Countdown to Michelin 'reveal': Cork chefs on the food awards

For the first time in the history of the iconic Michelin Guide for GB and Ireland, the annual so-called ‘Reveal Ceremony’ is coming to our shores.

On Monday, Dublin’s Convention Centre will play host to the brightest stars of our culinary firmament.

Anticipation is building about where new stars will land; gossip among foodies is particularly hot around whether Ireland will get its first 3-star restaurant.

While the star rating is the most widely recognisable award from the guide, it also bestows Bib Gourmands (good food at a moderate price), a host of other awards to hospitality professionals singled out for their outstanding contributions, and the shiny new Key awards for hotels.

In recent years, Ireland has become Michelin’s darling with a flurry of accolades; and although Dublin is hosting the big party this year, it was Cork which first turned Michelin’s head.

In 1974, Declan Ryan’s Arbutus Lodge was the first restaurant to receive a star, and the following year the late, great Myrtle Allen was the first Irish female chef to gain a star for her then revolutionary philosophy of local and seasonal cookery at Ballymaloe House.

Today, Cork lays claim to six stars, four Bibs, and five more listed in the guide. Earlier this week, Michelin announced five new Bibs for Ireland. No additional nods for Cork, although the Farmgate Lismore has been recognised - a restaurant whose roots were once in Midleton as the sister restaurant to Farmgate Café at The English Market.

However, it is not without its critics. Against a challenging backdrop for hospitality generally, it has flip-flopped by modifying criteria (particularly around the Bib award) and even dropped awards altogether (the Green Star award for restaurants that champion sustainability was dropped in 2025). It also favours fine dining over other types of eateries, from local cafés serving great food with a commitment to using local produce, to where to get the best pizza or burger.

It can also be confusing for diners. Not everyone knows the difference between an inclusion in the guide, stars, Bibs and everything else. Do diners rely on the famous little red book, or do they prefer word of mouth for recommendations?

Yet, for our hard-working chefs, recognition of their creativity, innovation and hard work by what is still a hugely respected publication internationally can be pivotal for their careers.

But what does Michelin recognition really mean to those at the coal face? How do they feel the guide has shaped the dining scene in Cork, and beyond? Do we lay too much store in it, or does a rising tide lift all boats – not just for restaurants, but for the wider communities that surround them?

I spoke with chefs Aishling Moore (Goldie, Bib), Takashi Miyazaki (Ichigo Ichie, Bib), Rob Krawczyk (The Chestnut, one star), Lewis Barker (Terre, two stars), and food writer John McKenna of McKenna’s Guides to get their view on the Michelin buzz.

Asked if getting into the guide was an ambition held as a young chef, Moore says it wasn’t something she considered because “there really weren’t a lot of stars in Ireland at the time”.

Moore received her Bib in 2021, mid-lockdown, and holds it to this day.

For Barker, getting a star from Michelin is like a footballer playing for the Premier League. “I want to play in that! You learn discipline. Yes, it’s about how to cook the best possible produce and the search for perfection, but it’s the way of working at that standard that has shaped me a lot as a chef. It suits my personality and I aspire to it.”

Down in Ballydehob, Krawczyk remembers when The Chestnut got its star. “I won’t ever forget the feeling,” he says. “We got an email inviting us to the ceremony. They don’t say if you’re getting anything, but to see the name come up on the screen was just amazing!

“Reality hit hard quickly though, dealing with a website that kept crashing and people banging on the windows to get in! Thankfully, it’s calmed down a bit now.”

For Krawczyk, he recognises the confidence continued recognition by Michelin has gifted him and his team.

“In the early days, I kept asking if what we were doing was enough for Michelin. There’s always that pressure in the back of your mind. 

"But now we’re confident in what we’re doing. We didn’t need to change things up once we got the star, we just needed to keep cooking how we always had because that’s what got us the award in the first place!”

Miyazaki’s Michelin journey has been less straightforward. Initially awarded a star for Ichigo Ichie in 2018, no amount of recognition could compete with the havoc wrought on the business from covid. “For the first two years, we were totally full. But reopening after covid, everything changed,” he said.

The expectation of keeping to a standard that came with the star meant keeping a full kitchen and front of house staff no matter how busy – or not - they were. It came at a cost, and at the end of 2023, Miyazaki announced he was handing back his star and reopened with a new casual concept for the space.

“I wanted to go back to casual – it’s where I started with my takeaway on Barrack Street. I wanted to go back to that and have fun again with ingredients and cooking. I have that now.”

McKenna says the Michelin Guide “is a metric which has become a sort of short-hand that erases the complexity and nuance of a restaurant, its local story of commitment to provenance.”

“People tend to not look beyond the star, but my job as a food writer is to step into that complexity and nuance of what someone is doing, because no two chefs cook the same. Why do I think you should go and eat somewhere? It’s not enough to say something is good; I have to say why it is good. It’s a contextualisation of a place versus some abstract idea of excellence,” says McKenna.

What’s missing, he argues, is the all-important detail that brings a food culture to life. By way of example, he cites one of the best pizzas he’s ever eaten cooked in a repurposed horse box: Grá Pizza.

“He hasn’t just selected a cheese to put on his pizza,” says McKenna, “he’s really thought about it; why this one over that, even when they’re similar kinds of cheeses made within the same county. That to me is what makes great Irish food authentic and real; these little places that are off the beaten track, these hidden gems.”

It’s a compelling point: surely the best food you’ve eaten can and should be found anywhere. Sometimes, why it’s good is intangible, sometimes it’s obvious, but it’s never just one thing – one metric.

As diners, do we even know what these ratings mean?

“Even though people in the industry know what it is, and it is a highly respected accolade, I often overhear people walking by outside, see our plaque, and think it means we have a star!” Moore says.

Miyazaki says the first day he reopened with the new concept, they were inspected by the guide, “In February we were awarded the Bib,” he says. “We wanted to get rid of the name. People were booking in thinking they would be getting a star experience, but our concept now is completely different. People judge by the Michelin name, but what we want is for people to come and enjoy our casual bistro; enjoy our food, our wine, and have a really great time.”

Nonetheless, the award is a huge driver for business.

“Worldwide it’s got that recognition for a restaurant to be a certain standard, and we have so much business coming in the door from the guide,” Moore says. “It creates tourism, especially since they launched their App a couple of years ago. People research where they want to go, they tick off their list and restaurants they like. It doesn’t overshadow local knowledge and word of mouth, but there is so much value in the guide.”

Down in rural West Cork, the village of Ballydehob has always been a mecca for creatives, makers, and growers, marching to the beat of its own drum. However, since Michelin came to the village, coincidental or not, ‘The Hob’ has surged in pride and confidence and is busier than ever.

I asked Krawzyck if he thinks that’s down to the ‘Michelin effect’?

“For such a small place, The Hob really does a lot, but it has been that way for a very long time. During the pandemic, the demographic changed and a lot of younger people moved into the area. Festivals and general sense of community here has had a huge impact. Elaine [Rob’s wife] and I see ourselves as just two of the many custodians working in Ballydehob alongside other artists and creatives. But I do think, overall, Michelin has been a force for good here.”

A rising tide lifts all boats, then?

“It certainly draws attention to our food culture,” says McKenna.

For Barker, it’s a time to show off what Irish food is all about. “The guide coming here shines a massive spotlight on Ireland. The media attention it brings is ideal for showing what’s on offer here, the hospitality we can create, our food and our restaurants.”

Krawczyk says the guide has had an enormous impact on his restaurant’s success. “We are in the middle of nowhere, so it does bring people to us. So, yes, things would be very different if it wasn’t for the Michelin Guide.”

Miyazaki says Michelin is good for Ireland. “More restaurants getting stars is good for Ireland for sure. As a diner, I don’t judge, I just enjoy each moment!”

As for Barker, he gained a star for Sommer in Singapore before taking over the reins of two star Terre in Castlemartyr. “I love a challenge!”, Barker says. “I just switch off the pressure and focus on how I see the trajectory for Terre because I understand in myself what I want to do.

Maybe pressure is just for tyres, afte rall.

The Michelin Reveal ceremony takes place on Monday, February 9. Watch live via YouTube.