ミシュラン三つ星レストラン「ギー・サボワ」格下げ

【パリ（フランス）ＡＦＰ＝時事】フランスのミシュランガイドは２７日、パリの有名レストラン「ギー・サボワ」の星を三つから二つに格下げすると発表した。シェフのギー・サボワ氏（６９）は世界最高のシェフとの呼び声も高い。（写真はフランスのシェフ、ギー・サボワ氏。パリにある自身の店で）
　造幣局内に位置しセーヌ川を見渡せる「ギー・サボワ」は、２００２年から三つ星の評価を維持してきた。
　サボワ氏は昨年１１月、全世界のレストランを対象としたレビューサイト「ラ・リスト」で、６年連続世界最高のシェフに選出された。同氏は米ピクサーのアニメ映画『レミーのおいしいレストラン』のフランス語版で声優を務めたこともある。
　格下げの理由は公表されず、関係するシェフにのみ伝えられる。
　ミシュランガイドをめぐっては２０年前、サボワ氏の友人でもあったベルナール・ロワゾー氏が、自身の店の格下げの臆測が広がる中、自殺するという出来事があり、大きな物議を醸してきた。
　１９年には自分の店を格下げされたマルク・ヴェラ氏が裁判を起こしたこともある。同氏は自分の店へのミシュラン審査員の出入りを禁止するとも宣言した。
　最新版では、約２０軒の店が二つ星から一つ星に格下げされた。
　ミシュランは、新型コロナウイルス流行の影響から２０１９年以降格下げを行っていなかった。だが、信頼性を維持するためには格下げが必要だと判断したとしている。
　最新のミシュランガイドは３月６日に発売される。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/03/01-15:25）

The Michelin Guide announced Monday the shock decision to knock a star off the Paris restaurant of Guy Savoy, frequently named the best chef in the world.
The 69-year-old has held Michelin's top three-star status since 2002 for his Monnaie de Paris restaurant overlooking the Seine, which has a sister version in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
In November he was named best chef in the world for the sixth year running by La Liste, which aggregates thousands of reviews from around the world.
Savoy's fame goes beyond the kitchen as an ambassador for the French art de vivre -- he has pointedly rejected the fad for non-alcoholic drinks, for instance -- and he lent his voice to the French version of Pixar film Ratatouille.
But that has not stopped Michelin downgrading his establishment to two stars in its latest edition, published next Monday.
It did the same for the upmarket seafood eatery of Christopher Coutanceau in La Rochelle.
These are exceptional restaurants, so you can imagine that these decisions are carefully considered, supported by numerous visits from our inspectors throughout the year, Gwendal Poullennec, head of the guide, told AFP.
The reasons are not made public, and communicated only to the chefs involved.
For such important decisions, we include not just French inspectors but also some from other countries, said Poullennec.
The move to downgrade restaurants is always hugely controversial, especially since the suicide 20 years ago of Bernard Loiseau -- a close friend of Savoy -- after his restaurant lost a star.
One chef, Marc Veyrat, unsuccessfully took the guide to court in 2019 after being stripped of a star, and said he never again wanted to see a Michelin inspector in his restaurants.
Around 20 French restaurants have also been downgraded from two to one star in the latest edition of the guide.
It had not downgraded anyone since 2019, conscious of the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those difficulties have continued with restaurants facing staffing shortages and, in the last year, soaring prices.
But the guide says downgrades are now necessary if it is to stay relevant.
Yes, there are challenges, but they are challenges for everyone, said Poullennec.
Created in 1900 by tyre manufacturers Andre and Edouard Michelin as a guide for motorists, it now has editions across Europe, Asia, North and South America.