Michelin Stars History | How did Michelin stars appear?
Surely you have heard about expensive gourmet restaurants that have some kind of Michelin stars. What are these stars and who distributes them? Let's figure it out!
To restore the history of the appearance of these stars, you will have to go back to the century before last - to the times when the engineer Andre Michelin took up his grandfather's rather modest business. The production of agricultural equipment, vulcanized rubber products, including belts, valves and other parts, was not going well when a new generation of the family entered the business. Andre's brother, Eduard, received the position of managing director of the Michelin company - this is how their common business began to be called since 1889.
One day a cyclist approached the brothers and needed a wheel repair. By the way, bicycles at that time, or rather in 1890, were much more popular and practical than cars. In 1891, Edward becomes the owner of a patent for the production of bicycle tires. And later, Michelin began to produce car tires.
The brothers were always looking for ways to increase tire sales. In 1900, they released a directory-guide, which collected the best places for motorists to spend the night and eat after a long drive, the directory also included a list of useful addresses, primarily garages, repair shops and parking lots.
The main goal of the Michelin brothers was to instill in people car tourism, so more and more ads with prices in restaurants and hotels appeared in the directory. The brothers gave "stars" to establishments, mainly focusing on prices. In restaurants and cafes where it was more expensive, there was one star, in places where it was cheaper there were more stars.
In 1926, the rating policy changed dramatically, and since then, an asterisk next to the name of the restaurant has come to mean excellent cuisine. The creators of the guide decided to mark with a star not the most expensive establishments, but those that were famous for their dishes. True, at first it was only about restaurants located near the highways between Paris, Lyon and Marseille - the largest cities in France, later the map of places marked with stars already covered the whole country.
In those days, the chef rating was not the main idea of the Michelin Red Book. The directory was bought mainly in order to provide a comfortable journey for motorists, and therefore the publications included both detailed maps of cities and names of attractions. These maps played a dark role during the occupation of France by the Nazi troops - the Germans used detailed diagrams from the Michelin guides when planning their offensive.
How is food evaluated? The criteria for awarding the rating are Michelin's trade secrets and are not in the public domain, but the main criterion is the cuisine. From the guide's point of view, the atmosphere, service, interior and price range are all secondary to the food served. An important role is played by the personality of the chef.
In 2003, a book by Remy Pascal, who worked for many years as a Michelin inspector, was published, in which he lifted the veil of secrecy. Remy admitted that he would advise gourmets to eat in restaurants with one or two stars, and not in three stars, as "true talent is revealed in the struggle." The book caused outrage from the company, and Pascal was fired immediately.
By the way, modern Michelin inspectors are taught for a very long time, for example, a cook or a manager who has worked in catering for at least 5 years can become an inspector. The company receives hundreds of thousands of resumes every year. Those who pass the first selection are sent with a chief inspector to a one-star restaurant, where they order the same dishes to see how a beginner can convey his feelings and in general tasting dishes, after which the candidate must write a report. Further, if this stage is passed, the candidate is sent for an annual study. And only after the exams he can start his duties.
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