2024 Atlanta Michelin winners prepare for the spotlight
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The next round of Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs to add a Michelin star to their walls steps forward Monday evening.
Why it matters: With accolades comes a bump in attention, awareness and business.
- Anne Quatrano, the chef and co-owner of Bacchanalia, told the AJC that business increased by 20% after earning a Michelin star and green star for sustainability in the inaugural Atlanta guide last year.
Driving the news: Tonight's Michelin Guide awards ceremony will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The big picture: The awards increase the visibility of Atlanta's dining scene and can attract top chefs or keep the talent that's helped build powerhouse restaurants.
- "There's more interest from people outside the market who want to work with us," J. Trent Harris, executive chef at Michelin-starred Mujō, told Atlanta Magazine. "In the next couple of years, you'll see the city retaining talent it otherwise would've lost."
How it works: The guide's secretive vetting process is part of its mythos, but it generally goes like this: An unnamed crew of inspectors with sophisticated palates fan out across metro Atlanta and anonymously try dishes.
Catch up quick: Atlanta was Michelin's ninth North American city and was ultimately sold on expanding here by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, the AJC reports.
- In 2023, five restaurants — Bacchanalia, plus Atlas, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty and Mujō — walked home with the one-star designation by Michelin.
The intrigue: That year, the editors of the French tire company's guide focused on Atlanta and restaurants inside the perimeter. Restaurants outside I-285 might make an appearance on this year's list, Rough Draft Atlanta reports.
Reality check: For some chefs and restaurateurs, even those who don't win, the stress of winning or holding on to a hard-earned star can cause some people to crack.
The bottom line: "If you start worrying about these accolades, then you become a slave to all of these things that aren't real," Ron Hsu of star-winner Lazy Betty told the AJC. "Focus on the product in front of you, the customer that's sitting outside."