Last Update: March 05, 2023, 18:14 IST
The reasons are not made public, and only the chefs involved are informed.
In November Guy Savoy was named Best Chef in the World by La Liste for the sixth year running.
The 69-year-old has held Michelin’s top three-star status since 2002 for his Monnaie de Paris restaurant overlooking the Seine, which has a sister version at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
In November he was named Best Chef in the World for the sixth year running by La Liste, which aggregates thousands of reviews from around the world.
Savoy’s fame extends beyond the kitchen as an ambassador for French “art de vivre”—for example, he has categorically debunked the craze for nonalcoholic drinks—and he also worked on the Pixar film “Ratatouille.” Lended his voice for the French version.
But that didn’t stop Michelin from upgrading his establishment to two stars in its latest edition, published next Monday.
It did the same for Christopher Coutanso’s upmarket seafood eatery in La Rochelle.
“These are exceptional restaurants, so you can imagine that these decisions have been carefully considered, supported by many visits throughout the year by our inspectors,” the guide’s head Gwendal Poulenc told AFP.
The reasons are not made public, and only the chefs involved are informed.
“For important decisions like this, we involve not only French inspectors, but also those from some other countries,” Poulenc said.
The move to downgrade the restaurant has always been highly controversial, especially since the suicide of Bernard Loiseau 20 years ago – a close friend of Savoy’s – after his restaurant lost a star.
One chef, Marc Verat, took the guide to court in 2019 after being stripped of a star, saying he never wanted to see a Michelin inspector at his restaurant again.
Nearly 20 French restaurants have also been downgraded from two to one star in the latest edition of the guide.
It had not downgraded any since 2019, mindful of the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those difficulties have continued with restaurants facing staff shortages and price hikes in the last year.
But the guide says that downgrading is necessary if it is to remain relevant.
“Yes, there are challenges, but they are challenges for everyone,” Poulenc said.
Created in 1900 by tire makers André and Edouard Michelin as a guide for motorists, it now has versions throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)