Critics’ Choice
A guide to the leading culinary lists that decide where we eat
Michelin Guide
● History: In 1900, the Michelin tire company created a free guide for motorists, filled with handy information such as maps and locations to find gasoline. In 1920, the guide was expanded and revised; the star system was launched in 1926. Today the guide rates more than 30,000 establishments across three continents (in the U.S. it covers New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Washington, D.C., and Florida).
● Judges: The inspectors are comprised of former hospitality professionals of various ages and backgrounds with at least 10 years of experience. “Our inspectors aren’t critics,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides. “They are skilled at assessing gastronomic scenes. Restaurants are visited several times during a year by different inspectors who remain anonymous, to ensure that they experience the restaurant as any other guest would.” The methodology consists of five criteria: quality of products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, personality of the chef in the cuisine, and consistency between each visit.
● Praise: Current U.S. restaurants that have been awarded three stars by Michelin include Alinea in Chicago, Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, and Le Bernardin in New York City.
The Best Chef
● History: Created by Polish neuroscientist Joanna Slusarczyk and Italian gastronomist Cristian Gadau in 2015, The Best Chef seeks to unite the leaders of gastronomy in a common space where the old guard shares the core of their craft with the next generation. In 2017, the platform created The Best Chef Awards, an event first held in Warsaw, then Milan, Barcelona and, this year, Madrid. The awards are intended to inspire younger generations. According to Slusarczyk, “We are a community where chefs exchange ideas, aiming to showcase new culinary talent.”
● Judges: The list is compiled by 120 food journalists and bloggers, the 100 top chefs from the previous edition, and 100 newly invited chefs.
● Praise: Dabiz Muñoz of Madrid’s DiverXO was named 2022’s Best Chef in the World for the second year in a row. In second place was René Redzepi of Copenhagen’s Noma, followed by Joan Roca of Catalonia’s El Celler de Can Roca. American chef Antonio Bachour was named Best Pastry Chef in the World.
James Beard Awards
● History: Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards aims to celebrate and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in equity and sustainability. The awards are named for the man dubbed the “dean of American cookery” by The New York Times. Beard laid the groundwork for the American food revolution and hosted the first culinary television program in 1946.
● Judges: The awards are chosen by more than 600 experts in the fields of cuisine and media.
● Praise: Among the 2022 winners were Chris Bianco of Phoenix’s Pizzeria Bianco (Restaurateur), Mashama Bailey of Savannah’s The Grey (Chef), and Chai Pani in Asheville (Restaurant).
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
● History: The list first appeared in 2002 in Restaurant magazine. The next year, an annual awards ceremony was organized. The results are published at theworlds50best.com.
● Judges: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy contains 27 regions around the world, each headed by a chairperson who selects 40 people to vote. This group includes leading chefs, restaurateurs, critics and gourmets.
● Praise: In 2019, a Best of the Best list was created for restaurants that have repeatedly been named number one and are no longer eligible for competition. The current list includes El Bulli (Spain) and The French Laundry (California). In 2022, Copenhagen’s Geranium was named number one in the world, followed by Central in Lima, Peru.