The Truth About Miami's Michelin-Starred Chefs

Do you know how many MICHELIN-Starred chefs we have in Miami? The answer might surprise you.

The correct total is ZERO. Florida (and the world) has no MICHELIN-Starred chefs because the title does not exist. You’ve read otherwise in restaurant news outlets and social media posts, but it’s factually incorrect. Why?

In 2016, the MICHELIN Guide posted an article, 5 Myths About The MICHELIN Guide Debunked, setting the record straight on some of the most popular misconceptions. This included the tall tale that chefs own the stars received by the restaurants where they work—even when they have left their positions and moved on to other projects.

Who cares? It’s just wording.

Is it just wording, though?

Many other phrases can be used to acknowledge winning without taking sole ownership, and they all involve honoring those who collectively helped achieve the award. When a restaurant receives a star, it is due to the effort of an entire team to get from point A to Z. A star (or two or three) is a testament to the accomplishment of everyone who made it happen. Simply put, the recognition rightfully belongs to the restaurant, not one individual.

The original article states:

Having worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant or even owning a string of three-starred establishments doesn’t make one a Michelin-starred chef – because the term doesn’t technically exist.

The MICHELIN Guide awards stars to restaurants based on the quality of the food they serve, and not to individuals. Aptly too, as world-class meals are often the collective efforts of an entire team, and not one man (or woman) alone.

The guide is updated annually and restaurants can lose their stars if they close during the year of assessment, or if they do not maintain their standards to make it into next edition of the guide. Conversely, star ratings remain unaffected even if a restaurant’s head chef decides to leave halfway through the year and a new chef comes on board.

Chefs can’t take off with the stars, nor do the stars transfer to another restaurant owned by the same chef. If a chef who runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain opens a new restaurant in Hong Kong, this does not automatically make the latter a Michelin-starred restaurant.“

I contacted the MICHELIN Guide to confirm that they still stand by the original position mentioned in the 2016 article. Of course, they still do, and they offered further clarification:

“The MICHELIN Star awards a restaurant as a whole, not a chef. The MICHELIN Guide wants to congratulate the whole restaurant team. For example, It takes an entire orchestra – not just its conductor – to produce beautiful music.

As it is the restaurant that receives the award, if the chef leaves it, the award does not transfer to his or her new establishment. The originally awarded restaurant will be evaluated by our inspectors during the year (as all restaurants from our selection are) to see if it maintains its distinction or not.“

The MICHELIN Guide adds that once a restaurant receives an award, “the team sends over brand guidelines and directions on logo usage, etc. so the restaurant is clear on how it can market the award distinction.”

Locally, a quick search reveals several chefs using “Two Michelin Starred Chef,” “Michelin-starred celebrity chef and restaurateur,” and “26 Michelin Star Awarded” freely on their social media profiles, websites, and advertising. One, for example, worked at several Joël Robuchon concepts for over 12 years—one of the world’s most notable restaurant groups. However, the way it reads at a glance implies those stars were awarded to him. All are global chefs attempting to impress Miami diners who don’t always look closely at vocabulary: deceitful and misleading. What about the rest of the chefs who work at and own restaurants placed in the MICHELIN Guide Florida since it arrived in 2022? Is it not dismissive and disrespectful to their peers to blur the line that way?

Although the word game has been happening for years, even before the MICHELIN Guide’s arrival, it’s more than just a Miami problem. Another celebrity chef who worked at a well-known 3 Michelin-starred Chicago institution also classifies himself as a “3* Michelin chef + entrepreneur” on his social media profile. No one doubts the extensive experience these chefs have working in MICHELIN-starred restaurants in the past, but the MICHELIN Guide has not recognized their current kitchens. Until they do, the honorable action is to reevaluate how they represent themselves to the community and stop claiming stars and fictitious ranks.

The Real Stars

*Photo Courtesy of the MICHELIN Guide & BFA*

To be crystal clear, for the 2024 season, the MICHELIN Guide inspectors awarded stars to 26 restaurants combined between Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. For Miami, that meant 39 recommended restaurants, 18 Bib Gourmands, and 14 Starred (listed below). Get the full scoop here.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

EntreNos (new)

Los Felix

Ogawa (new)

Shingo (new)

Stubborn Seed