It is an earthquake in French gastronomy. The Auberge du Pont de Collonges, the legendary restaurant on the banks of the Saône by Paul Bocuse, loses its third star in the future Michelin guide 2020. The Guide officially demoted this flagship of French gastronomy, saying that "the quality of the establishment remained excellent but more at the level of a three-star ”. A decision which obviously arouses excitement in the capital of Gaul but also more widely in the Landerneau, barely two years after the death of the maestro. So, has the restaurant rested too much on its laurels? Or did the inspectors, when unbolting the statue of the Commander, want to buy a new scalp? One year after the demotion of Marc Veyrat, the question arises.
"We have to be fair to customers"
He is the boss of the famous red guide himself, Gwendal Poullennec, who visited Thursday in the establishment of the Lyon region to make this announcement, said Élisabeth Boucher-Anselin, director of communication for gastronomic activities and tourist information in a press release. "Inspectors visited the establishment several times in 2019" and concluded "that the quality remained excellent but more at the level of a three-star," she said. "We have to be fair to customers", "the Michelin guide is first made for those who go to restaurants" she concluded.
On the restaurant side, we received the news with dignity. "Although upset by the inspectors' judgment, there is one thing that we never want to lose, it is the soul of Mr. Paul", the family, the general manager of the restaurant Vincent pointed out in a press release. Le Roux "and all the crew".
But this decision comes after the recent downgrades of other 3-star institutions, such as the Auberge de l'III, the legendary Alsatian table by chef Marc Haeberlin, or the Maison des Bois by Savoyard chef Marc Veyrat. A generational hecatomb which is perceived as a real "vendetta" by the defenders of these institutions of French cuisine.
"The Michelin guide has lost the confidence of French cuisine"
“Michelin sales are collapsing. So they look for the media buzz, for that they cut off the big heads ”protested the food critic Perico Legasse contacted by Le Parisien. “The teams, since the death of Paul Bocuse were afraid of this loss, they had tightened the bolts and offered a cuisine of excellence. Michelin has hit the nail on the head. They need the consideration of the profession to exist. They have lost the confidence of French cuisine, ”the journalist still alarms.
Words are even stronger in Marc Veyrat, in conflict with the little red book, and that he intends to sue again to no longer appear in the work. “Paul has taken tricolor gastronomy all over the world. What took them? I am devastated, but I felt that they were going to do it, “moves the star chef.
"There were three stars on his coffin"
"Do this after his death ... I'm outraged!" There were three stars on his coffin. It is an attack on France, it is an attack on the heritage. We screwed the Pope up in the air ”, the chef takes off with the mountain hat, joined by Le Parisien.
“They confused everything, we are noted on dishes they do not know, they do not understand the terroir. You have to know your subject in order to be able to criticize, ”adds the Alpine chef, very upset with the guide and his new director. "I will fight for the generation to come, and that they will not be penalized by incompetent people", continues Marc Veyrat, who decided to go after his fight against the benchmark of gastronomic publications in France.
"Proof that they are no longer credible, we have made a 7% increase in turnover since they took the star from me" last year, concludes this ardent defender of the French culinary tradition. Requested, other chefs did not wish to answer us, one week before the publication of the guide, a moment always critical for those who are also business leaders. Proof, if any, of the influence of Michelin on the reservation books and the fear it can still inspire.
"Paul Bocuse's restaurant has been a museum for a long time"
"A guide is not a conservatory," notes Alexandre Cammas, founder of the Fooding guide (Editor's note, 40% owned by the Michelin guide). The argument of the fall in sales of the Michelin Guide is irrelevant since its global influence thanks to the Internet has never been stronger. "
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This specialist translates into chastised remarks what had become an open secret in the community. Many critics already said well before the death of Paul Bocuse two years ago that the restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or was no longer up to par. “Paul Bocuse's restaurant has been a museum for a long time. The question arises this year but it has been posed for a long time. It is absurd not to put the stars back into play as if we were not putting the World Cup won by the Blues in 2018 back into play, ”ironically even this apostle of a more modern and convivial kitchen.
The Michelin decision seems above all to accompany a fundamental movement in a rejuvenating French gastronomy, whose criteria of excellence are evolving. Proof of this is: the Mirazur, a three-star located in Menton (Alpes-Maritimes), voted best restaurant in the world in 2019, offers resolutely more modern cuisine. A new, more “organic”, more ecological cuisine, demanded by new customers.
Globalization and awareness
"There is a real environmental issue, and lots of new diets, locavorism, natural wines ... We can no longer make a big hiss like before. Today, this kiff must be aware, of the impact on the environment, of the conditions of production of the ingredient, if we do not do it in the prescribing places, we miss out on the time ”, analysis also Alexandre Cammas. “Gastronomy is ultra key in this new environment. This is why we have put gravity back into our editorial line, ”specifies this amateur of good food.
The Michelin guide, which has been globalized for 15 years and has launched editions in the United States and Asia, seems in this context to have changed strategy, turning away from a certain elitism. The restaurants from around the world selected in the guide will also be identifiable this year on the Tripadvisor site and bookable on LaFourchette, world leader in online restaurant reservations. Another revolution.