Green 
Stars:

on the road for
sustainable haute cuisine

"It's worth a special journey", or in other words, it truly deserves a visit.

This is the claim that The Michelin Guide makes when awarding its top honour, Three Stars, and it has earned its fame as the most influential food critic in the world.

Published by a tyre company, it was created to encourage motorists to hit the road in search of restaurants and hotels selected for the quality of the experience they offer. The first edition was in 1900, covering the territory of France; from there, it gradually spread across the world, arriving in Italy in 1956, and today it covers 37 countries (in Europe, Asia and the Americas) for a total of 16,000 restaurants recommended.

In over 100 years of history, it has articulated the rules of good cuisine, with chefs competing to earn a Star, and the public trusting the recommendations of the "Red Guide", as it is sometimes called for the colour of its cover.

After all, the function of a "guide" is to indicate routes and look ahead. This is why, since last year, a new, green star has been added to the red ones, which indicates green restaurants that stand out for their virtuous choices in terms of sustainability. So they are now forging a path that rewards sustainable haute cuisine. We spoke about it with Marco Do, Communications Manager for Michelin Italia.

Why a Green Star, 
and why now?

"The Green Star was introduced starting from the 2021 edition, in Italy as well as in other countries.
A new, important symbol, created to reward sustainable chefs who promote green cooking.
For Michelin, the issue of sustainability is nothing new. In fact, the first "green" Michelin tyre dates back to 1992, which, thanks to the introduction of silica into the mix, allowed us to substantially reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Since then, sustainability has inspired and nourished the entire strategy of the Group. In the future, everything at Michelin will be sustainable, from the tyres to the industrial processes. The Michelin Guide is an international benchmark in the field of gastronomy, and by awarding the Green Star, we want to shine a spotlight on the chefs who are committed to more sustainable cooking, and therefore, to a more sustainable society."

What are the criteria 
used to award it?

"I'll start by emphasising that the Michelin Green Star is a recognition open to all the restaurants in our selection, not only reserved for those already with stars.

When awarding the recognition, many factors are taken into consideration: the production of the raw materials, respect for the work of and support for local producers, reduction of waste, waste management, actions aiming to minimise the use of energy resources and the impact of the establishment on the environment, sustainable training for young people and social responsibility are just a few of the themes."

How has this news been received by the restaurant world and the public?

"This is an award that has been received with great interest and positive reactions from both sides. The public is becoming more and more aware of the issues relating to sustainability - in particular younger generations - and often make choices based on how "green" a product or service they are going to buy is.
The Green Star was also created for this reason: to respond to the new demands of the public.
As a consequence, there is also great interest from restaurateurs. Receiving this recognition means, on one hand, seeing that your commitment to sustainability is appreciated, and on the other, gaining visibility to an ever larger user-base that is aware of these issues."

The Michelin Guide is certainly the most famous in circulation: over the years, it has "influenced" an entire sector of catering, and therefore also a certain type of clientele. Will it also be possible to create this type of influence in terms of sustainability?

Sarà possibile generare questo tipo di influenza anche rispetto al tema della sostenibilità?

"As I said, the goal of the Green Star is to promote the most virtuous restaurants from the point of view of sustainability, so that they can inspire other sector professionals."

To meet the demands of the public ever better, starting from the 2018 edition, the famous guide, which since its conception had always been published on paper, has also been releasing a digital version via a free App, which presents the entire selection of restaurants, and adds to the content on the website. Another way to influence and guide fans of haute cuisine towards establishments that are truly worth the trip.
To find out this year's new Stars, we will need to wait until the 8th November, when the Michelin Guide Italy 2023 will be revealed. The ceremony for the 68th Italian selection will take place in Franciacorta as a live streamed event, and, as is customary, Michelin will award the traditional Stars and the Green Stars.

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N° 9

routes

Where there is a journey, there is always a change.
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