Sawt Falasteen - Michelin Guide unveils new stars for 68 restaurants in France

Two restaurants joined the highest and most coveted three-star category, namely Christopher Coutanceau in the western fishing port of La Rochelle and seafood specialist Le Coquillage in northern Brittany.

"The world is worried, the tensions, crises, war at the gates of Europe," Michelin Guide director Gwendal Poullennec said on stage at a ceremony in the eastern city of Metz.

"And in the middle of all that, men and women continue to cook, welcome people, pass on knowledge and to create beauty," he told a crowd of 600 chefs.

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

France has the highest number of Michelin-endorsed restaurants of the 50 destinations covered by the guide around world, with 31 three stars, 81 two stars and 542 with one star.

- Global food scene -

At stake on Monday was not only the hundreds of businesses that depend on the guide 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 told AFP before the ceremony.

Among the notable winners was Philippe Etchebest, who won a second star for his restaurant Maison Nouvelle in Bordeaux.

The 58-year-old has made a name for himself as a celebrity food judge on TV shows including Top Chef.

The guide has sought to shed its reputation for elitist and pricey dinners in recent years, with more diverse eating options making it onto its lists of recommended outlets internationally.

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.

Remi Dechambre, food critic at Le Parisien newspaper, told AFP the 2025 selection for France rewarded many up-and-coming chefs such as Adrien Cachot and Valentina Giacobbe with a single star.

"It's the new generation. The guide is constantly evolving and this year is a demonstration," he said.

- Controversy -

Each edition of the Michelin guide in France produces controversy over who is included, who is not and who has joined the list of anti-Michelin rebels.

Showman chef Marc Veyrat had told the guide's inspectors they were not welcome in his new 450-euro-a-head ($485) restaurant in the Megeve ski resort in the Alps.

Veyrat sued Michelin unsuccessfully after inspectors stripped him of a star in 2019 in a controversy dubbed "cheddar-gate".

He claimed the downgrade was because inspectors mistakenly thought he had adulterated a cheese souffle with English cheddar instead of using local French varieties.

His newly opened Le Restaurant Marc Veyrat did not appear among Monday's winners.

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.

The guide began as a list of recommendations for drivers in France 125 years ago but is now a global business that sends its tasters around the world.

A three-star restaurant -- the highest award -- denotes kitchens where cooking is "elevated to an art form" and chefs are "at the peak of their profession".

Japan has the second-most number of three-starred destinations, followed by Spain, Italy and the United States.

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST