“It’s a big surprise, because we are the children of Michelin, and we all put so much hope in those stars,” said Laurent Petit, the chef whose restaurant Le Clos des Sens in southeastern France has two stars. At the time, some fellow chefs asked whether the pressure of retaining his three Michelin stars had pushed him to take his own life. “Three stars mean that everything must be perfect, at any time, in every plate,” said Yves Bontoux, a consultant for six French Michelin-starred restaurants. He noted that while the pressure to retain three stars could be an engine for creativity, it could also prove debilitating. “All I want is to welcome people to my restaurant during the day, or during the night under a sky filled with stars.”

Source: New York Times September 21, 2017 21:54 UTC