HOUSTON — The famed Michelin Guide to Restaurants officially debuts in Texas in November.
The top-secret food inspectors have never before come to the Lone Star State, but now the Texas winners of the coveted Michelin stars will be announced at a star-studded foodie event.
Among those invited to the big event is Chef Felipe Botero. He’s a chef for the Bastion Collection, a high-end restaurant group.
"We have nine Michelin stars since 2019," Botero said.
Botero has worked for two of the starred restaurants. Both are "Le Jardinier" (which means The Gardener in French). One is in New York and the other is in Miami. Now, the executive chef now hopes to earn his own star for running the Houston location.
Anonymous food inspectors rate the restaurants with tremendous secrecy.
"Michelin has been very good at keeping it keep it to themselves. Nothing has been revealed," Botero said.
Do chefs focus on identifying inspectors for special treatment, as movies like Burnt suggest?
“You know, it doesn't it doesn't help us just serving one great plate to a Michelin inspector," Botero said.
What about the pressure of pursuing the culinary world's highest honor? Do things get heated? Not quite like the plate-smashing scenes of Hollywood, but Botero admits, “Sometimes the kitchen gets a little heated, but it's all so the guests can have an amazing experience.”
The Michelin restaurant guide was actually created by the Michelin tire company to promote tire sales.
Botero explains, “They want people to go out there and travel and use the tires and cars. So, they created these guides, for restaurants, for hotels.”
Factors in the rating system:
- 1 star for excellent food
- 2 stars for food worthy of a detour
- The rare 3 stars? Worthy of a special trip
Botero jokes, “If you want to go to a three Michelin star place, you might take a plane that has Michelin tires for example.”
He grew up in Colombia, helping in the kitchen and with family events.
“I remember I cooked for my mother's birthday one time when I was very little," Botero said.
The keys to a great meal? Great ingredients, great passion and gracious hospitality.
“I want the food to be approachable and comfortable to people. They don't feel like pleasure in the food, then we have we have not achieved our goal," Botero said.