It's Michelin season again, and while every year comes with the excitement of wondering who will maintain, lose or gain new stars, this year feels a little sour. Toronto's Michelin star restaurants, along with Michelin recommended and Bib Gourmand designations, will be awarded, but this time the Green Star is absent.
It's no secret that the Michelin Guide started as a scheme to sell more tires: encourage people to drive long distances to "worthy" restaurants, and they'll need to replace their tires more often.
The tire company has spent over 100 years building up their credibility as the utmost authority on dining (and more recently, wine and hotels) around the world. So much so that we almost forgot what Michelin is first and foremost: a business, out to make money (not, as some would assume, a charitable, virtuous organization that set out with only a fork and the purity of its heart to honour the best restaurants in the world).
As global temperatures rise and the effects of climate change beat us over the head hard enough for the heretics to start taking notice, Michelin is retiring its Green Star. The award that once honoured sustainable sourcing, resource management and waste reduction — in a restaurant industry known for its wastefulness — is being phased out this year. The plaques that once proved that caring for the planet is just as important as plating a good meal will disappear from restaurant walls along with the distinction itself.
In its place, Michelin has given us "Mindful Voices," a content factory telling tales from the industry. I'm sorry, but what? I'm not saying that a Michelin blog about chefs isn't a cute little idea, but why is that our consolation prize?
Sure, the Michelin Green Star faced critiques about how sustainability can actually be measured, but there was also a time when we couldn't measure electricity, and we didn't just throw in the towel and decide that we'd rather stick with candles.
The timing has also raised eyebrows online. As Michelin retires its sustainability distinction, Sysco — the world's largest food-away-from-home distributor — has partnered with several Michelin ceremonies in U.S. markets. While the two aren't necessarily connected, the optics don't exactly look good.
Michelin says that Mindful Voices will broaden its focus beyond restaurants into hospitality and wine. Whether you buy Michelin's reasoning or not, one thing's for sure — a distinction that once celebrated restaurants for more than just fancy cooking is gone.
