How Michelin Guide 2021 inspectors beat the coronavirus pandemic to deliver its stars
- Inspectors for the dining guide were kept on their toes by restaurant closures to curb the coronavirus epidemic, but were still able to eat some memorable meals
- In 2021 Thailand guide, Pru, in Phuket, is one of the first restaurants to be given a new ‘green star’, recognising seasonal cooking and use of local suppliers
The Michelin Guide’s inspectors had a trickier task than usual finding their noteworthy chefs of the year, rushing to get a seat at top tables after coronavirus lockdowns forced restaurants to close for extended periods.
The Michelin Guide is on track to reveal its top French picks on January 18, after releasing some listings elsewhere, including in Japan, Spain and Thailand, Gwendal Poullennec, its international director said.
“As soon as restaurants reopened, the inspectors were the first on the scene,” Poullennec said. They had to adapt in some cases, like when a restaurant needed a few days to operate normally, and returned to fully appreciate the offer, Poullennec added.
Known for their exacting standards, the Michelin inspectors’ choices can be controversial, with some chefs fighting back in the past after losing stars. Some 3,236 restaurants globally now carry Michelin stars, up from 3,093 at the start of 2019.
The guide’s reviewers anonymously award stars based on creativity, quality and service. Three stars are given to restaurants where the cuisine is akin to art and “worth a special journey”, two stars are given to those “worth a detour”, while one star is awarded to establishments that are considered good restaurants in their category, according to Michelin. The number of restaurant reviewers working for the guide is kept secret, although Michelin has disclosed people from 15 nationalities work as inspectors.
This year the guide, first published in 1900, wanted to press ahead as a means of paying tribute to one of the industries hardest hit by coronavirus measures worldwide, Poullennec said. In France, seen by many as the standard-bearer for fine-dining, restaurants may only reopen on January 20, at the earliest, having been forced to shut since the end of October.