Nanterre (AFP)

Chef Marc Veyrat, who had taken to court to find out why the Michelin Guide had deprived one of his restaurants of his third star, was dismissed on Tuesday by the court.

The chief and his company SCS Marc Veyrat "do not produce any document relating to the existence of a damage and the reality of their damage", underlined the tribunal de grande instance of Nanterre in its summary decision, including AFP got copy.

The famous cook in the black hat considered, however, that by downgrading his restaurant in Manigod (Haute-Savoie) La Maison des Bois from three to two stars, the red guide had made "a mistake" and asked for a symbolic euro to repair.

Through the voice of his lawyer Emmanuel Ravanas, he notably asked, during the hearing at the end of November, to obtain evidence of the guide's inspections and of the skills of his inspectors, as well as "the trace of the proceedings" which led to the downgrading of its establishment.

The restaurant, which obtained its third star in 2018, was decommissioned a year later.

Marc Veyrat had then tried to "understand" and a meeting had been called in March in the presence of the guide's director Gwendal Poullennec.

Unable to obtain his removal from the guide, the chief had gone to court, asking for a symbolic euro of compensation for the damage suffered. The 69-year-old chef said he was "in depression" after the loss of this 3rd star.

"We are not here to prohibit criticism, we want to verify that criteria exist and that they have been applied in this case," explained to the audience Me Ravanas.

The court nevertheless considered that the documents produced by his client were "insufficient to demonstrate the existence of a legitimate reason such as to justify a disproportionate interference with the independence of assessment constituting the freedom of expression of guide inspectors ".

And to recall that this freedom was "guaranteed" by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The Michelin guide is above all "an instrument for consumers, not the property of chefs", his lawyer Richard Malka reminded the audience.

© 2019 AFP