French chef says no to prestigious ranking
Sébastian Bras joins ‘handful’ of other restaurateurs abandoning Michelin stars honour
Acclaimed chef Sébastian Bras wants to be stripped of his Michelin stars.
Bras is behind the celebrated Le Suquet restaurant in Laguiole, southern France, which has held the prestigious ranking for nearly two decades. According to Agence France Presse, Bras asked the French tire company to exclude him from the 2018 guide due to the “huge pressure” associated with the honour.
The 46-year-old made the announcement in a Facebook video, writing in the caption: “10 years after taking over the reins of my father’s establishment, Michel Bras, in 1992, and honoured by three stars since 1999, I decided, in agreement with all my family, to open a new chapter of my professional life without the award of the Michelin Guide, but with so much passion for the kitchen.”
In the move, Bras joins “a handful” of other restaurateurs who have abandoned their stars, including British chef Marco Pierre White, Breton chef Olivier Roellinger and the late Alain Senderens, one of the founders of France’s Nouvelle Cuisine.
Although Bras is not the first chef to renounce the distinction, Michelin said his plea is unique in that it’s not tied to a restaurant closure or drastic change in business model. “We note and we respect it,” Claire Dorland Clauzel, a member of Michelin’s executive committee, told Agence France Presse, adding that Bras’ request doesn’t automatically equate removal from the new edition but will be considered.
“You’re inspected two or three times a year, you never know when,” Bras reportedly said. “Every meal that goes out could be inspected. That means that, every day, one of the 500 meals that leaves the kitchen could be judged. Maybe I will be less famous but I accept that.”