The history of the Michelin Red Guide

Abstract

The article is based on a thorough analysis of the most relevant works of the world’s leading scientists engaged in research in the field of gastronomic tourism. It reveals the main aspects of the development of the famous French restaurant guide «Michelin», which is very important today in the world of haute cuisine, culinary tourism and the art of living. The subject of the article is the study of the main trends in the evolution of the red guide, which during the 20th century passed through three stages – at first it was a technical guide that offered information about goods and services for drivers, later it turned into a tourist guide, and, finally, it was transformed into a gastronomic guide. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the role and the significance of this guide for gastronomic tourism. The history of the French company for the production of car tires «Michelin», the activities of the founders brothers André Michelin and Édouard Michelin, the creation of its symbol Bibendum, the development of the guide itself, and the search for ways to form the optimal principles of cuisine quality classification are described. Attention is also paid to the professional activities of the most famous female chefs, who have been awarded Michelin stars. To achieve the goal, such research methods as historical, descriptive, comparative ones, systematization and generalization were used. Today, the Michelin red guide is published for many worldcountries and for the largest metropolises, the company started publishing the guide-magazine «Food & Travel», launched the «Michelin Green Star» award to recognize restaurants that particularly adhere to sustainable gastronomy, and also launched production of kitchen utensils. It has been established that the best chefs in the world strive to turn their business into business empires, not content with just receiving Michelin awards. They actively write culinary bestsellers, participate in the filming of reality shows, films and TV programs, found schools, and also work in the format of takeaway food and food trucks. At the same time, it was revealed that gastronomy business caused constant stress, consumption of alcohol and drugs by chefs, bullying, significant financial burden, ratings pressure, criticism of Michelin rating system approaches, fear of losing business and suicide. The obtained results make it possible to supplement and expand specialized training courses in higher education institutions of Ukraine, where personnel for tourism and hospitality industry are trained. So, in the course of its historical development, the red guide «Michelin» has become the most famous culinary guide in the world, aimed at ensuring that customers get maximum pleasure from visiting restaurants.