Michelin 2019 guide features more women chefs than ever
This year's Michelin guide features more female-led restaurants than ever before as it seeks to address an increasingly criticised gender imbalance.
The new French edition of the Michelin food guide released on Monday features an unprecedented number of restaurants run by female chefs, and it's not down to 'quotas', the organisation says.
Eleven female-led restaurants have been added to the 2019 guide, out of a record 75 new additions bestowed with one, two or three Michelin stars. The 2018 French guide had been marked by a near absence of women: only two female chefs featured, both in partnership with male colleagues.
Among the newcomers was 24-year-old Julia Sedefdjian, who won a star for her new restaurant Baieta, while Stephanie Le Quellec claimed her second for Parisian restaurant La Scene.
The guide's new international director Gwendal Poullennec had pledged to be more inclusive this year, with a focus on younger chefs.
"It's a reflection of the great dynamism of French gastronomy, in all regions, with establishments set up by talented young people who are often entrepreneurs who have taken risks," Poullennec said.
Sheridan Randall, 25th January 2019
