According to the Michelin guide, “the bible of restaurant guides”, a restaurant that you go to in particular is entitled to the maximum score of three stars; one that makes you deviate from the path, two stars and just a wonderful one, if you are around – one star, and there are also black and red forks that rate the design and the comfort and the service, etc. Now it is possible that the trips of Israelis to Michelin restaurants will be shortened since the world’s most respected guide is making its way to Israel, Bequest 12 announced last week.
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Despite the competition, Michelin still has enormous importance: class, economic and marketing. A restaurant that wins a star becomes a culinary and tourist attraction overnight. For the most part, rightly so. This is a guide that is not only veteran but also really thorough and invested, whose anonymous reviewers invest thought and knowledge in their work. There have already been French chefs who committed suicide when they lost a star.
According to Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov, who is involved in bringing Michelin to Israel, “There is great potential in culinary and wine tourism. Both fields are developed in Israel and still do not realize their full potential: in Israel there are chefs who do us a lot of respect in the world, some already have Michelin stars. Many times a Michelin restaurant She alone is an economic anchor.”
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Minister of Tourism Yoel Razvozov: “There are chefs in Israel who show us a lot of respect. I am sure that when people hear through Michelin that there is good food here and not just a mess, they will come especially for that.”
When Razvozov was asked where the contract with Michelin stands – after all, how much longer will he be the appointed minister, he lets it be understood that the pen is already raised over the contract and only the change of government stops him, naturally. “We are in the latest news. Right now it is at a point where it could be closed within a few weeks because the professionals in the ministry are leading the move and they see the economic potential in it. I will explain to every minister who enters the ministry the importance of bringing Michelin to Israel. Stopping something like this would be a loss and I assume that the next minister will too He will want to do good for the country.”
Razvozov did not want to address the question of the price of exposure in Michelin but did not deny that there is such a price – that the Ministry of Tourism pays for; The minister also refused to comment on the question of how many restaurants will be awarded a star and how many more will appear on the list published by Michelin, but the estimates of officials familiar with the process are for a contract costing between 1.5 and 2 million euros for three to five years, in which individual restaurants in Israel will be awarded a Michelin star.
Will there be a printed Michelin guide specific to Israel?
“For me,” says Rezbozov, “what is important is that they know that there are restaurants with Michelin stars in Israel. It is also important for us to have a printed guide that will feature many more restaurants and reveal the other outstanding culinary institutions and chefs here. Will there be a separate guide for Israel? This is also under negotiation. But in the end digital is decisive these days and Israel will appear there properly.”
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Chef Gal Ben Moshe: “To win a Michelin star is to receive confirmation that you are doing something right and good. In addition, when we won the ‘Prism’ star it was accompanied by a 100% increase in business turnover”
(Photo: Ben Fox)
“The Michelin guide,” he says, “is among the last remaining closed systems in the field: there’s really no way to know what they like, look for, or hate. From my experience, I can say that above all else they emphasize quality of execution and uniformity, no matter how delicious the food is, if The fish is not well prepared or the dish is a little salty, this is unforgivable. It seems that what is important to them is the clarity of the concept, uniqueness, and they are fond of tasting menus that have a connection and flow between the dishes. I think there are many restaurants that would greatly benefit from the guide’s non-political and objective criticism.”
According to him, more than anything, the time has come for the guide to appear here. “Since there are already Michelin guides for Malta and Abu Dhabi, Israel should also earn respect. Other lists such as San Pellegrino’s 50 best restaurants rank here and Michelin do not want to stay and ignore the interesting culinary phenomenon that is Israel.”
What change will Michelin put in here?
“What the local chefs will have to get used to is a healthy and constant pressure to enter the prestigious list. The time gap between the anonymous visit to the restaurant and the review is very large: the days of a critic who eats today and publishes in the newspaper in two weeks are over. Michelin is published once a year and a review can wait ten months until it is published. It will give motivation to chefs and restaurateurs to push forward and will add drive and ambition to the market in Israel, especially among young chefs who want recognition.”
What did winning a Michelin star do for you personally?
“It is difficult and must not be underestimated the change it brought about. First of all it is a confirmation, which we as chefs really long for – that we are doing the right thing and what we are doing is good. And this is accompanied by a 100% increase in business turnover. So first I got legitimacy to raise prices and second the customers come to you With the knowledge and confidence that they are going to enjoy themselves and are more willing to spend money. It also attracts the type of customers who enjoy spending money on food.”
Will the entry of Michelin increase tourism?
“I don’t know. But it will make the tourists who already come here pay more respect to our haute cuisine and realize that there is an interesting and unique haute cuisine in Israel.”
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Chef Israel Aharoni: “The justified claim against Michelin is that they judge foreign food by French criteria. But if in the past we were not worthy in their eyes and today we are, that’s it.”
(Photo: Shay Nyborg)
Veteran chef Israel Aharoni looks forward to this with curiosity: “I don’t know exactly what their standards are today, no one really knows. But according to the ratings we will know what their direction is – and we can see how it places us in relation to the world. The vibrant Israeli restaurant scene definitely deserves an external inspection and not Only internally. I wonder how such an old and well-regarded world guide will rate us.”
There is a devaluation of their status.
“Once they were the only ones, today they are not. Their French orientation is no longer obvious. The justified argument against them was that they judge Italian food, or whatever it is, by French criteria. Today it is no longer the case. At least we are not assigned anymore, it is already worth it Until now we have not been found worthy, to a certain degree of justice, and if that has changed – that is gratifying.”
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Chef Haim Cohen: “The cuisine here kicks, it gives it advantages. We like to disassemble and assemble, we are entrepreneurs. I wonder how they will accept it at Michelin”
(Photo: Shay Nyborg)
On the other hand, Chef Haim Cohen from the Jaffa-Tel Aviv restaurant (and the television) is not entirely convinced that it is good for Michelin to enter here: “There is something neutering about it. Chefs become enslaved to the format; on the other hand, there are chefs who have had stars for many, many years and one day they decided that they are not ready to continue enslaved to the format โ and began to cook freely. But it clearly puts us in line with the enlightened, contemporary culinary world. I only hope that these will really be foreign inspectors and critics of the Michelin group and not once again a local group (as happened, according to rumors, in the San Pellegrino competition – H) c) Because we are in a small and problematic country.”
“The cuisine here is kicking,” says Cohen, “and this gives it many advantages over the classic cuisine. We like to disassemble and assemble, we are entrepreneurs. I wonder how they will receive it at Michelin. If older visitors with classical concepts come, for example, how will they receive the new world ?”.
Why do you think Michelin hasn’t arrived here until today?
“Probably because of the unprofessional service. But it seems nowadays you can get a star even without a buttoned-up service. Even Michelin are changing. In Jaffa-Tel Aviv, diners come in with flip-flops. I want to kill them: dress up. But the world has changed.”
Oren Asif is a serious food lover – meaning foodie. He is a team leader at a software company and the owner of the blog “Gluttony” in the past and currently reviews restaurants on his Instagram page oassif. When asked if he specifically goes to restaurants abroad that have Michelin stars, he replies: “I go to good restaurants. Sometimes they have a Michelin star, that’s not the main measure.”
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Critic and blogger Oren Asif: “Michelin has a clear line of traditional restaurants. But the scene has changed, restaurants like the Danish ‘Noma’ that have come to the fore are very contrary to this line”
What are your metrics?
“Michelin is one source. But I also consult the San Pellegrino list and the OAD (acronym for Opinionated About Dining), a list made by serious foodies, which for me at least is no less useful. In Michelin there is one clear line of relatively traditional restaurants but The scene has changed. Restaurants like the Danish ‘Noma’ that have come to the fore are very contrary to the line of Michelin restaurants: there are no starched maps and French-speaking Somalia. But in the end, as we know, they too received the ultimate recognition from Michelin.”
Are you looking for more Noma or more Michelin?
“I’m looking for food that’s delicious, but also refreshing. I’m also looking for something intellectual, not just French, it’s traditional.”
So young foodies look less reverently at what is written in Michelin.
“It very much depends on the experience of the diner. Those who are less experienced will go to a Michelin restaurant – because it is still the most recognized and popular brand. There are still quite a few who ‘collect’ Michelin stars for themselves, like children collect Pokemons.”