Michelin Guide 2020
by Abdon FLORES
Late January the worldwide famous Guide Michelin unveiled the names of the restaurants in France having one, two or –the upper class– three stars. This scale seems simple but it involves a rather complex procedure and criteria. Drama and joy are the companions of many chefs and restaurant owners since this selection is like the Oscars of gastronomy. The Paul Bocuse restaurant in Collonge lost one star; drama. L’Oustau de Baumanière at Les-Baux-de-Provence got its third star for the first time; joy for Glenn Viel and his mentor, chef Jean-André Charial. The ups and downs of life reflected in the culinary scene.
The 2020 edition of the Guide saw also the crowning of Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi and his already mythical restaurant Kei in the 1st district of Paris. Trained in the prestigious kitchens of Gilles Goujon (L’Auberge du Vieux Puits) and Alain Ducasse (Plaza Athenée), this chef from Nagano fulfills already a destiny many have already forecast. The other big winner was Christopher Coutanceau. Based in La Rochelle, his cuisine is a triumph of technical precision and imagination in marine-themed dishes.
The many anonymous visits done along the year gave a shorter harvest for 2020. Now we have four stars less than the previous year: 63 restaurants versus 75 in 2019. Concerning the heavy weights, there are 29 three stars restaurants (one third in Paris). The biggest increase was in the 2 stars category since eleven new restaurants were included in the Guide to total 86 in France. Among them are the French-Japanese Racine in Reims, Taillevent and La Scène in the capital, and the Sarkara in chic Courchevel. The most volatile was the 1 star section, they are 49 while last year they summed up 68, a clear reminding of how difficult is to maintain the level. Female chefs also suffered this year: eleven in 2019, only six remain in the list, notably Stéphanie Le Quellec with a couple of macarons.
Many were gathered on Monday 27th at Pavillon Gabriel to celebrate probably the most important culinary event in a country were gastronomy is already important. A night to make people recall that one of the highest luxuries lies in the hands of those who masterly know how to cook and imagine a dish.
