Eric Ripert — French Chef born on December 30, 1965,

Eric Ripert is a French chef, author and television personality specializing in modern French cuisine and renowned for his work with seafood... (wikipedia)

It's a very naive idea to think that the chef is cooking everything, and, on top of it, is irreplaceable. That would mean that basically he is the only genius, and there are idiots all around him, which doesn't make sense.
If you can't think like an onion or a carrot or a tomato, you may be a technician, but you won't understand what you're doing, and your dish will be flat.
I don't think I have an obsession, however I do eat chocolate every day.
You don't become a chef to become famous.
Having sharp, great knives will enable you to cook very precisely. Knife skills are essential in cooking.