Thoughts on the Stars???

[Nicko]

One thing I have always been curious about is how seriously does the European community of chefs take the Michelin star rating system? The reason I ask is that I have read of certain chefs who before they have even open their restaurant have already received a michelin rating of two star. Does anyone know if this does actually occur, and if it does how is it received from the Chef community.

Thanks in advance for you comments.

[coolJ]

Just curious, what exactly is the michelin rating system ?.

[coolJ]

Thanks for the info CC. This website is the first place I'd ever heard of or seen anything about the michelin system

[cape chef]

Coolj,
The Michilin guide comes out every year and amoung other things rates the restaurants of france.Three stars being the highest awarded.

It is very difficult to recieve 3 stars from michilan,but those who do are usally considered the best in europe. I believe that they do award outside of france as well.Giredet had 3 stars and he is in Crisser swiss. Nicko,I do think that the chefs reallt care about there rating.Chefs have actually commited suicide after loosing a star or two.
Think about Taillevent or le tour argent in paris or Ch Boyer in Rhiems,George Blanc in vonnes and louis Outhiar in cote d' Azur,Ducasse. Look what happened to Vergie when he spent to much time at disney world he went from 3 to 2 stars.
I think they take it very seriuosly.
cc

[Papa]

Dear Friends:

The Michelin Star Rating Systemn is taken extremely seriously in Europe. I agree with Cape chef's posting totally.

This rating system is taken very seriously by the public as well. I saved money for a whole year while I was living in Greece so that when I visited France for the first time I could dine at a restaurant that was included in the Michelin rating sytem. I booked a table for dinner at a restaurant where the Chef was the first woman ever to win a Michelin star. I am afraid I cannot recall that gifted Chef's name. She was wonderful and so proud of her one star rating! Somehow, she found out that a "starving student" had saved for a whole year in order to eat at her restaurant and she came out to meet me. It was an experience that I never forgot.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. A question about the Michelin system. Sad but true, but it does yet again show the insularity of many Americans. But this forum is about sharing knowledge so a few words of explanation. French cuisine, thanks to Escoffier and others, is one of the few fully developed and quantified cuisines in the world. In fact until the recent welcome rise of Asian cuisines it was considered the ultimate model of restaurant cooking (home cooking is a different thing altogether). Michelin (the tyre people) started producing a guide to restaurants in France for motorists travelling on its products. Because of the objectivity and knowledge of its inspectors it became THE definitive guide to restaurants in France (subsequently extended to other areas). It covers many areas of the restaurant. Although food is the principal focus they take into account service, decoration, consistency, range, ambience etc. It has its critics, it is said not to take account of "new" cuisines, to place too much stress on style, to be "too French". But, and it is a big but, to be considered to be anything in Europe, to be taken seriously, you have, HAVE, to have a Michelin star. It says, "Eat here, you will enjoy it, you will not be disappointed". Two stars (usually) means even better cooking, three stars means you have got all the other "bits" right too.
So a chef who has established a solid reputation can open a new restaurant with a Michelin rating and it will be meaningful - these guys (the chef and Michelin inspectors) know what it means and will not disappoint. Thus to the question, "How important is it?", the answer is, "Vital". Although Michelin stardom does not guarantee success, it sure does help bring the trade in, and allows the restaurant to charge realistic (or what the uninformed would call "high") prices which reflect the thought, talent and effort which has gone into producing food of that quality.

[Greg]

Originally posted by Britcook:
<STRONG>A question about the Michelin system. Sad but true, but it does yet again show the insularity of many Americans.</STRONG>

Everyone's pardon if I'm in the wrong here, but does this type of comment belong here? It doesn't exactly encourage people to ask questions and learn about another country's culture, customs, et cetera (which, to me, demonstrates the opposite of insularity) if others are going to answer, but take shots at their country of origin.

The meaning of the Michelin system is everything to a Chef who has ever worked in one of these restaurants.

The sign above my Saucier post was " Perfect is Normal " Meaning there is no room for error.

In a restaurant of 1, 2, or 3 stars, you work with the best ingredients, equipment, and most of all..... the absolute best cooks.

If a cook doesn't prove himself, they are usually gone in the first couple of weeks, because the Chef can't afford to have mistakes.

It was an experience I'll never forget.

Strive for the best.

R. Lewis
Munich Germany

Dear Greg (and other readers)

I could have put that in a more delicate way, and there was no wish to cause offense. It is just that I am constantly surprised how little news of the outside world is allowed to filter into the USA, how little many Americans know about say, Europe. Not because there is any lack of willingness to learn, but because the media seem determined not to report anything that happens outside the US. Which is why I was happy to give my brief summary of the importance of the Michelin star system, because the question is always worth answering.

[shroomgirl]

Hmmm I love hearing about how Americans are preceived elsewhere.
Some of us try to keep up with what the rest of the world is doing.....I've been a Michelin star groupie since I was a teenager.
Apparently there is a big difference in 2 to 3 stars...not all in food but in fresh flowers, crystal, silver etc...
Hoof and Mouth or Foot and Mouth made the front pages here, as well as radio....
I don't watch tv but assume it made it on the tube too....
What do you recommend us reading to get accurate info on your part of our world?
I read British mags, Food Illustrated and Good Food....New York Times and several local print...

Good for you shroomgirl, I think it's great that we learn about what happens in the rest of the world. I subscribe to Fine Cooking magazine and usually pick up things like Gourmet and other magazines when over in the US. And just in case I might have given the wrong impression, I am a great fan of the USA and visit as often as I can, and in recent years, several times a year, and it is on those visits that I find it is incredibly difficult to find out what is happening "back home", other than the really major stories. The comment about insularity was aimed at the press and tv, rather than the good folk that live there.

[Papa]

Dear Friends:

I have read the commentary this morning with great interest. While it is true that there are many Americans who are very sophisticated and wordly, unfortunately, the American media system is terrible about reporting world news. Has anyone noticed how we suddenly discovered Africa in the past two years? All of my American friends who visit Europe say to me that they are surprised to discover how much Europeans know about America. They attribute it to the importance that this great nation holds for the rest of the world. I also credit it to the European media system which is extremely comprehensive in its news coverage.

It is my understanding that the origin of the development of the Europeans' extensive international media coverage is economic and political in nature. When European countries had their colonies in the rest of the world, it was essential that they be able to keep up with the political and economic news concerning the areas in which they had business investments and wanted to retain influence in the political direction of these colonies. What was happening overseas obviously affected their political and business decisions back home. The established culture of the European news appetite has continued its tradition of thorough reporting of political, economic and humanitarian interests which Europeans expect to continue to receive.

I subscribe to the International Herald Tribune which has been my daily newspaper for the past twelve years. I read it cover to cover every day. I never realized how much I was missing in world news by living in the US, until I subscribed to this newspaper.

[Papa]

Dear Friends:

I just posted an interview with Chef Jean-Michel Lorain on my web site about his loss of his third Michelin star rating. This interview is part of the continuous monthly contributions of Chef Thuries to my site. I thought that some of you might find interesting to read what Chef Lorain says about life with a two star rating.

To read the interview, go to the "World of Chefs/France/English" section of my site at: http://www.OliveTree.cc

I hope that this interview gives you a personal insight into the Michelin rating system.

[pompeyams]

My Thoughts on Michelin.
Having spent my entire career working in michelin starred restaurants here in England and in France I would just like to make the point that out of all the three main guides in Britain Michelin is the most vague and unused all it is is an ego boist for chefs theres no information in the book about the style or food served not like the good food guide .For the last 4 years I have had my own restaurant which has been included in the Michelin Guide not with a star mined you previous to this I gained a star as head chef of my old work place this year I have been sent or the information to fill in for the 2002 edition but have had no inspection so I think this makes a mockery of the whole guide how can they include a restaurant they haven,t visited that year Michelin criteria look for so many other things apart from the food its madness penguins as waiters starch table clothes yes they are all nice but they dont make the food taste better basically Michelin is to vague and out dated for most users and chefs keep on cooking pompeyams

I agree that the Michelin guide itself is not very helpful when it comes to selecting restaurants to visit, but the star rating system is still the best guide to quality - even Nico had to get his third star just to prove he could (he then decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep it, but he'd proved his point). And of course inspections are anonymous, although the grapevine often gives a chef a heads up on a likely visit - depends if he or FOH staff recognise an inspector when they see one. When I used to travel a lot on business and eat alone in various restaurants I often got exemplary meals because they must have thought I was some kind of inspector (suit, knowledge of food, interesting questions etc.)