Michelin stars the height of recognition
Print Edition
THE Michelin guide is the most important restaurant guide in the world. It is a global standard for gourmet dining, understandable regardless of a reader’s language.
The guide goes back to 1900, when the tire company distributed it to promote auto travel around France, telling travelers good places to eat through its star rankings.
One star indicates “a very good restaurant in its category,” two stars is given for “excellent cooking, worth a detour,” while three, the guide’s highest rating, means “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”
“There are currently 2,740 starred restaurants in the world for the 2015 editions, excluding France since the French edition will be published in February. Of those, 112 are three-starred restaurants,” Florent Bonnefoy, Maps and Guides Manager (Greater China) of Michelin, told Shanghai Daily during an exclusive interview last week.
Food lovers in China are willing to pay for the stars even though the guide hasn’t been published on the mainland.
Tickets for a gala dinner given by Michelin three-star chefs priced at 4,888 yuan (US$787) per person at Park Hyatt Shanghai three weeks ago sold out six months before the meal.
However, some say there’s little reason to follow the guide so faithfully.
“It’s hard to imagine that any serious eater would use it in his hometown rather than the long detailed review of the local critic, who actually says why he likes the place. Or the combined reviews of Yelp,” said food writer Josh Ozersky, author of “The Hamburger: A History.”
A local restaurant critic who asked not to be named disagrees.
“Who knows if the so-called critic endorses the restaurant because he’s been treated to caviar and Champagne,” she said.
Bonnefoy attributes Michelin’s success to its “objectivity and reliability.”
The guide doesn’t accept adverts and is funded entirely by Michelin.
In terms of judging, the guide has a team of inspectors, a mysterious and possibly one of the most envied jobs in the world.
“Our team of inspectors (full-time staff for Michelin), anonymous and independent, are professionals who have been trained in restaurants and hotels,” Bonnefoy said.
All of the inspectors are required to sign a confidentiality agreement stating they can’t reveal their identity as a Michelin Guide reviewer to anyone other than their spouse, according to Bonnefoy.
Inspectors worldwide follow a universal judging system and a priority is placed on hiring locals to judge local food.
“To assess the quality … Michelin inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality, preparation and flavors, the chef’s personality as revealed through his or her cuisine, value for money, and consistency over time and across the entire menu,” Bonnefoy said.
Confusion in China
Many restaurants on the Chinese mainland make false claims because they know a Michelin star is a sign of quality.
Some restaurants opened by chefs who have worked for Michelin-starred restaurants in the past claim to be “Michelin-starred level.” The media also can mislead diners, calling restaurants such as Jean Georges and Otto e Mezzo Bombana, both opened by Michelin-starred chefs as “Michelin-starred restaurants.”
However, Michelin stars are given only to restaurants. Only the chef in charge of the restaurant when it’s rated can be labeled a Michelin-starred chef.
Shanghai doesn’t have any Michelin-starred restaurants because the guide has never been published here.
Bonnefoy doesn’t give an answer about whether Michelin will publish a guide for Shanghai.
Some local food critics say that a lack of dining consistency means China is not ready for such a guide. Even in Shanghai, a restaurant, excluding state-owned ones, surviving more than eight years is rare.
This week, French chefs Philippe Conticini, Alain Passard and Yannick Alleno talk about their food and the Michelin guide. They have been invited by Park Hyatt Shanghai to cook gala dinners demonstrating their talent.
Both Passard and Alleno are Michelin three-starred chefs. Conticini is a legendary pastry chef who has helped two restaurants earn stars.
They all agree Michelin stars are an important part of their lives because they represent recognition of their hard work over the years.
But their personal connection to the guide is different.
“... I care more about what people think and feel when eating my food,” Conticini said.
Alleno says the stars give chefs room to try new things.
“Getting Michelin stars has been my goal since becoming a chef. But when you get it, you can move on and have more freedom to go faster and higher,” Alleno said.
Meanwhile, Passard says there is pressure and obligation on chefs once they have a Michelin star.
“People coming into a restaurant with Michelin stars are very sensitive to whether he’s there,” he said. “If I have luck getting three stars I would be there.”
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