'Best chef in the world' Guy Savoy is stripped of a Michelin star

‘Best chef in the world’ Guy Savoy is STRIPPED of a Michelin star at his Paris restaurant

• The 69-year-old has held Michelin’s top three-star status since 2002
• In November he was named best chef in the world for the sixth year running 

Guy Savoy, who is recognised as the ‘best chef in the world’, was stripped of a Michelin star at a restaurant in Paris. 

The 69-year-old has held Michelin’s top three-star status since 2002 for his Monnaie de Paris restaurant- it overlooks the Seine and has a sister version in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

In November he was named best chef in the world for the sixth year running by La Liste, which aggregates thousands of reviews from around the world.

Savoy’s fame goes beyond the kitchen as an ambassador for the French ‘art de vivre’ and he lent his voice to the French version of the Pixar film ‘Ratatouille’.

But that has not stopped Michelin from downgrading his establishment to two stars in its latest edition, published next Monday.

Guy Savoy, who is recognised as the ‘best chef in the world’, was stripped of a Michelin star as his Monnaie de Paris restaurant downgraded to two in its latest guide edition

In November the 69-year-old was named best chef in the world for the sixth year running by La Liste

It did the same for the upmarket seafood eatery of Christopher Coutanceau in La Rochelle.

Head of the Michelin Guide, Gwendal Poullennec said: ‘These are exceptional restaurants, so you can imagine that these decisions are carefully considered, supported by numerous visits from our inspectors throughout the year.

‘The reasons are not made public, and communicated only to the chefs involved.

‘For such important decisions, we include not just French inspectors but also some from other countries.’

Michelin also downgraded the upmarket seafood eatery of Christopher Coutanceau in La Rochelle to two stars in its’ latest edition

The move to downgrade restaurants is always hugely controversial, especially since the suicide 20 years ago of Bernard Loiseau – a close friend of Savoy – after his restaurant lost a star.

One chef, Marc Veyrat, unsuccessfully took the guide to court in 2019 after being stripped of a star- he said he never wanted to see a Michelin inspector in his restaurants again.

Around 20 French restaurants have also been downgraded from two to one star in the latest edition of the guide.

It had not downgraded anyone since 2019, conscious of the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Those difficulties have continued with restaurants facing staffing shortages and, in the last year, soaring prices. 

The guide says downgrades are now necessary if it is to stay relevant.

Poullennec said: ‘Yes, there are challenges, but they are challenges for everyone.’

Created in 1900 by tyre manufacturers Andre and Edouard Michelin as a guide for motorists, it now has editions across Europe, Asia, North and South America.

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