The Franciacorta-MICHELIN Guide partnership was officially launched yesterday, with a first presentation in California. The event marked the beginning of a three-year partnership which will see Franciacorta present at all MICHELIN prize-giving ceremonies.
The MICHELIN US Guide California edition event was held yesterday evening, Monday 5 August 2024, at the Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton, an ocean-front resort half an hour south of San Francisco, where chefs and restaurateurs waited eagerly to hear whether their restaurants had won a MICHELIN star or other prestigious prizes.
Seven new restaurants were awarded one MICHELIN star and three got two stars. Aubergine, Sons & Daughters and Vespertine got two MICHELIN stars and Vespertine also won a Green Star. California now has 13 restaurants with two MICHELIN stars and 16 Green Starred restaurants. There are a total of 85 MICHELIN-starred restaurants in the 2024 edition of the California MICHELIN guide.
President Silvano Brescianini was present at the event and expressed how honoured he felt by this partnership, highlighting the importance of combining Italian and US culinary excellences. “We’re enthusiastic about supporting the MICHELIN Guide and toasting to the success of California’s best restaurants with our wines, which embody the quality and tradition of our Franciacorta”, he said. “This new partnership enables us to shine a spotlight on our winemaking tradition and make contact with the best restaurant-sector professionals.”
The ceremony also handed out the Best California Sommelier of the Year award – with Franciacorta as partner – to Ian Krupp of the Los Angeles Anajak Thai restaurant. This highlights the important part sommeliers play in creating extraordinary gastronomic experiences and the dedication to quality which marks out both Franciacorta wine and the MICHELIN Guide.
“California continues to shine while we see the evolution of the culinary scene and the emergence of talents and cuisines,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide. “This year we are very happy to welcome 10 new restaurants to the MICHELIN star restaurant fold, as well as a new Green Star. Our inspectors continue to be struck by this year’s selection and we would like to toast to, and celebrate, the excellent chefs and restaurant teams awarded prizes. Food lovers will be delighted by the vast culinary range offered, both near and far, and the spotlight will continue to shine on California.”
“This alliance between Franciacorta and MICHELIN is inspired by our deep shared love of food and wine and an environmentally sustainable approach and we are proud and enthusiastic about this. By expanding our partnership abroad with the US MICHELIN Guide, Franciacorta is showing how much it can contribute and express in this market, above all in the fine, top quality restaurant sector”, concluded Brescianini.
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