There’s been a lot of talk about Michelin stars these days. The tire company’s red guidebook is wreaking havoc in some of its finest kitchens. Earning Michelin stars is like winning the gold medal in the Olympics according to 3-star chef Maxine Meilleur. Others can’t deal with the pressure. 

French chef Marc Veyrat lost one of his three stars in January, and claims he’s been depressed ever since, unable to eat or sleep, outraged that the inspectors had the gall to say he used cheddar in his soufflées instead of Reblochon, Beaufort and Tomme. The inspectors also claimed his scallops were mealy, which he adamantly refuses to accept since he cooks them in the shell of a passion fruit. His restaurant has its own hens for eggs, its own cows for milk, and two botanists who gather plants every morning. He insists the inspectors are imposters and incompetent.

Benoit Violier, chef of three-star Swiss restaurant, Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, considered the best restaurant in the world in 2015, shot himself. Gordon Ramsey says he cried when they took one star off one of his restaurants, even though he still has a total of 16 stars for his 17 restaurants. And French chef Bernard Loiseau killed himself after newspapers hinted that his restaurant might lose one of its 3 stars.

Another famous French chef, Cyril Lignac, recently renounced his star. Critics claim it’s because he didn’t get a second star, but Lignac says that’s not it at all. He wanted out of the confining ranking system. “You no longer cook for the customers,” he says. “You cook for the inspectors. And you never know who they are or when they’ll come, so you live in a constant state of fear.” He added that when you have one star you are afraid of losing it and desperately trying to earn the next star. 

Another French chef, Sebastien Bras, who with his father held on to three stars for 18 years, decided he was fed up with the pressure and renounced his stars. He said, “Food should be about love-not about competition. All I want is for people to come to my restaurant under a sky filled with stars.”

The problem is that unless Michelin removes the stars, they can’t be removed, even if the chef wants out of the system. To lose your stars, you have to either “rename your restaurant, radically rework your menu, or close up shop.” That’s what Cyril Lignac decided to do. He closed up his exquisite restaurant, Le Quinzième, this past July 26. 

Michelin, the tire company, started its guidebook in 1900 as a free handout for it’s 300 French automobilists. It was a marketing ploy to encourage travelling, thus more car sales and therefore more tire sales. The star rating was introduced in 1926, but at the time awarded only one star. In 1931 they introduced the three stars rating, with the following criteria:
1 star -  A very good restaurant in its category (consistent high standard), worth a stop.
2 stars - Excellent cooking, outstanding quality, worth a detour.
3 stars - Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.
The stars do not take into account the décor or the service. 
For restaurants that don’t quite make it to star level, there are place-setting images which denote good cooking and dining standards. The ‘Bib Gourmand’ otherwise called the ‘Inspector’s Favorite,’ denotes restaurants which have excellent value for money.

Highly trained experts in food and dining, the Michelin inspectors are sent to restaurants anonymously and have to be able to blend in unnoticed, often sent in as a couple or business partners. They need to have an excellent memory and will judge five criteria: the quality of ingredients used, the mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef which comes through in the dining experience, the value for money, and the consistency between the visits. The inspectors then get together as a group and decide which restaurants deserve a star, or for the unfortunate restaurants, from which to remove a star.

I’ve been to a few Michelin star restaurants: Guy Savoy which has three stars, Taillevent, Apicius and Septime which have one star. Sometimes I’ve taken out a pad and taken notes, wondering if I’ll be taken for an inspector. Little did I know about the secrecy and discernment involved, that I’m far too obvious, far too inexperienced, to be an inspector.

Some say Michelin is the only restaurant rating that counts. Others say it restricts creativity. Michelin claims its guide isn’t made for chefs, it’s made for clients. But whereas we the customers go for pleasure, behind the scenes it’s a matter of life and death.

By Mary Thompson, our local Parisian

August 2019