Michelin judges act as anonymous restaurant inspectors

There are roughly 90 Michelin judges around the world

A major reason the Michelin Guide remains prestigious is the extreme secrecy surrounding its inspectors, sometimes assuming fake names and donning disguises, to ensure ratings are not influenced by special treatment.

Thoughts from an anonymous Michelin inspector

An anonymous Michelin inspector answers the most common questions about their job and explains how reviewing and awarding stars works. Covering everything from how they decide what to order to advice for young chefs, get a peek into the details of one of the most influential restaurant reviewing jobs.

The Michelin Guide, explained

Every year, Michelin—a tire company—transforms the culinary world through its prestigious Michelin Stars. Starting in 1900 as a guide to boost road travel, Michelin evolved into the global authority on fine dining. Today, anonymous inspectors assess restaurants across 30 countries, awarding one to three stars for quality, consistency, and creativity.

The Michelin Guide is the gold standard in fine dining

Michelin may be chiefly concerned with tires, but it's also known for its restaurant rating system, commonly referred to as “Michelin Stars.” The guide awards restaurants between one and three stars to designate varying levels of excellence in cuisine.

The three-star system arrived in 1931

In the 1920s, the Michelin brothers employed anonymous inspectors to review restaurants in their guides. Inspired by other popular European guidebooks, they added the Michelin Star in 1926 to mark the best restaurants in France. In 1931, it was expanded to the current system of up to three stars.

Why diners and chefs are ditching the Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide's influence appears to be waning, indicating a shift in the perception of fine dining in contemporary culture. Trends show that diners today prefer getting recommendations from more informal networks, especially after lackluster experiences at Michelin-rated restaurants. Some chefs claim the star ratings don’t significantly influence their business, and others reject the pressure of obtaining a Michelin star altogether. Read more about the shift in this article.

Chefs face intense pressure to maintain Michelin stars

Explore the pressure pursuing a star puts on chefs—sometimes at the expense of their mental health, and social media's impact on the culinary landscape. A conversation with Nick Kokonas, co-owner of the three-starred Alinea in Chicago, gets into the ways Michelin's rankings affect business.

Michelin awards stars (along with other distinctions)

Stars are the most prestigious of Michelin’s ratings and are often—but not exclusively—awarded to high-end, expensive restaurants. In addition to the Guide's famous stars, restaurants are also recognized for "Comfort and Quality," which includes a five-point scale.

Some chefs relinquish their Michelin stars

Five years after Marco Pierre White became the youngest chef to ever achieve a three-star rating, he also became the first chef to “return” his stars and retire. Since then, multiple chefs have followed in his footsteps and requested to be removed from the judging process.

Brothers André and Édouard Michelin invented the Michelin Guide to boost sales of their tires.

The Michelin Guide was intended to increase demand for tires

The first Michelin Guide was released in 1900 to increase demand for Michelin's tires by encouraging recreational travel. The guides included road maps and recommendations for mechanics, hotels, and restaurants. Nearly 35,000 copies of the first guide were distributed—at a time when there were fewer than 3,000 cars in France.

How Michelin-starred chefs cook steak

Earning a Michelin star is no easy feat; neither is cooking a steak. This tutorial, featuring three Michelin-starred chefs, shows how the pros tackle the subtle art, walking even the most kitchen-averse eaters through the best ways to cook a great cut.

A day in the life of a Guinness World Record judge

Philip Robertson travels the world each week to see another ambitious person set a record. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at being one of Guinness World Record's adjudicators.

Michelin stars aren't permanent

Michelin stars must be maintained year-to-year. Restaurants have lost their stars for a variety of reasons, including chef changes and inconsistent quality.

What it's like to be a competitive barbecue judge

Follow food writer and barbecue lover Mattie John Bamman as he tries to become a certified barbecue judge. The training is practical and subjective, involving learning the strict Kansas City Barbecue Society standards and the judges’ (literal) tastes.

Affluence largely influences where Michelin stars are awarded

Countries with high GDP are the most highly decorated with Michelin stars. As this 2024 in-depth statistical analysis notes, though, that appears to be changing, with the Guide beginning to recognize other areas of the globe.

Watch experts blindly taste test Champagne and other sparkling wines

Champagne’s prestige typically comes with a high price. So is it worth it? Professional wine judge Dr. Matthew Horkey invites a Champagne expert and a producer to a blind taste test to find out. The individuals try sparkling wines from across the world and do their best to sniff out (sip out?) which is the real-deal Champagne.

What it's like to stage in an award-winning kitchen

This video goes behind the scenes with chef Geoff Kie's stage (essentially a short internship) with nominee Crystal Wahpepah at her restaurant in Oakland. Kie learns practical skills from Wahpepah, but also discusses how the stage helped him understand the restaurant's role in the community—and how he might bring those lessons back to his own kitchen.

Michelin stars don't guarantee financial success

A Michelin star generally increases customer traffic for a restaurant. Still, prestige does not guarantee improved finances. According to a 2017 report, half the European restaurants with more than one star weren’t making a profit. However, losing a star can also be devastating.

In 2008, one writer demonstrated the fickle nature of wine reviews

Robin Goldstein submitted a fake restaurant to the well-respected Wine Spectator for a competition. He created a website for the fake Milan-based business, complete with a menu of wines the magazine itself had disparaged. That didn't stop Wine Spectator from naming Goldstein's ruse among that year's winners.

The James Beard Awards invited controversy by evaluating character

When the foundation initially asked judges to start considering chefs’ personal conduct in 2018, there was little pushback. By the time the 2023 awards rolled around, that was no longer the case. A chef’s nomination was pulled due to allegations of bullying, causing several previous winners to renounce their awards.

Go inside the kitchen of Chicago's Ever, a Michelin Guide favorite that was featured on 'The Bear.'

France's first restaurant guide, 'Almanach des Gourmands,' helped spread the restaurant concept across Europe and the US.

Craig Claiborne invented the modern food critic

The New York Times critic began his column "Directory to Dining" in 1962. While there had been restaurant reviews before then, Claiborne's ethical standards and appreciation for a variety of cuisines established a new kind of food critic and, in the process, a new kind of eater. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

The Judgment of Paris was organized by Steve Spurrier

The English wine merchant organized the competition with Patricia Gallagher at his Paris wine shop. In this in-depth interview, he talks about how he got into the wine trade, how the Judgment of Paris impacted his own career and the global wine scene, and tells some of his favorite stories from the past.

Roughly 830 people are invited to anonymously vote for winners

These anonymous voters must see every show in order to weigh in with their vote, meaning a big part of being a voter is a time commitment: Every season has at least 30 unique productions to see.

How to dine like they do in 'The Bear'

One of the most exciting aspects of FX's hit show "The Bear" is how it highlights real Chicago restaurants and businesses. This guide to some of the restaurants visited by the show’s characters (and a few that aren’t) includes the real Michelin inspectors’ notes on each spot.

The first street vendor to win a Michelin star was Singaporean chef Hawker Chan

The first street vendor to win a Michelin star was Singaporean chef Hawker Chan, whose food was uncharacteristically inexpensive for a Michelin-approved chef. After expanding, he lost the star, but was eventually awarded a Bib Gourmand Michelin Man symbol, which recognizes restaurants serving exceptional food at more accessible prices.

See photos of McDonald's locations all across the world from the 'McAtlas.'

The James Beard Awards consider character as well as cuisine

In 2018, the foundation announced several changes to the nomination and judging process. One of them was the directive to consider nominees’ behavior, which came after several prominent previous winners were accused of sexual harassment.

The Oscars of food

Every year, the James Beard Awards spotlight the best in food, media, and hospitality—often called the “Oscars of the food world.” But behind the prestige is the story of James Beard himself: a failed actor turned culinary icon.

Go behind the scenes of Davos with ‘60 Minutes’

In 2010, "60 Minutes" gained rare, near-unprecedented access to the World Economic Forum, with Scott Pelley roaming Davos’ exclusive meetings and elite spaces. See how global power brokers mingle, negotiate, and shape agendas offstage at the event.

An anthropologist spent years riding garbage trucks to understand what our trash says about us

Robin Nagle rode with New York City sanitation workers to trace the hidden life of what we throw out. Her research explores what the things we discard reveal about who we are. 1440 explores the hidden life of trash.

The awards are selected by approximately 50 industry insiders

The judges are required to see every production in a season. The Tony Awards Administration Committee, a self-governing board, selects these nominators, who serve on staggered terms of one to three years.

Watch Anthony Bourdain's meal at El Bulli, which popularized molecular gastronomy

The 'drinks' included cocktails in the form of alcohol-infused sugarcanes, a cotton candy piña colada, and a dual-textured, temperature-changing gin fizz. Foods included a gorgonzola cheese sphere with the consistency of a chocolate egg and a dish of freeze-dried and foam tofu with the appearance and texture of tiramisu.

12th-century Chinese restaurants followed a rating system

Like a predecessor to today's Michelin stars, restaurants advertised their offerings and skill level based on the number of flags flown outside: a simple, one-dish diner had one; a sit-down restaurant with a proper menu had at least two; three flags was not used for superstitious reasons; four meant the chef had mastered a culinary style; five meant patrons could expect dishes from every region of China.

An interview with Colombia's first Michelin chef

Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos is the first Colombian chef to earn a Michelin star. He talks about opening El Cielo, his modern Latin American restaurant with locations in Washington, DC; Miami; and Bogotá. Barrientos also shares his philosophy regarding food and how the Michelin rating affected his work.

The James Beard Awards are sometimes called the Oscars of food because they spotlight the best of the industry.

Critics argue social media made 'foodie' culture increasingly superficial

For 40 years, being a "foodie" meant possessing knowledge and expertise about ingredients, restaurants, and flavors. Now, the author argues, being a foodie has more to do with documenting aesthetically pleasing meals than critical consumption. She argues for increased attention toward the complex systems that bring food to our tables.

Thousands of chefs, writers, and broadcasters have won James Beard Awards

The annual awards recognize excellence in food, both in its creation and criticism. Notable past winners include Nina Compton, Ina Garten, and Grant Achatz

The duties and importance of Grammy expert panels have shifted over the years

The anonymous expert panels were first introduced into the Grammys voting process in the '90s to counteract claims that the awards weren't "with it" anymore—basically, that they were biased toward more traditional music acts. Of course, that was also the argument for disbanding some of them in 2022: Many people thought the panels were introducing their own bias into the nominations. Now, they exist mainly to ensure genre nominations are correctly categorized. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

There's no definitive proof that Boulanger, the supposed inventor of the restaurant, ever lived

Legend has it that Boulanger's Paris soup shop was the first modern restaurant, but historian Rebecca Spang found no definitive proof that he ever lived. She did, however, find multiple documents referencing a different 18th-century Parisian, Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau, as the "creator" of restaurants. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Go inside the kitchen of the Michelin-recognized, Bib Gourmand-winning Philadelphia cheesesteak shop, Dalessandro's.

Some people in Italy enjoy a cheese with live maggots in it

From squeaky Wisconsin cheese curds to the squirmy Sardinian casu marzu, cheese around the globe comes in myriad forms. Exploring the work of seven cheesemakers in seven countries, this video shows each cheese has traditions and flavors unique to its part of the world.

Wine connoisseurs say proper tasting requires looking, smelling, tasting, and thinking

Tasting wine can be intimidating, which is why Wine Folly cofounder Madeline Puckette breaks down the four steps in this helpful video, encouraging viewers to pour a glass and follow along.

In 2021, the James Beard Awards began focusing on 'equity and sustainability'

Following accusations that the awards’ judges and winners were overwhelmingly white and male, the foundation conducted a 2021 audit focused on “equity and sustainability”; subsequent awards have been notably more diverse.

The history of molecular gastronomy, from thickening yolks with alcohol to making art with food

Before understanding why they worked, humans used scientific principles, including designing solutions and analyzing outcomes, to develop preservation methods like curing meat and fermenting vegetables. By the 20th century, the application of industrialized food preparation to smaller kitchens set the stage for the subdiscipline of food science.

A guide to the modern supra

This essay was written by an American who ventured to a Georgian village in search of a modern supra, the traditional communal feast hosted by a toastmaster that has existed for centuries. What he found was a warm, welcoming, and wine-soaked experience.

Beard and his eponymous awards help define 'American cuisine'

Beard sought to fuse classic American dishes, like casseroles, with international flavors and locally-sourced ingredients. The James Beard Awards often reflect the eclecticism, honoring American chefs inspired by Filipino, Nigerian, French, and other traditions.

Meet the hidden Americans

Who represents America? This stunning interactive photo essay by Dutch artist Robin de Puy reveals a world many in the mainstream US do not see. She traveled thousands of miles to document the stories of individuals across the country, compiling them in dozens of episodes spread across three parts, revealing the messy nuances of everyday life for everyday people. Search the index or click through episode to episode in this spectacular project.