A guide to the stars

The Michelin Guide, arguably the world’s most influential reference on gourmet dining, was created to make drivers wear out their wheels.

French tyre manufacturer Michelin brought out a travel guide in 1900 to encourage motorists to take to the road and so boost its business.

It included maps, a how-to on changing tyres and lists of mechanics and hotels along the route.

The guide to France was such a success that guides for Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Spain followed.

From 1920, these included restaurant listings: Michelin began sending out undercover food critics and in the 1930s introduced its famous star ratings. Of about 20,000 restaurants listed worldwide, approximately 130 have attained the highest distinction of three stars.

In 2005, the Michelin Guide branched out of Europe with a New York guide, followed in 2007 by editions for San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

It moved to Asia with a Tokyo version in 2008 and published its first Shanghai guide in 2016.

Today there are versions for several Asian cities as well as for Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil.

Having long been criticised as biased towards formal dining, the guide in 2016 awarded a star to a Singapore street-food outlet known for a braised chicken dish. SA does not have a Michelin guide but three South Africa-born chefs have been honoured abroad — Phil Howard at The Square in London, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen at JAN in Nice and Jean Delport at Interlude in Sussex.

Stars are awarded to the establishment and not the chef, but those who command the kitchen brigade at restaurants honoured by the guide are commonly referred to as “Michelin-starred chefs”.