Two Huntsville restaurants land on inaugural Michelin guide
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Purveyor also features curated wine and bourbon programs. Photo: Courtesy of Purveyor
Purveyor and Salt Smokehouse are restaurants you've got to visit in Huntsville, per the inaugural Michelin Guide to the American South in an earlier-than-expected announcement Monday.
Why it matters: The Michelin Guide is the gold standard for culinary recognition, and Huntsville's first appearance shows the city's dining scene is maturing into a destination.
Zoom in: Purveyor opened in 2017, and offers an elevated, yet approachable dining experience blending Southern hospitality with globally-inspired cuisine, per a release.
- Salt Smokehouse opened in 2024 on Meridian Street offering elevated barbecue at Lincoln Mill by chef and owner Rene Boyzo and partner Ari Cahy.
What they're saying: "I think the food's the best it's ever been, and I've been saying that for the last year and half-two years," said Stephanie Kennedy Mell, proprietor of Church Street Family, which owns Purveyor and other Huntsville concepts.
- "We're ecstatic, we are just so excited to be included in the Recommended guide," she told Axios Huntsville on Monday. "It truly gives us something to aspire to next year."
- "Chef Juventino Manuel has found his rhythm and we're just leaning into it," Mell said, giving credit as well to Corporate Executive Chef Luis Branez, named Alabama Chef of the Year in 2024.
"We're just a humble place that serves good food, and the fact that that's recognized at that level … it's going to open doors for the South to see that Huntsville has places that are worth the drive," Boyzo told Axios Huntsville Monday.
- On what may have stood out about Salt Smokehouse to Michelin, he said: "I want to believe the hospitality ... in combination with ingredients that are high quality and used well."
- "You walk in our building and you become a part of us," Boyzo said. "You're not just a diner."
Driving the news: With Huntsville's explosive growth, Mell says the city's culinary scene has had to grow to match. Expanding that flavor is something she and her husband Matthew have taken it upon themselves to make happen.
- "I want to thank all our Huntsville customers, and the city, and the region–everybody," Matthew Mell said.
- In Huntsville for the past 22 years, Boyzo said the scene has changed a lot, with concepts coming and going and many staples leaving the scene.
- Boyzo hopes this recognition will help convince other owners to take the risk in Huntsville, he said, and help motivate younger chefs to take risks too.
Catch up quick: 1856 in Auburn also made the Recommended list, as did seven restaurants in Birmingham: Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Bottega, Chez Fonfon, Current Charcoal Grill, Helen, Hot and Hot Fish Club and Rêve.
- No Alabama restaurant was recognized with a Michelin star, the highest recognition. Eighteen Southern restaurants were recognized with one star, and one restaurant: Emeril's in New Orleans, got two.
- Birmingham's Bayonet, La Fête and OvenBird, and Mobile's The Noble South, were all recognized in the Bib Gourmands (good food at a moderate price) section and Pardis Stiss of Bottega won the Michelin Outstanding Service Award.
The intrigue: Early Monday, the press release was published under Michelin's name on a wire service the organization typically uses, and it includes a comprehensive list of newly starred restaurants and judges' comments.
- The honorees are expected to be named publicly in a South Carolina ceremony Monday night.
- A screenshot of an internal Michelin email reviewed by Axios acknowledges "that confidential information was released," and instructs recipients to forward inquiries to the company's spokesperson.
- Axios received an out-of-office reply to our confirmation request. But reporters spoke with restaurateurs on the list, and each confirmed they were invited to Monday's ceremony. The Mells spoke to Axios Huntsville from South Carolina.
The bottom line: Stephanie Mell says they're aiming for a star next year.