Bitter disappointment for Marc Veyrat: The restaurant of the French top chef is only represented in the new French edition of the "Guide Michelin" with two stars. The testers of the renowned Gastro-Bible had the Maison des Bois only a year ago considered the highest award, which gives the rating system. So fast has the "Michelin" his opinion about very great culinary art never relativized.

Veyrat is not the only chef who loses his third star with the new France edition. This was already reported by various media before the presentation of the new Gastro Bible on Monday in Paris - the first of the online magazine "Le Point". Even Pascal Barbot from Astrance in Paris and Marc Haeberlin from the L'Auberge de l'Ill are only rated with two stars. The restaurant in Alsace was decorated with three stars for 51 years.

"I'm terribly disappointed," says Veyrat, 68, who has become known for his regional, wild-herb cuisine and calls himself a "peasant chef." He has no understanding of this demotion. Marc Haeberlin was also "shocked" when he learned of the loss of the third star, as the newspaper "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace" reports.

Three stars would be awarded "for a year and not for life," countered Gwendal Poullennec, new chief of the tour guide loud "Le Point". Favors there is no restaurant.

The two new entrants to the trio of three-star restaurants are Laurent Petit from Le Clos des Sens in Annecy and Mauro Colagreco from Mirazur in Menton. There are five new additions to the two-star restaurants this year. In total, 75 new restaurants in France have been awarded at least one star - a "record year", as Poullennec says.

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"Michelin Guide" 2019: stars for top chefs in France

Veyrat, the trademark of a wide-brimmed black hat, had already received three stars each with two previous pubs. The inspectors - as the Michelin restaurant critics call themselves - described Veyrat 2018 as a "great cook" playing "devilishly creative" with the taste and texture of food. They raved about how he uses the ingredients of nature - such as flowers and herbs - in his kitchen in the French department of Haute-Savoie.

More women - and more sustainability

But apparently the new "Michelin" boss wants to set new accents - and award stars not just out of tradition. Diversity seems to be a concern for Poullennec: In the future, more women will be awarded the coveted stars. "They are examples," said Poullennec.

In the past, there was always criticism that the traditional "Guide Rouge" especially men in the kitchen. The only woman in France to top her restaurant is Anne-Sophie Pic from Valence in the south of the country. In 2018, there were only two women among France's newly appointed star chefs.

This year, more new chefs are among the new additions, as "Le Point" shows in an online list: Stéphanie Le Quellec received two stars for her cuisine at La Scène au Prince de Galles (Paris). Among others, the Baieta in Paris (Julia Sedefdjian), the Racines in Rennes (Virginie Giboire) and L'Auberge du Presbytère in Vailhan (Amélie Darvas à Äponem) have been awarded a star.

In addition, the "Guide Michelin" awarded this year for the first time three new awards:

  • Service Personnel : Sarah Benahmed from Crocodile (Strasbourg)
  • Sommelier : Albert Malongo Ngimbi, Chef Sommelier at Table Saint Crescent (Narbonne)
  • Sustainable gastronomy : Christopher Coutanceau in the eponymous restaurant (La Rochelle)

Unique cuisine worth a visit

Together, France now has 632 star restaurants, including 27 with the top rating. The group of two-star houses now has 85 members. One star now has 520 restaurants.

The Michelin company is best known as a tire manufacturer. The "Guide Michelin" is a travel guide for motorists, in which hotels and restaurants are rated. To make it easy for travelers to find good addresses, the entries are marked with stars that mean:

  • A star stands for a very good kitchen, which is worth a stop .
  • Two stars stand for excellent cuisine, which is worth a detour .
  • Three stars stand for a unique cuisine that is worth the trip .

With material from AFP and dpa