The international director of the French company known for making and breaking the culinary careers of chefs discusses the positive behind the negative.
The silence in the interview room where I was waiting for Michael Ellis, the suave international director of the Michelin Guides, was a far cry from the scene outside — a throng of friends, foodies and press vying for a chance to congratulate, interview and snap selfies with the beaming chefs of local dining establishments that have just been awarded the coveted star status.
On the evening of 21 July, Ellis alongside emcee Adrian Pang, announced the names of 27 restaurants and two hawker stalls that have made it into the inaugural edition of the Singapore Michelin Guide. The accolades were, for the first time, handed out during an award ceremony and a lavish wine-paired gala dinner, which rolled out at a ballroom at Resorts World Convention Centre.
It was only after the final march-in by the lauded chefs and a photo moment on stage with Bibendum aka the jolly Michelin Man that Ellis managed to slip away momentarily. It was then that we caught up with him to get his two cents on criticism and what it takes to be part of Team Inspector.
What does one need to become a Michelin inspector?
Looking at our current pool of inspectors, most of them have gone to culinary or hospitality school, and many were former chefs or sommeliers. Everyone is a full-time salaried employee with Michelin, and they are all food experts.
Do they have to remain undercover with friends and family as well?
They will do their best to keep their actual professions out of the spotlight, but there’s a fine line between being able to tell their spouse and family what they do for a living and keeping it entirely a secret from everyone.
Were there any local inspectors involved in the selection?
It is our policy that every first edition of the guide is done by international inspectors, because it takes time to select and train inspectors to judge according to our standards. Also for each restaurant, we will have several inspectors doing covert tastings to ensure that the judgement on whether a dining establishment should be on the list or not is fair and objective. After the first edition, our standard operating procedure is to include a pool of local inspectors.
Would having local inspectors really make the selection job easier for Michelin?
I think it’s important to ask if a non-Singaporean can really never understand Singaporean food? Can an Italian understand Japanese food? Can a French understand Spanish food? We can’t say that only locals can understand local food. To me, food in any country can be judged based on three common aspects: the first is the quality of product, the second is the cooking technique — is it undercooked, overcooked or perfectly cooked —and the third is the harmony of its flavours and textures. Our inspectors are trained to put personal taste aside. When they enter a restaurant, they are not looking to make themselves happy. They are looking to analyse.
Where the list goes, there will be disagreement with its choices. Same goes for its Singapore edition. What are your thoughts on this?
When I see people reacting to the Michelin Guide, it is all good. Nothing makes me happier than to see them go, “Oh, they forgot my favourite street stall” or “they forgot my favourite steak restaurant.” That shows passion for gastronomy. But also, we do what we do. Agree with us or not, that’s fine. We are not the only game in town, but we have our own opinion, our own team of inspectors, and our own methods and standards. If the guide doesn’t work for you, it is a free country. You can refer to another guide or media. In fact with the Internet, everyone can be a food critic. If you wanted to hear an opinion on any restaurant in the world, go online and you’ll find countless of comments and you can take them as you wish. Yet when we have so many people expressing themselves, it’s important to have some sort of North Star or gold standard like I believe the Michelin Guide is.
What’s the next stop for the Michelin guide?
We are looking to launch the next Asian Michelin guide in Shanghai in September, followed by in Seoul, Korea in November.