The 2024 Michelin star winners
Inspectors visit every restaurant in the Michelin guide
According to Poullennec, consistency means a lot for Michelin. The guides have been around for more than 124 years in France, and the inspectors continue to apply the same approach when it comes to their selections today.
Despite the increasing democratisation of restaurant recommendations through platforms such as Instagram and even artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Poullennec said diners still want the human touch.
"The Michelin Guide is not an algorithm. It's human. It's people that have been trained that have a deep knowledge of the industry that are eating out, lunch and dinner, to find the hidden gems. At the core, it's independence. We are working not for the chefs and not for the industry. We have good connections with them, and we are proud of that, but we are working, ultimately, for the people going out to the restaurants, and we hope to share with them the most relevant, up-to-date advice."
Michelin hopes to recognise more women
Every year, Michelin faces questions about the lack of female chefs represented in the guide.
"We do recognise that at the star levels, there are fewer women chefs than male chefs. That's a matter of fact," Poullennec admitted. However, he said there were no plans to introduce quotas around gender, styles of cooking or the location of the restaurant, as this would go against Michelin's methodology.
Poullennec said whenever a female-led restaurant is awarded a star – as Adejoké Bakare's Chishuru in London was this year – Michelin tries to "make the most of it and really consider them as role models to lead all the people to join the industry".
He also pointed out stars are awarded to the entire restaurant, even if there is only one chef who receives the award on stage. "There are more and more women joining the restaurant teams, so hopefully in the years to come, there will be more women reaching the head chef position," he said.
The chief inspector added: "Fundamentally, what we're looking at here is recognising the quality of the cooking. It's not so much the gender of the person who has cooked it."
What Michelin stars mean
One Michelin star: A very good restaurant or pub in its category
The star indicates a good place to stop on your journey. But beware of comparing the star given to an expensive de luxe establishment with that of a simple restaurant where you can appreciate fine cooking at a reasonable price.
Two Michelin stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour Specialities and wines of first class quality. This will be reflected in the price
Three Michelin stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
One always eats here extremely well, sometimes superbly. Fine wines, faultless service, elegant surroundings. One will pay accordingly!
All the restaurants across the UK to have a Michelin star
One-Michelin-starred restaurants in London >>
One-Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and Ireland >>
Two-Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK & Ireland >>
Three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK & Ireland >>
Green Michelin starred restaurants in the UK & Ireland >>
All we know about Michelin keys>>
by Jungmin Seo | THE CATERER