Discussing Michelin Stars with Nico Abello: City Juice with John Malik
Anyone who is food-centric knows the Michelin Guide will soon feature restaurants of the American South. Just what does that mean, and is there a restaurant in town that will receive a star?
A Michelin star used to denote level of appointments as well as glorious cuisine. The requirements for a three-star restaurant included fresh flowers, fine linens, a global wine list, exquisite wine glasses and a staff that had intimate knowledge of every offering on the menu. Today, the Michelin Guide claims these things no longer matter; they are solely concerned about the food.
If you believe that, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. Presently there are only two chefs in town who have received a Michelin inspection: your humble writer while chef and owner of 33 Liberty; and chef Nico Abello of Table 301 when he was executive chef of L’Appart in New York City.
“My school in France had no problem serving canned Brussels sprouts and no one in my family was a cook or restaurant professional, yet here I am,” Abello says. “My first restaurant job was at a country club. I was 15 and bussing tables, running food and working behind the bar serving drinks. Crazy, right? After school, I received a contract to work at the two-star restaurant Versailles. After that, I spent time cooking in a few other countries and ended up in New York at Daniel.”
When judging restaurants, Michelin looks for quality ingredients, harmony, mastery of technique, consistency and — here’s the tricky one — “the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine.”
Keep in mind this isn’t a popularity contest; Michelin’s inspectors are acutely knowledgeable of the business, cuisine and technique.
When Abello received his star, “we were shocked because we never knew when an inspector was dining with us, or how to spot them, or that we were even considered when we received our first star. Today, in Greenville, I don’t know because so much of what it takes is subjective and there is always a lot of personality involved. And like you, I believe the soft surfaces matter. Three-star food will never be served on a cheap plate with poor service.”
Perhaps, though, one of our restaurants might receive a star, and if one does, it’ll have to be somewhere courtesy of a chef whose food has a clear voice. Our town has many talented chefs; yet suppose you were in some far-flung city having dinner, and your favorite chef in Greenville, unbeknownst to you, was at the helm of that restaurant. Would you recognize the personality, the “voice” of the chef in the food in front of you, even though you weren’t in Greenville?
Abello admitted to me that he hasn’t had enough time in town to judge who would be in the running. I have, but I wouldn’t want to go out on that limb. If you’d like to hear the story of my Michelin inspection, it’s right here.
Abello, with Carl Sobocinski, will soon open a new restaurant above The Lazy Goat.
“City Juice” is a colloquial term for a glass of tap water served at a diner. John Malik is a restaurant coach and hospitality consultant. He can be reached at chefjohnmalik@gmail.com.
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