The restaurant reviewing Michelin Guide is coming to Atlanta. Michelin Media announced in July that it will release its first-ever selections for the city this fall. That means some of Atlanta’s top restaurants could get Michelin’s coveted one, two, or three-star designations.
A statement from the company says that its reviewers are already in the field, which they describe as “brimming with innovation and talent.”
Atlanta tourism officials are spending $1,000,000 to bring the Michelin Guide to Georgia’s capital.
“What I think the calculus they’re making is: If we want to show off ourselves as a serious world-class city, we have to be a world-class dining city. And Michelin sort of holds the keys to that in a lot of people’s opinion,” says James Beard Award-nominated Atlanta-based food writer Mike Jordan.
Dueling viewpoints
In a recent interview with GPB News, Jordan, who serves as senior editor for Black culture at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said there are dueling viewpoints on whether the Michelin Guide will be good for Atlanta’s culinary scene. He said, on one hand, it’s always good when everyone’s inspired to put their best foot forward. But…
“This is a place where there’s a lot of culinary collaboration. Some chefs are afraid that this will make people overly competitive and maybe a bit bougie. Again, we won’t know until the first winners, if there are any, because we’re not guaranteed any stars, either. We could put this money forward, and they could come, and they could say, ‘You know what, you’re not quite there yet, Atlanta. We’ll see what happens next year.’ That is a possibility. We’re not guaranteed,” said Jordan.
Yes, it’s that Michelin
In 2022, the James Beard Awards recognized Masham Bailey of The Grey in Savannah as the outstanding national chef. However, her restaurant will not be eligible for a Michelin star since the guide will only be focused on metro Atlanta.
The Michelin Guide began as a small red travel book published by the Michelin tire company in France to encourage drivers to take to the open road. The guide is now available online and includes ratings for hotels and restaurants worldwide.
