COGNAC,
France —
The
Michelin Guide launched its 2022 edition on Tuesday, celebrating the
resilience of the French food industry after two difficult years of pandemic,
but calling for more women chefs.
اضافة اعلان
Expected each year with apprehension by
chefs and gourmets, the famous red guidebook revealed this year’s winners in
Cognac in southwest France, the first time in its 122 years the ceremony has
taken place outside Paris.
Two restaurants were awarded the highest
distinction of three stars.
Arnaud Donckele, 44, known for his
extraordinary sauces, shot straight to the top ranking for his new restaurant
Plenitude in the Samaritaine department store in Paris.
Husband-and-wife team Dimitri and Marielle
Droisneau also joined the top rank for their Mediterranean restaurant, La Villa
Madie, in Cassis, near Marseille, which judges praised for its “poetic
home-style cuisine”.
“2021 was another difficult year for
restaurants. The impact of the pandemic continues to weigh on them. Prices for
ingredients are rising enormously, and recruiting and keeping staff is a
challenge for everyone,” said the guide’s director Gwendal Poullennec at the
ceremony.
“Despite everything, we have a great
selection, but I see that we have too few women,” he said, calling on
restaurants to continue the “profound changes” they have been making to improve
the imbalance.
Much focus in recent years has been on more
minimalist, sustainably sourced cooking, which the guide has been rewarding
with ‘green stars’ since 2020.
There are now 87 green star restaurants in
France, with six new additions in the new guide.
Back
to business
Last
year’s ceremony, in the midst of a months-long shutdown caused by the pandemic,
was a low-key affair with only one chef — Alexandre Mazzia — promoted to three
stars.
But this year marked a rejuvenation, with a
maskless crowd packing out the theatre in Cognac, a small town with a huge
international reputation for its namesake spirit.
Controversies have long swirled around the
Michelin Guide and the pressure it places on chefs.
In 2020, foodies were shocked when the
Auberge du Pont de Collonges — the oldest three-starred restaurant in the world
— was downgraded following the death of legendary chef, Paul Bocuse.
A year earlier, Marc Veyrat became the first
to sue the guidebook, after losing the third star of his Alps restaurant La
Maison des Bois just a year after it was awarded.
He lost the case and said he never again
wanted to see a Michelin inspector in his restaurants.
Poullennec said demotions were vital if the
guidebook was to “remain relevant to customers.”
Judging by the tears and emotion onstage in
Cognac, the guidebook continues to be a major source of motivation for chefs
and their teams.
France is currently in a new golden age for
cuisine after a long period in which it was accused of growing stale and lazy.
The past 15 years have seen an influx of
young chefs more open to global influences and new approaches, said Paris-based
food writer Lindsey Tramuta.
“Michelin is still very important for chefs
and owners. If it motivates their kitchen staff and team, and brings more
diners and curiosity, then it has value,” she said.
Created in 1900 by tire manufacturers Andre
and Edouard Michelin as a guide for motorists, it now has editions across
Europe, Asia, North and
South America.
In March, it announced it was suspending operations in
Russia due to the war, just a few months after launching its first guide in
Moscow.
Read more Trending
.jpg)
.jpg)
