Michelin Guide

A major reason the Michelin Guide remains prestigious is the extreme secrecy surrounding its inspectors, sometimes assuming fake names and donning disguises, to ensure ratings are not influenced by special treatment.

An anonymous Michelin inspector answers the most common questions about their job and explains how reviewing and awarding stars works. Covering everything from how they decide what to order to advice for young chefs, get a peek into the details of one of the most influential restaurant reviewing jobs.

Explore the pressure pursuing a star puts on chefs—sometimes at the expense of their mental health, and social media's impact on the culinary landscape. A conversation with Nick Kokonas, co-owner of the three-starred Alinea in Chicago, gets into the ways Michelin’s rankings affect business.

Five years after Marco Pierre White became the youngest chef to ever achieve a three-star rating, he also became the first chef to “return” his stars and retire. Since then, multiple chefs have followed in his footsteps and requested to be removed from the judging process.

Countries with high GDP are the most highly decorated with Michelin stars. As this 2024 in-depth statistical analysis notes, though, that appears to be changing, with the Guide beginning to recognize other areas of the globe.

Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos is the first Colombian chef to earn a Michelin star. He talks about opening El Cielo, his modern Latin American restaurant with locations in Washington, DC; Miami; and Bogotá. Barrientos also shares his philosophy regarding food and how the Michelin rating affected his work.

If you’ve watched "The Bear," you’re familiar with the pristine kitchen at Ever, where fictional chef Carmen Berzatto cut his culinary teeth. But while Ever’s head chef is played by Olivia Coleman in the show, in reality, Curtis Duffy helms the Chicago restaurant. This video follows Duffy through the kitchen.

One of the most exciting aspects of FX's hit show "The Bear" is how it highlights real Chicago restaurants and businesses. This guide to some of the restaurants visited by the show’s characters (and a few that aren’t) includes the real Michelin inspectors’ notes on each spot.

The variety of food derived from a pig is enormous—from the common hot dog to delicate capicola. Watch butcher John Ratliff transform this meat into the basis of some of the most well-known meals.

A contemporaneous article from when the Michelin Guide arrived in New York City in 2005. This piece gives an overview of the impact on the city’s restaurant scene. Chefs like Eric Ripert of La Bernardin (three stars) share their feelings upon learning the news. Don’t miss Mario Batali’s kvetching that his spot, Babbo, only received one star—something that would make many chefs jump for joy. The article also explores how the newly awarded Michelin stars line up with other reviewers, including Zagat Guides and the New York Times.