The City of Philadelphia is joining the ranks of a global culinary community united by a shared love of epicurean delights and gastronomic discoveries.
Philadelphia joins Boston as one of the recent additions to the MICHELIN Guide Northeast Cities edition.
“Our chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals have been steadily building our city into an internationally acclaimed foodie destination,” said Gregg Caren, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a news release shared with Total Food Service. “This announcement that the MICHELIN Red Guide will be exploring the Philadelphia region to experience our restaurants is an acknowledgment of years of hard work, collaboration, and extraordinary culinary innovation.”
For restaurateurs in Philadelphia, the MICHELIN Guide is more than a recognition. It’s a catalyst to jumpstart culinary talent and raise the profile of food and dining.
According to the Total Food Service report, earning a MICHELIN Guide star requires consistency and courage. MICHELIN Guide restaurant inspectors don’t announce their presence when they arrive at establishments to dine. They dine multiple times, “judging excellence based on five universal criteria: quality of the products, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in the cuisine, value for money, and consistency between visits.”
Caren noted that the impact of the MICHELIN Guide extends well beyond individual restaurateurs, also involving food distributors and suppliers. As requests for access to premium ingredients and exceptional service increase, so too do the demands on restaurants to hire staff and procure the best products. All these efforts support the culinary-minded tourists who come to cities seeking exceptional dining experiences.
“Dining becomes part of the city’s identity. It’s not just about a meal — it’s about what that meal says about who we are and how we welcome the world,” Caren added.
