UK Edition
Michelin lets stressed-out French chef hand back his stars and quit the 'gastronomic rat race'
The prestigious Michelin Guide allowed a French chef to hand back his three stars on Tuesday after he complained that the coveted top rating put him under too much pressure.
Restaurants have voluntarily lost stars in the past because they decided to change their cooking style, but it is the first time the gastronomic bible has allowed a leading restaurant to withdraw from its listings while continuing to offer the same cuisine.
Food critics said the move could jeopardise Michelin’s reputation as a comprehensive guide to the best restaurants, and make it less relevant in the age of online customer reviews.
Sebastien Bras, 46, whose signature dish, ‘gargouillou’, made with asparagus, baby spinach, herbs, rocket, cherry tomatoes and edible flowers, is considered one of France’s finest culinary creations, has held the maximum three stars for 18 years.
When he asked for his restaurant, Le Suquet, in Laguiole, southern France, to be removed, Michelin executives were taken aback.
Accustomed to pleading requests from restaurants wanting to be included, they hesitated for four months before finally agreeing to grant Mr Bras’s wish to quit the elite club of 27 French restaurants.
Claire Dorland-Clauzel, a Michelin vice-president, said: “It is difficult for us to have a restaurant in the guide which does not wish to be in it. It is the first time we’ve had a public withdrawal like this.”
She confirmed that Le Suquet would not be included in the 2018 Michelin Guide to be published on Monday.
When Mr Bras made his request in September, saying he wanted “out of the gastronomic rat race”, he shocked gourmets around the world.
He said he could no longer endure the stress of knowing that one below-par dish could cost him his reputation, although he intends to continue cooking to the best of his abilities.
“You’re inspected two or three times a year. You never know when. Every meal that goes out could be inspected,” he said. “That means that every day one of the 500 meals that leaves the kitchen could be judged. Perhaps I will be less famous, but I accept that.”
Mr Bras said he sometimes thought about Bernard Loiseau, a fellow French chef who committed suicide in 2013 amid rumours that he was about to lose his third Michelin star.
Franck Pinay-Rabaroust, editor of the online gastronomy magazine Atabula, said: “Letting Bras go is dangerous for the Michelin Guide because they’re leaving the door open for other chefs to quit. Michelin always said the stars belonged to the guide not to the chefs, and now they can no longer claim to be comprehensive. Also, how will they respond if chefs threaten to leave unless they’re given an extra star?”
Among others who have opted out of the Michelin star system was Alain Senderens, a Nouvelle Cuisine pioneer who closed his restaurant in 2005, saying he wanted to cook “without all the tra-la-la, frills and chichi” demanded by Michelin.