him to Auberge de l'Ill, a restaurant with three Michelin stars in Alsace, the French region where they lived, to celebrate his 16th birthday.