28 French restaurants get three Michelin stars

A comeback by La Maison des Bois mastermind Marc Veyrat (pictured) and the emergence of Christophe Bacquie's Hotel du Castellet as another culinary force in southern France have given the country a record for most restaurants to hold a vaunted foodie guide's coveted three-star maximum.

Set for official release on Friday, Michelin France has become the most prestigious of the publication's 31 national editions and the domestic culinary bible.

Michelin has faced criticism that its stars reward pomp and presentation rather than the food itself and for the guide's putting restaurateurs under unbearable scrutiny. The guide has made many a chef's name; others say it has nearly broken their wills.

Veyrat — a 67-year-old who quit cooking after a skiing accident nine years ago and faced hardship again when La Maison burned down in 2015 — told The Associated Press that he does not mind the stress.

"We need the pressure and adrenaline because we are creatives," he said late Monday.

'Active and present'

Last week, Sebastien Bras withdrew his Le Suquet restaurant from consideration, citing the inhuman stress levels that competing for the accolade creates — such as the constant possibility of Michelin's anonymous foodies dropping by to eat the meal that could earn or lose a restaurant its stars. The restaurateur's decision prompted questions in the media about the usefulness of the index. Le Suquet, in the rural Aveyron region, had held the maximum three-star rating for 18 years.

In 2005, Alain Senderens transformed Lucas Carton, which had held three stars for 28 years, into a brasserie, citing the "senseless race" for the rating. Bernard Loiseau died by suicide in 2003 after his Cote d'Or restaurant received a lower rating in the GaultMillau guide, and rumors began to swirl that he might lose his third Michelin star.

Bras said that, like "all chefs," he sometimes found himself thinking of Loiseau.

Addressing a lack of female chefs honored in the guide, Anne-Sophie Pic — the owner of Maison Pic and the only woman whose restaurant received three stars — expressed optimism about their treatment in the industry.

"[Women] are already present in the restaurants, and the teams are mixed," Pic said late Monday. "The women chefs are very active and present in gastronomy."

Read more: A culinary tour of Wolfsburg, Osnabrück and Bergisch Gladbach

Neighboring Germany has 300 restaurants with Michelin stars, but only 11 with the guide's top rating.

mkg/gsw (AFP, dpa, AP)