Every year, chefs around the planet eagerly await the publication of the Michelin Guide, the world’s leading authority on the world’s best dining experiences.
The prestigious Michelin star is considered the highest award a restaurant can receive. This means they are the best of the best, creating true culinary magic that is as inventive as it is daring. The quest to earn that elusive star can be stressful—it’s been known to bring even hardened chefs to tears.
What are Michelin stars?
Stars are actually awarded to a restaurant, not an individual chef, meaning chefs running multiple restaurants can have an infinite number of stars – the late Joël Robuchon once had an impressive 32 Michelin stars.
However, since Michelin only operates in certain regions, the restaurant must be strategically located. Receiving a Michelin star is like winning the Oscars of the culinary world. Earn two or three stars and the restaurant is virtually guaranteed to be booked for months in advance by an endless list of foodies and celebrities.
How and when did the Michelin Guide appear?
The Michelin Guide appeared in France in 1900. It was created by the Michelin tire company as a promotion to encourage drivers to drive more and therefore burn more rubber.
The “Little Red Book,” as it was called, contained a wealth of information, including maps and locations of gas stations, as well as restaurants, hotels and other points of interest. As the tire company grew, so did their guide, and by the 1920s they began charging for a booklet.
In 1926, the guide changed and focused on what it is now best known for – fine dining – with a team of secret visitors known as “inspectors” visiting and reviewing restaurants in France. This simple marketing tactic led to the creation of the fine dining restaurant rating system that is known today.
Who created the Michelin star?
After the Guide, a rating system appeared, but who founded the real Michelin star? The Michelin brothers themselves, Andre and Edouard, came up with the concept and name.
In 1926 they started with a one-star award and by 1931 introduced a three-star hierarchy. At the time, one star meant the restaurant was worthy of a stop along the way; two stars meant the restaurant was worth visiting; and three stars guaranteed a special trip, the purpose of which was, in fact, the restaurant itself.
How does a restaurant get a Michelin star?
Michelin still uses methods similar to those first used 100 years ago. With a passion for food and an eye for detail, anonymous inspectors travel around the world sampling the best cuisine on offer.
After several visits, the inspector will write a detailed report on the overall culinary experience and dining experience. Maintaining its notoriously mysterious reputation, Michelin keeps much of its approach secret. However, it is believed that the quality of dishes is of decisive importance, namely the quality of ingredients, mastery of taste and cooking technique.
Other factors to consider are value for money, consistency, atmosphere and even the personality of the chef.
Famous Michelin-starred chefs
Michelin record holder and legendary chef Alain Ducasse can literally say he has conquered the final frontier of space by sending his food to astronauts at the International Space Center.
Perhaps the most controversial chef in the world is the mercurial Briton Gordon Ramsay. Massimo Bottura, once ridiculed for interfering with the preparation of sacred traditional Italian dishes, is now the owner of a three-Michelin-starred eatery and the star of the Netflix show “Chef’s Table.” Based in the US, Thomas Keller currently has seven stars. And don’t forget about her female colleagues: Anne Sophie Pic has an impressive eight stars across her five restaurants.
Other famous chefs awarded a Michelin star:
- Raymond Blanc – famously self-taught and has 2 stars in the same British restaurant for over 30 years.
- Paul Bocuse is often considered the godfather of French gastronomy.
- Guy Savoy is an outstanding French chef, known for forming the Novelle Cuisine movement.
- Joël Robuchon is known around the world for his mashed potatoes and for reinventing the concept of food service.
- Alain Ducasse is the first chef to receive 3 stars in a hotel restaurant.
- Martin Berasategui is considered the Basque culinary king. Berasategui holds the record for the most stars in the Spanish edition of the guide.
- Heston Blumenthal – Described as a culinary alchemist for his legendary reinvention of British dishes.
Can a chef lose Michelin stars?
Winning stars is one thing, but keeping them is another. If standards begin to fall, then the stars go with them. A sobbing Gordon Ramsay suffered an unforgettable fall when his restaurant The London lost both of its two stars. But for some chefs, the stars may be losing their shine.
Marco Pierre White, the youngest chef ever to receive three Michelin stars, famously gave them up in 1999. At the peak of his career, the “enfant terrible” of the British food scene left the kitchen, stopped chasing stars and started having fun instead. Again with food.
How important are Michelin stars?
For chefs around the world, according to the Michelin Guide, gaining or losing stars can make, shape or break a restaurant’s future. For food lovers, food is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
When combined with travel, it’s about more than just pleasure – it’s about culture, authenticity and connecting with local people and local cuisine. And when this dining experience takes place in a Michelin-starred culinary establishment, you can be sure that it will be a truly incredible and memorable meal.
