Long-established French restaurant unexpectedly loses Michelin star.

Michelin rankings change annually and are assessed by a group of anonymous experts who dine at restaurants multiple times a year. They evaluate based on criteria such as: ingredient quality, culinary sophistication, flavor harmony, chef's personality, and consistency of quality.

Accordingly, L'Auberge du Pond de Collonges, the restaurant of legendary chef Paul Bocuse, officially lost its 3-Michelin-star rating on January 16th. Immediately, the late chef's restaurant became a trending topic, even though France has been plagued by crisis news ranging from protests and epidemics to Brexit in recent days.

Chef Paul Bocuse is considered an icon of France, having pioneered the "la nouvelle cuisine" movement of the 1970s. This movement, as he described it, "liberated" cuisine, transforming it into a light, refined experience with an emphasis on presentation. During Bocuse's heyday, haute cuisine reached its peak, to the point that the most expensive and hard-to-reserve restaurants in France, New York, and London all adopted his culinary style.

Therefore, the news that his famous Lyon restaurant, L'Auberge du Pond de Collonges, lost its prestigious three Michelin stars this year came as a major shock to the entire French culinary world. According to the Washington Post, the restaurant had consistently held three Michelin stars since 1965. "This is nothing short of a burnt souffle for food writers from Europe to America," commented the Washington Post.

The French viewed the loss of the Michelin star as a shock, not only because of their high regard for fine dining but also because of the symbolic values ​​associated with it. The restaurant that lost its Michelin star issued a statement on January 17th saying: "While shocked by this assessment, there is one thing we never want to lose: the soul of Paul. He was a free spirit, a visionary, and an incredibly energetic man!"

Gwendal Poullennec, Director of the Michelin Guide, also shared: “The legendary chef’s restaurant remains an ideal destination, it just no longer meets the criteria for a 3-Michelin star rating. A 3-star rating represents a truly exceptional culinary experience with impeccable quality – and recently, the restaurant has experienced inconsistency in food quality.”

Chef and renowned food writer Ruth Reichl shared: “French food used to be the only option. There’s a French word in English, ‘gourmet,’ to describe a connoisseur of fine dining. In the past, you were a ‘gourmet’ if you ate at a French restaurant. But the culinary world has changed so much; now, if you only eat French food, you can’t consider yourself a true connoisseur.”

The drop in ranking of Bocuse's restaurant is not just a story for the restaurant itself, but a blow to French cuisine in general, which was once an art form but has become increasingly less glamorous as diners' tastes have changed and other culinary tourism destinations have emerged around the world.

My Tong