A Belgian chef turned down the restaurateurs' most prestigious award, the Michelin star, to remain free in his own kitchen. Recognition from experts does not guarantee commercial success for an establishment and often turns into a complete headache for chefs. Details from Svetlana Belova.

Photo: Sergey Mikheev, Kommersant / buy photo

For these stars in the red travel guide, the blood of the best restaurateurs in the world was shed. A kind of chef's Oscar is shrouded in legends and intrigue. And suddenly the chef of 't Huis van Lede from the tiny Flemish town of Vannegem Lede refuses his prestigious status. Frédéric Doug explained that the Michelin recognition sign is no longer a matter of pride, but of problems and obligations. Maintaining a star brand is indeed troublesome and expensive, confirmed Carlo Greco, chef of the Moscow restaurants Dom Carlo and Sixty.

"You need to invest a lot of money. You must have a head waiter, a waiter's uniform, a high level of glass, a certain wine list. All this affects the economy of the restaurant itself, and a restaurateur who has a good quality restaurant does not need a Michelin star." , so many refuse,” Greco said.

Michelin guide inspectors always come incognito. Like ordinary guests, they study the menu, order dishes, dine, ask for the bill and only then admit that they have been checked. They say that Michelin inspectors have 14 criteria for evaluating a restaurant. But they are kept secret to avoid speculation and imitations of signs of “stardom”. Only the most obvious markers of quality are known: cuisine, wine, service, atmosphere, Michelin International Director Michael Ellis said on the NTD TV Russia channel.

"We are always looking for the same thing. We look at the ingredients: the chef must use the best of them. We look at his cooking technique: the dishes must be perfectly prepared. We look at the expression of his personality: is it present in what he cooks "We look at wait times and prices. These are Michelin's tried and true criteria for the last 100 years," Ellis said.

In Russia, there is not a single restaurant with a Michelin star or even a fork or spoon - these are also insignia of a culinary guide. Although European winners of these awards work in our restaurants. For Michelin, Russia remains a territory insensitive to haute cuisine. It is believed that the young post-Soviet leisure culture has not yet reached global standards. And there aren’t so many tourists in Russia that they need a map of the country’s best establishments. Russians themselves traditionally trust not some visiting inspectors, but the recommendations of their friends. In Russia, in general, prizes, awards and regalia are not particularly valued, says Igor Bukharov, president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers.

"There is a very famous American magazine Wine Spectator, which evaluates wine lists in restaurants. We have been going to them for several years, sending our menu. The first one to receive a diploma from Wine Spectator was the La Maree restaurant. They spent money on shipping, on printing menu, to collect and maintain their own wine cellar, and maintaining it is expensive. But what did they get from this? Only costs, no prestige, no one knows what Wine Spectator is, except specialists,” said Bukharov.

By the way, recognition from experts and a Michelin star do not at all guarantee commercial success for an establishment. Thus, in Normandy, the one-star restaurant Les Hetres by Max Bichot closed due to lack of visitors. A similar embarrassment happened with the Spanish restaurant Atoni Llull Adrover: the guide with the first long-awaited star came out in December, and the owner closed his restaurant in August. And in Britain you can find establishments where they serve gastronomic delights for free. So, The Times published a list of the most interesting proposals a couple of years ago. In particular, the Elizabethan Ockenden Manor hotel in West Sussex offers guests a room for £130 on Sundays. The price includes dinner at a Michelin star restaurant.

"For Michelin, Russia remains a territory insensitive to haute cuisine"