Seeing Stars: Michelin Stars 101

As a self-proclaimed foodie, the concept of a Michelin Star has always fascinated me. What in the world is a Michelin star, and why is it such a honor? To my surprise, I learned quite recently that a Michelin star does in fact refer to, you guessed it, the Michelin tire company! My curiosity is to your benefit because I am here to give the 4-1-1 on Michelin Stars.

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For starters, the PR practitioner at Michelin deserves a raise for coming up with what has grown to be one of the biggest honors of the food world. Let’s start at the beginning: In 1900, tire manufacturers and brothers Edouard and Andre Michelin decided that, in an effort to get more cars on the road driving far distances, they would create the Michelin Guide. Originally the Michelin Guide provided information including maps, hotels and gas stations in a given country, and it was not until 1920 that the brothers began to include restaurants. It was not until 1926 when the brothers introduced the concept of awarding stars, and it took until 1936 for them to establish the modern-day rankings for the stars. The Michelin Guide began to rapidly gain popularity, by expanding to new countries and being translated into new languages. Now, dozens of countries award Michelin stars, but the esteem and honor that comes with their recognition remains universal. As it was started in France, the first and oldest Michelin star restaurants are located within France, but New York City has the most concentrated population of Michelin star restaurants, with 857 restaurants with at least one star.

As mentioned, the highest honor is three Michelin stars. The rating system works as follows:

One star= “A very good restaurant in its category”

Two stars= “Excellent cooking, worth a detour”

Three stars= “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”

I find it so interesting how these descriptions relate back to the idea that the whole concept of Michelin stars was created by the tire company. Using language like “worth a detour” and “worth a special journey” show just how intertwined Michelin stars remain to Michelin tires. It is crazy to believe that a company that has virtually nothing to do with food was able to invent the biggest honor in food by creating a seamless concept and experience that has intertwined the idea of tires and fine dining for decades.

Another interesting aspect of the Michelin star experience is that the Michelin works extremely hard to make sure that their inspectors remain anonymous and undetected when completing their reviews. I think that it is both an important and interesting concept to make sure that the inspectors remain anonymous so that restaurants cannot step up their game to specifically impress the inspector. It is one thing to be able to produce an incredible meal when you know there is someone you must impress, but an entirely different thing to be producing meals of the highest sophistication and quality to every single person who comes through your doors.

However, as with any award with such a high honor, there has been points of controversy with the it. One issue that has come up is that some restaurants do not want the star because it provides them with too much pressure to perform. Some chefs have expressed concerns that because of the Michelin star title, some diners have been upset due to differing expectations of what is expected. It is interesting to think that some restaurants do not want a Michelin star, as I had assumed that it every chefs goal would be to have a Michelin star for their work and dedication.

To my surprise, I realized I have had a run in at a three Michelin star establishment. Last semester in London it was on my bucket list to attend the Instagram worthy Sketch, located just south of Oxford Circus in Central London. Sketch has many different rooms with different rooms and dining experiences and their Lecture Room and Library has been awarded the three Michelin star title. I think what made it three stars to me was that more than just the food was the experience. Each separate room of Sketch had an entirely new theme, and the most Instagrammed room in all of Sketch is their bathroom, as seen below with the colored tile ceiling. At Sketch, diners are invited into an experience, one they are encouraged to photograph and share with friends along the way. While the experience did not disappoint, neither did the food. If you were to ask my mom, she would tell you I bring up the Sketch scallops’ dish weekly. Sketch talks the talk, with their unforgettable and unique décor, but they more importantly walk the walk, considering it took everything in my power not to lick the plate clean. All the dishes had intense, layered flavor profiles that, to me, as previously mentioned, a self-proclaimed foodie, seemed quite deserving of their three-star title.

Images by Frankie Sailer

My parents enjoying The Gallery room at Sketch

In the culinary world, to receive a Michelin star is the highest honor there is. It is crazy to believe that the highest honor in the culinary world all began as a PR campaign for a tire company. Beyond just food, I believe Michelin stars should be considered one of the most long-lived, best public relations campaigns ever run, and I, as many others do, continue to buy into it and hope to find many more spots “worth a special journey.”