CHEF PUFFED UP AND STEAMING OVER MICHELIN’S CHEDDAR SOUFFLÉ SLUR
Nicknamed “the man with the black hat”, Marc Veyrat is feted as one of the world’s greatest chefs — not least by Michelin, which last year awarded his Alpine restaurant, La Maison des Bois, the maximum three stars.
Recently, however, the charismatic cook hit the headlines after becoming the first top chef to take legal action against the revered food guide for docking him his third étoile in its 2019 edition.
One of his main arguments, due to be faced by Michelin in court in November, is that its inspectors wrongly accused the chef of adulterating a cheese soufflé with yellow English cheddar.
Asked about “Cheddargate”, Veyrat said: “For the record, I’ve nothing against Cheddar. But I only use local products. I make mountain cuisine and use reblochon made by my family.
“I have 70 hens on the property, cows for milking and 2ha for growing herbs and vegetables,” said the cook, who made his name with his botanical cooking, employing the wild herbs of Haute-Savoie.
“And they claim it was cheddar,” he roared, saying he had added saffron to local cheese.
Inspectors also criticised a scallop as fluffy and bitter “but that was because it was in an emulsion of passion fruit”, he said.
Some suggest his ire over losing a star smacks of sour grapes. “I’m not a bad loser,” he said. “If tomorrow they show precisely when their inspectors came to my restaurant, in what conditions and precisely why we don’t deserve a third star, I’ll accept it,” he said. “As it is, all they’ve done is tell pork pies.”
Michelin said it “understands the disappointment for Mr Veyrat, whose talent no-one contests, even if we regret his unreasonable persistence with his accusations. We will carefully study his demands and respond calmly.”