Today Michelin announced the list of restaurants that have been selected to feature in their 2011 San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country guide. To many people's surprise, Chez Panisse, the restaurant known as the birthplace of California cuisine, lost their star.
What was Chez Panisse's reaction? Mia Morgenstern from the Chez Panisse Foundation said:
“When Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse almost 40 years ago, she intended to create a place where people could come together with friends and family to eat a delicious, thoughtfully prepared meal in beautiful surroundings. To this day, that is the restaurant’s highest priority. Although Ms. Waters respects the traditions upon which the Michelin Guide bases its awards, she acknowledges that they aren’t the same traditions upon which Chez Panisse has built its reputation and success over the years.”
“When Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse almost 40 years ago, she intended to create a place where people could come together with friends and family to eat a delicious, thoughtfully prepared meal in beautiful surroundings. To this day, that is the restaurant’s highest priority. Although Ms. Waters respects the traditions upon which the Michelin Guide bases its awards, she acknowledges that they aren’t the same traditions upon which Chez Panisse has built its reputation and success over the years.”
In summary this is like them saying: "We appreciate Michelin has recognized our work in the past, but we don't care if they don't do it anymore. We have had the same vision for 40 years and the way we measure success is based on how close we get to our vision, not to someone else's idea of what our vision should be."
It takes courage and confidence to be that bold, but doing the opposite and changing things just because they have lost a star would be a betrayal to all the people who have helped Chez Panisse become the culinary symbol that it is today.
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