The phrases “Michelin star” and “Michelin restaurant” are familiar to everyone who has ever been even slightly interested in haute cuisine. In terms of its status, Michelin star is close, in the opinion of many people, to the conquest of conventional culinary Everest – only heaven is higher. Let’s understand in more detail to whom and for what these stars are awarded, and what they promise to the restaurant and its guests.
From road guide to mega-rating of haute cuisine
Michelin is known around the world as the manufacturer of car tires. So what does cooking have to do with it? It’s very simple. It was in the interest of the tire manufacturer to get as many people as possible involved in automobile tourism. And to do this it is necessary to make such trips as comfortable as possible. André Michelin, who was at the head of the company, had the great idea – to publish a guidebook that would show in detail the locations of parking lots, hotels, restaurants, cafes, service points, which can be used on the road. And in 1900, the first Michelin Guide saw the light of day.
Initially it was a free publication, distributed at gas stations and contained a lot of advertising. That’s when the first restaurant stars appeared. True, they meant only that the prices in the marked restaurant were higher than average. A little later it became clear: everything free is automatically perceived as not very serious. Then the policy of the publication changed – advertisements disappeared from it and the guidebook began to be sold for money.
In 1926, Michelin guides began to mark French establishments with the best cuisine with a star. At first there was only one star, in the next ten years the scale was expanded to add two more. The geography of the publication also began to expand before our eyes, as interest in motoring grew worldwide. At present, Michelin guides are published in almost all European countries, as well as in major cities of other continents: Singapore, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Tokyo, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and others.
What Michelin stars tell us
Michelin guides come in two varieties: Green and Red. The first is devoted to the sights of countries and cities, and the second contains the very “star” ratings of restaurants. However you can find not only stars in the Red guide, it has a lot of useful information for the gourmand and just a hungry tourist, marked with other symbols:
The establishments marked with a coin offer a good meal at a very low price;
“non-star” restaurants are marked with a crossed knife and fork – these icons can be from 1 to 5, and they mean the quality level of the restaurant;
a smiling “Bib Gourmet” draws attention to places where you can enjoy exceptional food for a reasonable price;
there are symbols for the quality of the wine list and other aspects, including even the view from the restaurant window.
However, it is the famous “stars” that interest us. They literally mean the following:
One star is a great restaurant in its category.
Two stars – you can deviate from the planned route to visit this restaurant.
Three stars – exceptional cuisine for which you can make a separate trip.
Who are the judges?
The presence of even one Michelin star automatically includes the institution in the world culinary elite. Naturally, the question arises: who assigns them? After all, such an assessment is a considerable responsibility to the chef and the restaurant’s guests. A whole staff of special Michelin inspectors is responsible for this. There are about 90 of them, 70 of whom work in Europe. The work is not easy – the experts spend their lives in continuous travel. In a year, each of them visits about 800 restaurants in different countries.
Importantly, the inspectors are completely anonymous. No one knows their faces or names, they visit establishments unexpectedly, usually during rush hour. They order, dine, pay, and leave without attracting any attention to themselves. There is no way to know when your restaurant is going to be visited by an expert, and the visits happen more than once. To be awarded a first star, international inspectors visit a restaurant at least four times. A second star is awarded after a minimum of ten visits. Establishments that already have stars are visited every 18 months to verify that they maintain their declared level. That is, you can not only get a coveted star, but also lose it if the restaurant no longer meets the high criteria of the guidebook.
An unmasked expert, like a scout, can say goodbye to his job forever. A few years ago, former Michelin inspector Pascal Remy published a scandalous book, “The Inspector Sits at the Table,” in which he criticized the current restaurant rating system. Of course, he was suspended, and a French court dismissed his lawsuit against Michelin for allegedly unfair dismissal.