"No, I had no formal training," he [Keller] admitted. "I grew up in Florida; I worked in restaurants in New York and Rhode Island. I just believed in the integrity of classic French dishes, which we deconstruct, then reconstruct." Such as? "Take Sole Veronique. It's traditionally poached in white wine with grapes, but we experiment with raisins..."
Not long ago there was a thread concerning the advisibility of going to culinary school or training at a community college. Looks like the traditional approach of just going to work in a kitchen is the winner this year.