Despite flubs, Michelin Guide matters as much as ever

Credit: Mike Jordan

Credit: Mike Jordan

An emotional evening, regardless of spoilers

The public relations flub created an odd dynamic at the ceremony. For its part, Michelin never acknowledged that the entire list of recognized restaurants had been made published. Presenter Java Ingram stayed on script and did an admirable job of moving the ceremony along. Despite Ingram’s game efforts, there’s no substitute for true surprise, and several moments meant to be crescendos fell flat.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

The moment most notably spoiled was the Michelin Guide’s reveal of a two-star rating for Emeril’s in New Orleans — the only restaurant in the American South to earn multiple stars.

However, the heavily scripted revelation was partially saved by a moment of true emotion. Just before the 2-star rating was announced, Michelin presented EJ Lagasse, the 22-year-old who has reinvented his father’s restaurant to great acclaim, with the Young Chef Award. His father, the globally famous chef Emeril Lagasse, was called onstage next to him and wiped away tears while receiving a standing ovation. The elder Lagasse’s pride, and the admiration of the gathered chefs, gave weight to the presentation.

Earning a Michelin Guide accolade was clearly still an important accomplishment for many of the chefs present.

Chef Jason Liang, whose O by Brush omakase counter retained its Michelin star, was thrilled that his Taiwanese restaurant Lucky Star was one of the Michelin Guide’s few new additions to its Atlanta list of recommended restaurants.

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

“It’s definitely not the easy one for us, but this surprised us, big time,” Liang told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We were very grateful we could get recommended.”

Joey Ward, chef and owner of Georgia Boy and Southern Belle, both of which earned Michelin recommendations, said the premature revelation of the American South guide didn’t dampen the honor.

“We’re very proud to have been included on the list of culinarians and makers and producers of the Southeast that are finally getting the limelight they deserve,” Ward said.

Atlanta on top, yet stagnant

Thanks in large part to its two-year head start, metro Atlanta was the Michelin Guide’s most-awarded region of the American South. Yet it often felt like Atlanta took a back seat to all the new states in the expanded guide.

Last year, Atlanta restaurants saw a major bump in accolades from 2023. The number of one-star restaurants jumped from five to nine, while the number of recommended restaurants climbed from 30 to 34. The number of restaurants with the Bib Gourmand designation, which recognizes excellent cooking at a lower price point, went from 10 to 14.

This year’s Michelin Guide was nearly stagnant for Atlanta. Staplehouse became the first local restaurant to lose a star, receiving an expected demotion to the recommended restaurants list after its change in menu and service style in April.

No new restaurants gained stars and none earned two, so Atlanta’s total star count was reduced to eight.

Atlanta’s 2025 Bib Gourmand list was also reduced by one, as Banshee moved to the list of recommended restaurants.

The area did see a gain in the list of recommended restaurants, from 34 to 42.

Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee

Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee

After last year’s major additions, it was strange to see so few in 2025. The feeling that the Michelin Guide’s attentions were focused elsewhere was exacerbated by the fact that restaurants named in previous guides (i.e., nearly every restaurant from Atlanta) were recognized with quickly scrolling announcements on the screen rather than an in-person presentation on stage.

Perhaps nothing illustrated the “been there, done that” attitude toward Atlanta better than Michelin’s social media post mapping a road trip to the American South’s newly-starred restaurants. The route completely skips Atlanta.

Still, the Atlanta region racked up the most accolades in the American South. Emeril’s may have been the big winner of the night as the only 2-star restaurant, but New Orleans saw only two other restaurants receive stars — a paltry number for one of the country’s most revered dining scenes. Charleston and Nashville both had three 1-star restaurants, while no restaurants earned stars in the states of Alabama and Mississippi.

Continued lack of diversity

A lack of diversity among winners, and especially low representation of Black chefs and operators, continued to cast a shadow over the Michelin Guide with its expansion from Atlanta to the American South.

Dakar NOLA, the modern Senegalese tasting menu restaurant in New Orleans, was a particularly notable snub. The restaurant, helmed by chef Serigne Mbaye, has racked up national recognitions since opening in 2023, including landing at No. 6 on the inaugural North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year. Dakar NOLA was also voted America’s best new restaurant at the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards.

After no Black chefs were recognized with Michelin stars in the first two Atlanta guides, Mbaye seemed like a shoo-in to become the first in the Southeast to win one.

Perhaps the Michelin inspectors felt Dakar NOLA was overrated by North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, the James Beard Foundation and a long list of national publications. But the acclaimed restaurant’s relegation to Michelin’s “recommended” status stands out.

The exclusion of other Georgia cities like Savannah might also impact the ongoing lack of Black culinarians in Michelin selections. Mashama Bailey, chef and co-owner of The Grey in Savannah, has twice won high James Beard honors, including Best Chef Southeast in 2019 and the nationwide Outstanding Chef award in 2022.

Credit: Ryan Fleisher

Credit: Ryan Fleisher

Kursten Berry is managing partner at VanTrece Hospitality and daughter of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours’ chef and owner Deborah VanTrece. She shared disappointment at the lack of Black inclusion.

“I would have liked to see people who look like me, especially since we’re in the Southern region,” Berry said before the ceremony began.

“The states that are involved have a lot of Black talent and I feel that went overlooked too much. I think we can do a better job, as always, with representation and showing the South in a way that is truly representative of the diversity that exists here.”

Berry complimented other regional restaurants recognized this year, including New Orleans sandwich shop Turkey & the Wolf, which received a Bib Gourmand. Still she said she’d like to see more cultural research done.

“I was happy to see them on there, but there are some places where I think a little more due diligence could have been done,” Berry said.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

VanTrece attended with her daughter on behalf of the Michelin-recommended Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, which has been included in the guide since the inaugural Atlanta ceremony in 2023.

“It has definitely been helpful. It continues to bring attention to what we’re doing here in Atlanta,” she said.

VanTrece also saw room for more cultural inclusion based on what Southern cuisine offers the international culinary community.

“We have turned the simplest things into our magic, and the story is being told but sometimes I feel it falls on deaf ears,” she said

A night of camaraderie and celebration

While Monday’s event had undertones of awkwardness and confusion, the primary emotions in the room were pride and camaraderie.

Groups representing each region in the American South cheered loudly for winners in every category. Many chefs and restaurateurs were emotional as the evening came to an end.

Todd Ginsberg, chef and partner at Michelin-recommended restaurants The General Muir and Fred’s Meat & Bread, said he was concerned the leak would spoil the show until he arrived. He praised Michelin for not mentioning the flub before or during the event.

“Big kudos to Michelin for not acknowledging it or making a remark about it,” he said. “It was a mistake, it happened, and I’m sure it was a typo or grammatical error sort of thing. They still went through and pulled it off, and it was good.”

Ginsberg also expressed kinship with Southern cooks and restaurant owners.

“We’re all part of the American South and we’re all fighting for each other and rooting for each other. These are my American South brethren and sistren. I love ‘em.”

The Michelin Guide’s brand may have taken a few hits Monday, but its stars are clearly still coveted by many in the restaurant business. Thanks to the organization’s secretive nature, gaining a Michelin star still feels like a bit of a crapshoot. The inspectors will not have to explain to anyone why Dakar NOLA or Georgia Boy did not receive Michelin stars. But it’s hard to argue with the restaurants that were recognized.

The global nature of the Michelin Guide puts the restaurants in the American South on the level of the best restaurants in world. The accolades show that Atlanta has one of the best restaurant scenes in the country — sharing a truth with the rest of the world that we’ve known all along.