I had no idea that the process for Michelin Guide inclusion was so stealthy that the inspectors are urged not let their own families know what they do. John Colapinto of the New Yorker went undercover for a lunch with a Michelin inspector and brought back a fascinating report that’s well worth reading.
As a precondition of our interview, I was told that certain details of the inspector’s personal life would be obscured—or not divulged to me at all. When I asked her name, the inspector laughed nervously. “No,” she said. “Let’s not even say it. Make something up.”
The Michelin Guide, in comparison to other food guides, seems to make its reputation on selectivity and secrecy. While a long-standing success in Europe, it remains to be seen if it will get real traction throughout the US. New York, however, appears to be where they will establish their culinary beachhead.
