Michelin Star

There are three levels of Michelin ratings which can be awarded to establishments from 1 star to 3 stars.

• 3 stars "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey"
• 2 stars "Excellent cooking, worth a detour"
• 1 star "A very good restaurant in its category"

There is also an additional fourth category - "Bib Gourmand". This is named after The Michelin Man whose name is Bibendum. These restaurants are usually rated solely on the scale of "forks and knives". The forks and knives rating is given to all restaurants recognized in the guide, and range from one to five. One fork and knife being "Quite comfortable restaurant" and five being "Luxurious restaurant".

We use the Michelin standard as it gives us an indication of an individuals ability to work at a consitently high quality standard with excellent craft skills across a range of cuisines, styles and budgets. Although it is the restaurants that is rated in one of five categories:

• Quality of the products
• Mastery of flavour and cooking
• The "personality" of the cuisine
• Value for the money
• Consistency between visits

We think these measures are also a great indicator of the chefs abilty and are all required skills and disciplines in the New Product Development discipline.