The Red Michelin Guide. This is the most revered and coveted guide among the culinary/hospitality world. The reason for this reverence I believe is mainly due to the view of the guides critics. Their (MIchelin) international panel of seasoned critics visit restaurants with extreme anonymity, discretion, and a double sided sword that they call a "pen and paper". Ultimately food is extremely subjective even with the most elite pallet, but if any a guide has earned their stars and stripes in the culinary community, the Red Michelin Guide is definitely the most reliable and accurate source of defining excellence in the hospitality world.
Every young aspiring chef romanticizes about a Michelin star on some level, whether they admit it or not. I know that I have as a young culinarian and I continue to do so whether it happens or not. It's like an Oscar to an actor, or a Grammy to a singer. It's what motivates everyone inside of the art to push the boundaries and set the standard of excellence. For that very reason, in my opinion, this guide has propelled and challenged the hospitality world in ways that no other can match.
-Brief History-
Andre Michelin published the first edition of the guide in 1900 to individuals who owned automobiles to maintain their cars, find decent places to stay, eat well, and safely tour France. It included addresses of gas stations, mechanics, and tire dealers, along with local prices for fuel, tires, and auto repairs. The guide was distributed free from 1900 until 1920. It began recognizing outstanding restaurants in 1926 with a star; two and three stars were added in the early 1930s. A few decades later the guide was introduced on a global scale ranging from the Asia's, the America's, and everything in between.*MIchelin Stars*
Keep in mind that in the early 1900's, when the Michelin Guide was created, traveling was a bit more
lengthy and difficult than it is today. When you did travel, you wanted to plan out your trip, hence distance and length of travel were a decent gauge of restaurant worthiness as shown in the definitions.
= A very good restaurant in its category
= Excellent cuisine, worth a detour
= Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
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