Australia is set to feature in the Michelin Guide for the first time after the South Australian government inked a deal with the French company.
The first anonymous Michelin Guide inspectors are already in the state, which is ranked number one in the nation for “good food and wine” and “world-class wineries and wine regions” – according to research from the SA tourism commission.
The much-coveted guide and Michelin stars can transform restaurants, luring in locals and tourists, and also place immense pressure on them. In Europe, chefs have described them as a “curse”, while questions have been raised about their standards given the company does deals with tourist boards in exchange for including certain regions in the guide.
Michelin said it was committed to “the highest global standards”, and in a press release the SA government said the selection process was “entirely independent” and that restaurants could not pay to be included.
While the figure paid by SA is commercial-in-confidence, it’s likely to have been millions for the inclusion.
Tourism minister Emily Bourke said the Michelin Guide (known as the “red book”) had “a proven track record as a powerful driver of gastronomic tourism and economic development in the region it covers” and would give SA an advantage over other states.
The picks for the 2027 Guide will be announced in October. Winners are awarded one, two or three stars, or a “bib gourmand” for moderately priced restaurants.
The award will send the other states scrambling to get onboard, and will be a drawcard for hundreds of thousands of tourists and billions of dollars, Wes Lambert, chief executive officer of the Restaurant and Catering Association, said.
“We expect that this will potentially open the door to other states getting off their hands and getting on board to this tried and tested way to bring more international tourists into Australia to enjoy its best cuisine,” he said.
“Ultimately there is a true FOMO [fear of missing out], it’s a real fear that if they do not get on board for the next [yearly] guide, that SA could end up with thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of international tourists coming to bucket list, listed restaurants.”
He said other states were concerned that having Michelin ratings would negatively affect media or state-based rating systems, but that was an irrational fear outweighed by the international tourists that would come and spend “billions of extra dollars in one of the hardest hit industries during this cost-of-living/cost-of-doing business crisis”.
The state government said regions including Kangaroo Island, McLaren Vale, the Barossa and the Clare Valley would feature in tourism promotions.
Meanwhile, Restaurant Aptos opened in the Adelaide Hills a week ago with one of Australia’s most expensive degustations, a 16-course meal focused on native ingredients in a converted church. It comes in at $495 a head – drinks not included.
Chef Justin James – who won multiple accolades at his previous spot, Restaurant Botanic – said he thought “in the most humble way” it was “already one of the best restaurants in this country and will be one of the best in the world”.
The Australian Financial Review reported last year that Tourism Australia had turned down a $40m, five-year deal with Michelin. (On a per capita basis, that would translate to about $2.76m for SA).
But Tourism New Zealand jumped on board, reportedly paying Michelin $NZ6.3m ($5.5m).
Bloomberg reported last year that the French company had for the first time been explicit about the fact that tourism boards pay for reviewers to come to them.
Michelin Guide international director Gwendal Poullennec said they “wanted to give the complete picture” as they went global with a similar award for hotels.
“It’s about explaining our whole strategy,” he said.
Poullennec said this week that the Michelin inspectors in SA were “struck by the authenticity and personality of the region’s dining culture” and that the state “offers an impressive diversity of culinary expressions within a single destination”.
Prominent Adelaide chefs heaped praise on the idea. Africola’s Duncan Welgemoed – who was the 21-year-old head chef at UK restaurant The Goose when it won a Michelin star – said it was “incredibly important” for chefs, for front of house, for winemakers and producers, and that it would stop the “brain drain” of foodie people going east.
“Having a Michelin star next to an Adelaide address tells a diner in Tokyo, in Paris, in Beijing, that we are truly world class,” he said.
Michelin evaluates restaurants by the quality of the ingredients, the mastery of cooking techniques, the harmony of flavours, the personality of the cuisine and the consistency both over time and across the menu.
