Michelin panned for docking star from Lyon legend
France in turmoil as guide says restaurant has let standards slip after death of its gastronomic ‘pope’
A FRENCH restaurant that found fame under the leadership of “the pope” of French gastronomy has lost one of its Michelin stars after holding a recordbreaking three since 1965.
The Auberge du Pont de Collonges, near Lyon, was relegated to a two-star establishment after guide judges said it was still “excellent, but no longer at the level of three stars”.
The move was described as “an assault on French heritage” as top chefs, dignitaries and food critics teamed up to condemn the decision.
The restaurant was run by the chef Paul Bocuse, revered as an innovative master of his craft, until his death aged 91 in January 2018 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
“Monsieur Paul” led the nouvelle cuisine revolution of the Seventies and arguably became the world’s first celebrity cook. He once famously declared: “I love butter, cream and wine.”
Gwendal Poullenec, the head of Michelin, visited the restaurant in person to deliver the news yesterday.
He later told BFM TV that “Michelin stars are not inherited, they are merited. Three stars are awarded for a year, not for life. A chef’s aura is not what decides the value of [a restaurant’s] recommendation”.
Mr Bocuse’s family and his kitchen team said they were “upset” by the decision, particularly as the restaurant had just been renovated and the menu updated.
Vincent Le Roux, the manager, recently told a regional newspaper: “The chefs have reworked the dishes. They have been refining them for more than a year, evolving them while retaining their original DNA and taste.”
The restaurant is scheduled to reopen on Friday – three days before the official launch of the latest Michelin guide.
Gérard Collomb, mayor of Lyon, called the drop a “huge disappointment”. He added: “Paul Bocuse will always have three stars in our hearts.”
French celebrity chef Marc Veyrat, who recently lost a court case against Michelin over a lost third star, described the move as “pathetic”.
The 69-year-old, who claimed the guide had wrongly accused him of putting English cheddar in a souffle, said Michelin’s latest move was nothing short of “an assault on French cultural heritage”.
Food critic Perico Legasse said the decision was “suicidal” and tantamount to “the Archbishop of Paris setting fire to Notre Dame, given how Paul Bocuse epitomised the glory of Michelin”.
He suggested the move was a shameless bid by Michelin to create a “media buzz” to shore up falling sales and influence.
“Michelin is dead, long live Paul Bocuse,” he added.
Others have suggested that the downgrade had been on the cards for some time. Franck Pinay-rabaroust, who runs the Atabula food website, told The Daily Telegraph in September that the Bocuse third star could be for the chop.
“Michelin remains the absolute reference for top chefs,” he said.
“Those who claim they don’t care are no doubt lying. But frankly there are inconsistencies with some restaurants undeserving of three stars and others that deserve more.”
Mr Poullenec, 38, made it clear that previously “untouchable” temples of French cuisine could pay the price when he took over the reins of the food industry’s “bible” in 2018.
According to Michelin, one star signifies “a very good restaurant”, two stars are “excellent cooking that is worth a detour”, and three stars mean “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey”.
Britain has just five three-starred eateries while France has 27.
Some critics say the cost of maintaining Michelin stars is becoming untenable and leads to customers paying inflated prices.
A handful of chefs have asked to have them relinquished due to stress – most recently Sebastien Bras, of Le Suquet à Laguiole in the south of France, in 2018.