"Three Stars"

I binged on food documentaries last week.   Watching one led me on to another, and another.  Food docs can be addictive.  The three I watched were all very good.  Although I wasn’t inspired by them, I was certainly fascinated – and excited by the passion that had inspired these chefs. 

The first one: “Three Stars” directed by Lutz Hachmeister introduced us to nine Michelin starred chefs, their personalities, how they run their kitchens, the philosophy behind their cooking and more importantly, how the Michelin star designation affected their lives.  The “Three Stars”, referring to the rating by Michelin, could make or break a restaurant, and its chef.  In the case of Bernard Loiseau, who committed suicide when he thought he might lose his 3 star status, it indeed broke the man.

These chefs, all fascinating personalities, could not have been more different.  Some were boisterous, some reserved, but all dedicated and focused on perfection.  One chef, Oliver Roellinger of Brittany, was defiant.  He gave up his Michelin 3 stars and closed the Maison de Bricourt.  He chose to share his cooking in a less formal setting in Le Coquillage, opening at the same time a spice importing company, a cooking school, a guest villa and a pastry shop.  This is one restaurant I would like to visit.

You can see the names of the other chefs on the cast list of the documentary.  Jean Georges Vongerichten, who owns and operates a “constellation” of 3 and 4 star restaurants, is obviously a savvy businessman in addition to being a famous chef.  He was the consummate actor in his own show.  Contrast him with Nadia Santini, the first female chef in Italy to earn the three stars.  She was relaxed and gentle, completely at home in her small town restaurant, Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio in Lombardy – another one that I would like to visit.  I was also sad that Sergio Hermann announced that he will close his restaurant Oud Sluis in the Netherlands in December, 2013 as he seemed so charismatic.  But then it does make me wonder at the stress these guys must be going through – living on the edge, almost with a sentence over their heads – perform, or lose your 3 star status.  No wonder they opt to close, and then start again from scratch - too many of these occurrences to be coincidence. 

The million dollar question:  How long can one sustain perfection?

I admire these chefs but I do feel sorry for them, except for the ones for whom the “three stars” is not a sentence, but just another adornment external to their calling.  As for the Michelin people?  They certainly know how to keep their edge - they have developed a separate rating system for restaurants in Asia.  Now I call that savvy!

I will talk about the other two docs in another post.