# Anyone here work at a Michelin starred restaurant?



## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

How is the atmosphere? High pressure, relaxed, white table cloth? What sets it apart from Non-Michelin restaurants you've worked at? How much experience do you have? Was it hard to get the job? ETC. I live in Texas, so obviously no Michelin stars here, but I am mildly obsessed with the perfection of Michelin restaurants.


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## soesje (Dec 6, 2012)

well, I don't (yet) work in a michelin starred restaurant, but…..

you answered your own question already in the last line….. perfection.

does not mean that other places that strive for the same perfection do own michelin stars. or do WANT them.

I work in a place that shares the latter.

aside from that, pressure will be much higher than anywhere, because quality needs to be the same every day.

not only the food, but also the environment, the front of house service, etc…. 

michelin stars are not only given for food alone.

so, are there white tablecloths? no. there are places which are much more relax, with a star and different athmosphere.

BUT.

at a particular level you need to "fit in" when you grow and earn more stars…..prices get higher, and so does the entire entourage change, too.

michelin starred restaurants are the most critical about who they hire, and for reasons, they have a name to keep up.

just my 2 cents


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

mise said:


> How is the atmosphere? High pressure, relaxed, white table cloth? What sets it apart from Non-Michelin restaurants you've worked at? How much experience do you have? Was it hard to get the job? ETC. I live in Texas, so obviously no Michelin stars here, but I am mildly obsessed with the perfection of Michelin restaurants.


Obviously no Michelin stars here......

What exactly do you mean by obviously?

Yes mise, it is obvious to anyone reading thru the list that no Texas restaurants are on it YET.

Is that what you meant (it is so hard to pick up on tone of voice or facial expressions on the net).

I am sure since you are a Texan you were born with a love of our state so deep that your heart near explodes and your eyes tear up ( and the huge lump in your throat almost chokes you) when you read the names carved into the monument outside the Alamo.

I (being the Texan braggart that I am) could go on for pages but won't.

Because deep down inside I know that Texas has the only and most important of stars.

The Lone Star.

mimi


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

Ill tell you right now, that not all michellin star restaurants are all that jazz that the critics make up to be.

My first chef after getting her degree and got some experience working in london and italy decided she wanted to work at a michellin star restaurant.

She got a job at a 2 star restaurant.

She herself said the silverware was awfuly rusty and the kitchen itself was nothing that outstanding.

The eating enviroment was to die for and the dishes and atmosphere were great but the kitchen was a horror. No one would imagine what went on in there. Obviously this was many years ago, so its not like they are still in business or havent become better i wouldnt know, but i do remember one situation we spoke about.

My chef once stated, that the fish in the kitchen was smelling funny and even the interns were complaining stating it wasnt very appealing and smelled bad.

Well guess what they decided they better serve it for a special.

En papilotte of fish.

People ate it and paid for it.

My problem with the distribution of michelln stars is the fact they can attract attention of people who are willing to pay for food that may or may not be of great quality. They eat at the restaurant, and considering it has some M. stars they probably think they didnt _understand_ the chefs idea or perpective of the dish (instead of admitting it may not just have been so good or what they expected).

Im a believer that not all restaurants who have M. stars are worthy of them, while others may have great food, the kitchen and what the employees go through is almost slavery.

Sure their are some great places out there like Le Bernardin, and some of Bouluds restaurants, but some shouldnt even serve as a comparison.

I much rather work at an independent restaurant willing to put up quality food, then to work at some place serving complex and small plated dishes that leave you hungry and result in passing by a Mcdonals on your way home to compensate for a unsatifying meal.

Im also against restaurants that IMO destroy the quality of an ingredient.

I like things simple, well done, with great quality.

I would hate so start out using an ingredient "lets say leeks" and end up using them to make leek foam, or leak powder <_<, as well as having my clients pay up to 300 bucks per person on a meal they may have enjoyed but didnt satisfy them as well as they didnt understand my perspective on the dish.

My opinion: The stars dont matter, neither does the title the restaurant holds.

The food has to be good, pleasurable, of quality, and the clients have to enjoy it. Rewards come on their own which result in you being happy, having some cash, and maybe just maybe the restaurant or chef can get a reputation.

Some restaurants have the stars, and some don´t, the stars to me don´t serve as a comparison...


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## mise (Aug 19, 2013)

flipflopgirl said:


> Obviously no Michelin stars here......
> 
> What exactly do you mean by obviously?
> 
> ...


I know that Texas does not have the Michelin guide, "here" is a general statement for the whole website.


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## chef torrie (Mar 1, 2011)

I currently work for a 3 Michelin star joint in NYC. No white table clothes here tho lol. Excellent food, impeccable service. Just because you don't have michelin stars down in Texas doesn't mean there are no michelin quality restaurants. I was just visiting my mother in Houston a couple months ago and ate at a few that would easily qualify for at least 1 or 2 stars. Michelin guide currently only reviews restaurants and hotels in the cities of San fran, Chicago , and new york I believe. They've only been reviewing in the states for a decade or so


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

mise said:


> flipflopgirl said:
> 
> 
> > Obviously no Michelin stars here......
> ...


Yeah...

Sorry about that.

Sometimes I forget that Texas does not belong to me.

There are 5 or 6 other people I have to share with lol.

I jacked your thread and I apologize,

mimi


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

KaiqueKuisine said:


> Ill tell you right now, that not all michellin star restaurants are all that jazz that the critics make up to be.
> 
> My first chef after getting her degree and got some experience working in london and italy decided she wanted to work at a michellin star restaurant.
> 
> ...


Bravo!


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## adrianchef (Mar 12, 2014)

Working in a Michelin star restaurant, is like working in a theatre, every performance is a show, from the time when the first customer walks through the door, to the final customer leaving, Luch or Dinner, everything has to be perfect from Ironing the white table cloth on the table to the Amuse Bouche, perfection, Proper preparation.......

Its takes skill time and dedication.... and its all in the performance..


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## santona 1937 (Apr 6, 2014)

I 've worked in a couple of Michelin starred places, and did my apprenticeship in one.

 Yes there are places that do not deserve stars, and there are places that should probably have them, however,

 the question was really about what are they like to work in....

  They are about perfection, and technical ability, dedication and craft, and passion for food.

 We used to start at 7 in the morning and finish around midnight, 5 days a week. A lot of the stuff we did was what would be called molecular gastronomy, but we did it because it made better experience for the customer.   We worked very much in the brigade system, and aimed for absolute perfection in every task, even down to the mirepoix being  cut exactly correctly and to a standard size.

 it was a tough brutal grind, but there was a sense of real team work, no one was more important than any one else, even the plongeur 

 ( unless you were a server). There was no space or time for chefs who thought they were better than they were, but there was a lot of time for helping each other out, We sat 45-50 covers with a kitchen brigade of about 25 and a front of house staff of about 30, so just about 1 employee per customer.

 It would take at least 6 months to develop new menu ideas, working late and early.

 If you can find the right place working in a kitchen devoted and passionate about producing the very very best of the best, it is an experience well worth it.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

[h1]Anyone here work at a Michelin starred restaurant?[/h1]
I wish.


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