The 69-year-old chef has had Michelin three-star status since 2002 at his Monnaie restaurant in Paris overlooking the Seine, which also has a version at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
In November, he was named best chef in the world for the sixth consecutive year by La Liste, which collects thousands of reviews from around the world. Savoy’s fame extends beyond the kitchen, as an ambassador of the French “art de vivre” – he rejected the craze for soft drinks, for example – and lent his voice to the French version of the film Ratatouille.
But that didn’t stop Michelin from downgrading its establishment to two stars in its latest edition, which will be published next Monday. So was Christopher Coutanceau’s chic seafood restaurant in La Rochelle.
“These are exceptional restaurants, so you can imagine these decisions are carefully considered, supported by numerous visits from our inspectors throughout the year”Gwendal Poullennec, head of the guide, told AFP.
The reasons have not been made public, they are only communicated to the chiefs involved. “For such important decisions, we not only involve French inspectors, but also some from other countries”said Poullennec.
Downgrading a restaurant is always extremely controversial, especially since the suicide of chef Bernard Loiseau – a good friend of Savoy – 20 years ago – after his restaurant lost a star.
Meanwhile, chef Marc Veyrat unsuccessfully sued the guide in 2019 after being robbed of a star, saying he never wanted to see a Michelin inspector in his restaurants again.
In the latest edition of the guide, about 20 French restaurants were also downgraded from two stars to one. They had not disqualified anyone since 2019, aware of the difficulties caused by the covid-19 pandemic, those responsible for the guide explain.
Source: DN
