Sawt Falasteen - French chefs await new Michelin guide

The famous red bible for gastronomes still makes and breaks restaurants, despite increasing competition from rival food lists and the rise of social media influencers.

Around 600 chefs are gathering for a ceremony to mark the 2025 edition in the eastern French city of Metz on Monday, with new stars being awarded "in all regions in mainland France", Michelin guide boss Gwendal Poullennec told AFP.

At stake are not only the reputations of the chefs and hundreds of businesses that depend on their stars for visibility, but also France's image as a fine food destination.

"The level of the world food scene is constantly rising but I must say that France is holding its own and is part of this dynamic with a growing number of starred restaurants each year," Poullennec added.

Each year's guide produces controversy over who is included, who is not, and who has joined the list of anti-Michelin rebels.

Showman chef Marc Veyrat has told the guide's inspectors they are not welcome in his new 450-euro-a-head ($485) restaurant in the Megeve ski resort in the Alps after his previous restaurant was demoted in a scandal dubbed "cheddar-gate".

Veyrat sued unsuccessfully after inspectors stripped him of a star in 2019.

He claimed the downgrade was because inspectors mistakenly thought he had adulterated a cheese souffle with English cheddar instead of using France's Reblochon, Beaufort and Tomme varieties.

Vincent Favre-Felix, a chef with a one-star restaurant in Annecy, eastern France, announced last week that he wanted to return his award, which he has held since 2021, after he decided to change his concept.

The Michelin guide stresses that its anonymous inspectors are free to go wherever they want and that stars do not belong to the chefs themselves.

"These are independent recommendations attributed by the guide," Poullennec said.

- Diverse eating -

The Michelin guide began as a list of restaurants for drivers in France 125 years ago but is now a global business that sends its tasters around the world, producing editions for around 50 destinations.

France remains the country with the highest number of three-star restaurants -- the highest award -- which denotes kitchens where cooking is "elevated to an art form" and chefs that are "at the peak of their profession".

Japan is second, followed by Spain, Italy and the United States.

But the guide has sought to shed its reputation for elitist and pricey dinners, with more diverse eating options making it onto its lists of recommended destinations.

After rewarding roadside food stalls in Thailand and Singapore, the guide granted a star to a taco stand in Mexico City last year, causing a local sensation but baffling regular eaters there.

To soften the disappointment for French chefs who lost stars, the guide announced its downgrades for 22 restaurants last week.

The biggest victim was Georges Blanc, an 82-year-old who had held three stars for 44 years for his eponymous restaurant in Vonnas, a village in southeast France that has become a food destination thanks to his presence.

"We weren't expecting it," he told AFP after being informed he was being demoted to two stars. "We'll cope, and perhaps we'll be less elitist and a little bit more accessible."

The prestige of a Michelin star is a guarantee of increased demand -- and prices too.

Downgrades can lead to ruin and have been linked to tragedy in the past, including suicide.

The 2025 guide will be unveiled on Monday in Metz from 1600 GMT.

O.Farraj--SF-PST