Why doesn’t Michigan have any Michelin star restaurants?

When you travel to a big city like New York City or Los Angeles, trying out insanely good restaurants is always one of the perks.
Checking out the food scene in other cities is always fun, especially when you can snag a reservation at a Michelin star restaurant. You just already know the service is going to be top notch, and the food is going to blow your freaking mind.
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Michigan’s food scene has constantly been on the rise, especially in the last 10 years or so, and especially in Detroit and the suburbs.
Plenty of chefs and restaurants have gotten acclaim from magazines like Bon Appetit or Food & Wine, and even won awards from the James Beard Foundation. Restaurants like Mabel Gray in Hazel Park and Marrow in Detroit have received nominations from the James Bead Foundation, and that’s just naming two. Numerous other restaurants and chefs have been recognized. It’s a huge honor to be nominated for a James Beard award, let alone win one!
Despite all the acclaim, you’ll never find a Michelin star restaurant in Michigan, and it’s not because our state is lacking the talent to deserve such a high honor. Michigan doesn’t have any Michelin star restaurants because there is no Michelin chapter in Michigan.
So is it a bad thing if Michigan can’t gloat about receiving praise from the Michelin Guide? Yes, and no.
The Michelin Guide is used across the world, so chefs from fine dining cities like London and Paris will live and die by a Michelin star. Just watch any international version of the cooking show “Top Chef” and you’ll see how important it is to work at a place with Michelin stars.
But here in America, it’s just not big of a deal. Major cities and markets in the United States have them, and it’s certainly a big honor, but it’s not something that is going to make or break your restaurant.
In places like Michigan, it’s really not that big of a deal. If anything, James Beard nominations are just as good, and diners aren’t really seeking out Michelin quality meals here in Michigan, and it’s mostly because we are just not used to them.
Still, it would be pretty cool to say that you were dining at a Michelin restaurant in downtown Detroit, or at a farm-to-table restaurant in Traverse City or something. There is a certain quality and standard when it comes to the Michelin Guide, and if Michigan had that distinction, it would help out with tourism even more for our state.
If you’re looking for a Michelin star experience in the United States, you have to travel to New York, California, Illinois, Florida or Washington D.C. These states and cities have incredible food scenes, but it’s about time that the Michelin Guide expanded to other parts of America.
In the mean time, if you’re looking for an incredible dining experience, check out the James Beard Foundation website, and look for restaurants in our area that have received recognition in the past. It’s obviously not the same as saying you’re eating at a Michelin star restaurant, but having a nomination (or win) from the James Beard Foundation is still pretty cool and fancy.
If anything, it’s just great to support these local restaurants. We’re very fortunate to have these fine dining restaurants in Michigan, so take advantage of it, and hopefully one day the Michelin Guide will realize they’re missing out by not having a chapter here in Michigan.