No new star, two establishments losing theirs... The city of Lyon did not shine in the 2022 list of the Michelin Guide.
One wonders if the one that is nicknamed "the Capital of gastronomy" has been unfairly forgotten.
Observers are divided on the issue.
A year of scarcity.
The city of Lyon and more generally the Rhône department are among the great forgotten in the 2022 list of the Michelin Guide.
No new star, two establishments which lost theirs and the Bocuse house which did not recover its third macaron.
At the exit, the balance sheet is disappointing.
Almost humiliating.
From there to wonder if Lyon was unfairly sacked?
Or if the city, historically nicknamed "Capital of gastronomy" has become a sleeping beauty?
"It's hard to judge.
Perhaps there are more dynamic territories, but we cannot reason in terms of regionality.
There is not a single capital of gastronomy, nor a city that deserves to be above the others”, immediately replies Anne Luzin, editor of the magazine
Le Chef,
emphasizing the “culinary diversity in France” .
“To draw conclusions, we necessarily need more hindsight.
One year's track record is not enough.
And last year, four Rhône establishments won their first star,” she recalls.
Without forgetting that the department still lists 20 starred restaurants.
“Michelin has lost its original identity”
But for Jean-François Mesplède, food critic and former director of the Michelin between 2006 and 2009, “certain restaurants deserved to be included in the guide”.
“It is a pity that the Rhône is a poor relation, he regrets.
For two or three years, the Michelin Guide has changed a little.
He lost his original identity.
There has been a change, except that contemporary cuisine and traditional cuisine can go very well together.
»
“This year, most of the big cities have been forgotten, with the exception of Paris.
Nice, Toulouse have had nothing, either, observes in turn Franck Pinay-Rabaroust, editor-in-chief of the Atabula.com site.
In this, Lyon is no different from the others”.
But the city "certainly suffers from Mr. Paul's policy", he analyzes.
A “certain conservatism in Lyon”
“In Lyon, there is a certain conservatism linked to Paul Bocuse's hold on the city.
He held the reins for a very long time, he prevented the emergence of certain leaders.
Others could not settle.
Today, the city is paying for it.
It stagnates quite heavily unlike Marseille which benefits from a dynamic image, ”continues the journalist.
The famous "Capital of gastronomy", would it have fallen asleep on its laurels?
Probably, according to Franck Pinay-Rabaroust who nevertheless refutes the cliché.
“Some tables are very good but they are not part of modernity, he develops.
The city needs a culinary beacon embodied by small restaurants like the Apothecaries.
There is a new turn to take and we must let it be known.
It is also a question of communication.
»
The shadow of Paul Bocuse
Four years after his death, the shadow of Paul Bocuse still seems to hang over his hometown.
His track record is overwhelming: three stars in the Michelin Guide for 53 years.
Never seen.
“He managed to open doors that did not exist.
He was a more than emblematic figure, a father for all the others, argues Anne Luzin.
But there will never be a Paul Bocuse again.
We are no longer at that moment in history.
We are on to something else today, with multiple cooks in France who are benchmarks in a wide variety of fields”.
According to the editor, creativity exists in Lyon.
It just takes a little patience.
“A third star is not earned in two years.
On average, it takes seven to eight years, she explains.
The Bocuse house, precisely, is trying to revitalize itself.
It's a long-term job.
And to conclude with optimism: “In Lyon, there are houses like Mère Brazier, for example, which have kept their second star for years.
It's already very good.
»
Gastronomy
Lyon: "There is no possible loss of notoriety" for Paul Bocuse's restaurant, despite the loss of a star
Culture
Lyon: Is the city still the capital of gastronomy?
Restaurant
Michelin Guide
Food
Gastronomy
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Lyons
0 comment
0 share
Share on Messenger
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Flipboard
Share on Pinterest
Share on Linkedin
Send by Mail
To safeguard
A fault ?
To print