It’s strange, isn’t it, that the Michelin Man, cousin to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, graces the cover of the most esteemed restaurant guide in the world. Somehow the roly-poly cartoon character just doesn’t jibe with the haute cuisine discussed inside. And yet Michelin’s three-star system defines high-end dining, the addition or subtraction of a star making or breaking the chefs who vie for recognition.
In Three Stars, documentarian Lutz Hachmeister profiles 10 chefs who have earned this top rating, exploring their culinary styles, from molecular gastronomy to sourcing local ingredients, and their kitchen rituals. There’s some attempt at globalization, with the inclusion of Frenchman Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Eurasian eatery in the Trump Tower in New York and Hideki Ishikawa of Tokyo, where the Michelin rating just doesn’t mean as much. But otherwise the subjects are from France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Italy, a strongly Eurocentric showing that belies the guide’s claims that it’s broadening its standards as to what types of establishments can garner a star rating.
Failing at a comprehensive approach, Hachmeister may have been better served by narrowing his attention to fewer subjects and focusing on the food. Unfortunately, the images of the plates aren’t especially beautiful, and equal weight is granted to the cooks’ philosophy about food (fascinating) and the operations of their businesses (not so much—computerized reservation systems just aren’t that interesting).