"These are exceptional restaurants, so you can imagine that these are decisions that are carefully considered, supported by numerous visits from our inspectors throughout the year," Gwendal Poullennec told AFP. the boss of the guide.
No chef holding three stars, the highest distinction in the world of gastronomy, had been demoted during the 2021 and 2022 vintages, unlike the years 2019 and 2020.
Elected best chef in the world for the 6th consecutive time in November, Guy Savoy had held 3 stars since 2002. Christopher Coutanceau had obtained his 3rd macaroon just before the first confinement.
Aware of the emotional and economic impact of such an announcement, twenty years after the suicide of chef Bernard Loiseau, the Michelin boss met Christopher Coutanceau on Monday and spoke on the phone with Guy Savoy.
In total, five demotions were revealed by the guide: the Alpaga table in Megève, Jean-Luc Tartarin in Le Havre and the Restaurant Michel Sarran in Toulouse, which lost their 2nd star.
If the boss of the guide has constantly reminded in recent years that "stars are won every year", the fact remains that the two previous editions, tinged by the Covid-19 crisis with the closure of restaurants, did not had demoted any three stars, unlike the years 2019 and 2020, during which chef Marc Veyrat and a Bocuse restaurant had respectively been demoted, creating a stir within the profession.
Christopher Coutanceau in his restaurant in La Rochelle on January 28, 2020 © XAVIER LEOTY / AFP/Archives
The 2023 vintage will be unveiled on Monday March 6 in Strasbourg.
© 2023 AFP