TAMPA, Fla. — No Michelin stars for Tampa — at least for now.
Bay area restauranteurs had been eagerly awaiting the release of Florida's first-ever Michelin Guide since it was first announced in November. But, during the ceremony Thursday night, only a handful of Orlando and Miami restaurants walked away with the highly-coveted honor.
Three Tampa restaurants still got some major recognition. Rooster and the Till, Ichicoro Ramen and Rocca, received the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand awards.
The Bib Gourmand — named after Bibendum, the big, white Michelin Man — is awarded to restaurants that offer "exceptionally good food at moderate prices."
According to the company, the honor is "just-as-esteemed" as a Michelin Star but focuses on restaurants with simpler styles of cooking that leave guests with a sense of satisfaction.
Michelin stars were awarded to 15 restaurants throughout Miami and Orlando, with only one restaurant, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami, receiving two stars.
The Michelin Guide is the world’s premier restaurant guidebook and its expansion into Florida is a positive indicator of the Sunshine State's move toward becoming a dining destination.
The internationally-recognized rating system is known for spotting the best of the best in the world of fine dining. It was created in 1889 in France by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin — the same guys who founded the tire company.
They first produced the small red books as a travel guide of sorts to get more drivers on the road, and in turn, sell more tires. Now, it's used by foodies across the world to know which restaurants are worth traveling to.
Here's how the rating system works.
Restaurants in the guide can earn one, two or three stars based on criteria including the quality of ingredients, mastery of cooking techniques, the "personality" of the chef in the food, value for money and consistency. Michelin sends out a team of inspectors to dine out anonymously and determine the ratings.
But, as we saw with Tampa, fine-dining restaurants aren't the only ones mentioned in the guide. Bib Gourmand award recipients and general Michelin recommendations are also included.
The Miami Herald reported in November that Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency, partnered with Michelin to bring the iconic guide to the state. With contributions from Visit Tampa, Visit Orlando and the Miami visitor's bureau, Michelin reportedly stands to make as much as $1.5 million from Florida over the next three years.
“As one of Florida’s most diverse culinary destinations, Visit Tampa Bay is excited to collaborate with its home state to welcome the world-renowned Michelin Guide,” Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, said in November.
“We are honored to help position Florida as a rightful culinary empire alongside Visit Orlando and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau."
Up until now, Michelin Guides had only been issued in four other places in the US: New York, Washington, Chicago and California. Worldwide, the Michelin Guide has rated more than 40,000 establishments in more than 24 territories across three continents.