By Nadine Yousif
BBC News, Toronto
Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa (middle) from Toronto Japanese restaurant
Aburi Hana was the first to be awarded with a Michelin star in
Canada on Tuesday, 13 September
The Michelin guide has published its first Canadian edition, awarding 13 restaurants in Toronto its coveted stars.
Some 74 restaurants across 27 cuisine types in the country's largest city received a Michelin nod.
Reaction to the selection has been mixed, with praise for the number of restaurants, but criticism for the lack of diversity among winners.
Vancouver will be the next Canadian city to feature in the Michelin guide.
Around 350 people attended the in-person announcement on Tuesday.
The arrival of the guide in Toronto - first announced in May by Michelin, the city's mayor, and Canada's federal minister for tourism - has been celebrated by some as an exciting opportunity that will boost exposure for the city, marking it as a global destination for food and travel.
Most of the restaurants awarded stars are located in Toronto's city centre and feature tasting menus.
Among the one-star winners are Alo, a modern French restaurant that has consistently been ranked among the best restaurants in the world, and Don Alfonso 1890, once named the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy.
Twelve of the restaurants received one Michelin star, which means "very good in its category".
One restaurant - Sushi Masaki Saito - won two Michelin stars, meaning it boasts "excellent cooking" that is "worth a detour".
Its eponymous chef has previously been awarded two Michelin stars for his sushi restaurant in Manhattan, but has since moved to Toronto.
Michelin also awarded 17 restaurants the Bib Gourmand award, which celebrates great food sold at a reasonable price. Others were recognised for their sommeliers, service and cocktail selections.
Among the Bib Gourmand winners are Grey Gardens, run by renowned Toronto restauranteur Jen Agg, and Indian Food Street Company, a small joint inspired by the old coffee shops found in Delhi and Mumbai.
The winners made history as the first to get a Michelin nod in Canada - a coveted honour that has roots to the tyre company's founding in 1889, but has since become a symbol of success and notoriety globally for the culinary and hospitality industry.
Toronto food blogger Aashim Aggarwal said he did not expect Michelin to recognise more than 70 restaurants across their different award categories.
The selection of star-winning restaurants, however, did not surprise him. "This is a list of largely great spots in my opinion that fit the Michelin mould," Mr Aggarwal said.
But he said he believes Michelin could have done better in reflecting the diversity of the city's culinary landscape in its star selections.
Tuesday's winners on Toronto's Michelin stage, he said, "were almost entirely men representing western European and Japanese restaurants."
Since the initial announcement of the guide in May, a debate already familiar to US cities like New York and Los Angeles was ignited in Toronto on whether Michelin would accurately reflect the city's diverse culinary landscape in its selections.
As Canada's largest and most multicultural city, food writers have often praised Toronto's restaurants for offering both cultural and regional diversity in their dishes.
It is also a city that boasts both a lively centre and suburban neighbourhoods, with locally and internationally acclaimed restaurants scattered all around.
Gwendal Poullennec, the international director for the Michelin Guide, told the BBC that Toronto's "authentic, innovative and collaborative restaurant scene makes it a worthy Michelin destination".
At Tuesday's announcement, Mr Poullennac said Michelin's selections were a good representation of Toronto's strongest culinary talent.
"It is all about what is on the plate, and these restaurants are considered the best in the destination," he said.
Mr Poullennac said Michelin inspectors had been eating in the city since the spring. Suburbs in the Greater Toronto Area, like Markham or Richmond Hill, are not included in the guide, but he said it could expand to include those neighbourhoods in the future.
Destination Toronto, the city's tourism group that partnered with Michelin to bring the guide to the city, said they hope Michelin's arrival will boost tourism as well as cultivate homegrown talent.
Toronto Mayor John Tory, who attended Tuesday's announcement, said the Michelin guide is "one more way for [Toronto] to put itself on the map".
While Toronto has been selected as Canada's first Michelin destination, the tyre company has announced a guide will soon follow in Vancouver.
Canada has its first Michelin guide. Does it matter?
By Nadine Yousif
BBC News, Toronto
Published
1 day ago
The Michelin guide has published its first Canadian edition, awarding 13 restaurants in Toronto its coveted stars.
Some 74 restaurants across 27 cuisine types in the country's largest city received a Michelin nod.
Reaction to the selection has been mixed, with praise for the number of restaurants, but criticism for the lack of diversity among winners.
Vancouver will be the next Canadian city to feature in the Michelin guide.
Around 350 people attended the in-person announcement on Tuesday.
The arrival of the guide in Toronto - first announced in May by Michelin, the city's mayor, and Canada's federal minister for tourism - has been celebrated by some as an exciting opportunity that will boost exposure for the city, marking it as a global destination for food and travel.
Most of the restaurants awarded stars are located in Toronto's city centre and feature tasting menus.
Among the one-star winners are Alo, a modern French restaurant that has consistently been ranked among the best restaurants in the world, and Don Alfonso 1890, once named the best Italian restaurant outside of Italy.
Twelve of the restaurants received one Michelin star, which means "very good in its category".
One restaurant - Sushi Masaki Saito - won two Michelin stars, meaning it boasts "excellent cooking" that is "worth a detour".
Its eponymous chef has previously been awarded two Michelin stars for his sushi restaurant in Manhattan, but has since moved to Toronto.
Michelin also awarded 17 restaurants the Bib Gourmand award, which celebrates great food sold at a reasonable price. Others were recognised for their sommeliers, service and cocktail selections.
Among the Bib Gourmand winners are Grey Gardens, run by renowned Toronto restauranteur Jen Agg, and Indian Food Street Company, a small joint inspired by the old coffee shops found in Delhi and Mumbai.
The winners made history as the first to get a Michelin nod in Canada - a coveted honour that has roots to the tyre company's founding in 1889, but has since become a symbol of success and notoriety globally for the culinary and hospitality industry.
Toronto food blogger Aashim Aggarwal said he did not expect Michelin to recognise more than 70 restaurants across their different award categories.
The selection of star-winning restaurants, however, did not surprise him. "This is a list of largely great spots in my opinion that fit the Michelin mould," Mr Aggarwal said.
But he said he believes Michelin could have done better in reflecting the diversity of the city's culinary landscape in its star selections.
Tuesday's winners on Toronto's Michelin stage, he said, "were almost entirely men representing western European and Japanese restaurants."
Since the initial announcement of the guide in May, a debate already familiar to US cities like New York and Los Angeles was ignited in Toronto on whether Michelin would accurately reflect the city's diverse culinary landscape in its selections.
As Canada's largest and most multicultural city, food writers have often praised Toronto's restaurants for offering both cultural and regional diversity in their dishes.
It is also a city that boasts both a lively centre and suburban neighbourhoods, with locally and internationally acclaimed restaurants scattered all around.
Gwendal Poullennec, the international director for the Michelin Guide, told the BBC that Toronto's "authentic, innovative and collaborative restaurant scene makes it a worthy Michelin destination".
At Tuesday's announcement, Mr Poullennac said Michelin's selections were a good representation of Toronto's strongest culinary talent.
"It is all about what is on the plate, and these restaurants are considered the best in the destination," he said.
Mr Poullennac said Michelin inspectors had been eating in the city since the spring. Suburbs in the Greater Toronto Area, like Markham or Richmond Hill, are not included in the guide, but he said it could expand to include those neighbourhoods in the future.
Destination Toronto, the city's tourism group that partnered with Michelin to bring the guide to the city, said they hope Michelin's arrival will boost tourism as well as cultivate homegrown talent.
Toronto Mayor John Tory, who attended Tuesday's announcement, said the Michelin guide is "one more way for [Toronto] to put itself on the map".
While Toronto has been selected as Canada's first Michelin destination, the tyre company has announced a guide will soon follow in Vancouver.
Canada has its first Michelin guide. Does it matter?
By Nadine Yousif
BBC News, Toronto
Published
1 day ago
A bartender at Alo restaurant in Toronto, consistenly ranked among the best restaurants in the world
The Michelin guide - once heralded as the "Academy Awards" for restaurants - is coming to Canada for the first time. But should a centuries-old Parisian tradition be judge and jury for the country's diverse and ever-changing food scene?
Two years ago, avid food lover Aashim Aggarwal and his partner, Amaara Dhanji, decided to go on a quest.
Unable to travel due to pandemic restrictions, the Toronto couple would instead try a dish from every country in the world by only eating from restaurants in and around their home city.
Mr Aggarwal first saw this challenge being attempted in New York - a city of global influence with a world-renowned culinary scene - but he knew it was possible in Toronto, too.
"I remember thinking, 'Toronto can definitely compete'," Mr Aggarwal told the BBC.
So far, he has been able to try food from 78 countries, with around 45 more to go on his list.
What's impressed Mr Aggarwal the most is not only the number of countries he has sampled food from by just eating in Canada's largest city, but also the variety that exists within each cuisine - a Burmese noodle dish prepared with a recipe from Karachi, or a Thai restaurant specialising in food from the country's northern region.
The food found in Toronto, he said, "is not only regional, but it is deeply personal".
The Michelin guide - once heralded as the "Academy Awards" for restaurants - is coming to Canada for the first time. But should a centuries-old Parisian tradition be judge and jury for the country's diverse and ever-changing food scene?
Two years ago, avid food lover Aashim Aggarwal and his partner, Amaara Dhanji, decided to go on a quest.
Unable to travel due to pandemic restrictions, the Toronto couple would instead try a dish from every country in the world by only eating from restaurants in and around their home city.
Mr Aggarwal first saw this challenge being attempted in New York - a city of global influence with a world-renowned culinary scene - but he knew it was possible in Toronto, too.
"I remember thinking, 'Toronto can definitely compete'," Mr Aggarwal told the BBC.
So far, he has been able to try food from 78 countries, with around 45 more to go on his list.
What's impressed Mr Aggarwal the most is not only the number of countries he has sampled food from by just eating in Canada's largest city, but also the variety that exists within each cuisine - a Burmese noodle dish prepared with a recipe from Karachi, or a Thai restaurant specialising in food from the country's northern region.
The food found in Toronto, he said, "is not only regional, but it is deeply personal".
The business behind Michelin stars
This breadth of the city's food culture will soon be under an international spotlight. Tyre company Michelin has chosen Toronto as the next destination for its coveted restaurant guide - the first in Canada. Restaurants being awarded with one or more Michelin Stars will be unveiled on Tuesday.
Vancouver, Michelin has said, will soon follow.
The arrival of the guide in Toronto - first announced in May by Michelin, the city's mayor, and Canada's federal minister for tourism - has been celebrated by some as an exciting opportunity that will boost exposure for the city, marking it as a global destination for food and travel.
But it has also unearthed a familiar debate seen in other large cities like New York or Los Angeles: Will Michelin's selections reflect the diversity of Toronto's food and dining experiences? Will the guide create pressure on restaurants to live up to the hype?
And does Toronto, where some restaurants have already achieved international acclaim, still need Michelin's seal of approval?
"My first reaction is, it's kind of late," said Toronto food writer Suresh Doss, whose work is focused on showcasing diverse mom-and-pop restaurants and innovative food ventures in the city, especially outside the downtown core.
"If we needed outside recognition, it would have been maybe 10 to 15 years ago," he said.
The process of bringing a Michelin guide to a city is an extensive one, explained Andrew Weir, the executive vice-president of tourism group Destination Toronto.
In Toronto's case, Mr Weir said it began with conversations almost five years ago between two local business owners, Mayor John Tory, and Michelin.
Destination Toronto then got involved and formed a marketing partnership with the company - something he said Michelin has done with other cities - and an assessment process began.
"For some destinations, that assessment might be the end of the road," Mr Weir said, meaning Michelin may determine that a certain city doesn't have a culinary scene strong enough to warrant a long-term guide.
Toronto passed with ease, he said, and the guide was set to launch in 2020. Pandemic disruptions, however, delayed the announcement by two years.
The Michelin guide's existence dates back to 1889, when the brothers behind the brand launched a travel guide in the form of a little red book to encourage transportation - and therefore boost tyre sales - in France.
It has since expanded to other cities around the world, including in Asia and North America. It has also become a living guide - restaurants can earn - and lose - stars.
The process of awarding a Michelin star is shrouded in secrecy. When Toronto's announcement was made, Michelin said anonymous inspectors were already eating around the city, booking their own reservations and using a broad rubric to measure each dining experience.
Throughout the years, Michelin and its stars have ascended as a symbol of success and notoriety in the culinary world - some say akin to a film winning an Academy Award for Best Picture.
But the guide has also received its share of criticism. After the 2021 guide was released, food publication Eater wrote that the choices "stuck to mostly Eurocentric and Japanese selections, leaving out major swaths of the US culinary landscape".
Mr Aggarwal said Michelin tends to reward tasting menus - where dishes are served in small portions - rather than family-style restaurants, an abundance of which exist in Toronto suburbs that are harder to reach by public transit.
Chefs who have been awarded Michelin stars have also spoken out about the pressure they've faced to meet expectations set by the guide. Some have even "given back" their stars by revamping their restaurants, effectively stripping themselves of a Michelin title.
In Toronto, the response has been mixed.
When visiting the city in 2016, the late chef and food journalist Anthony Bourdain told Maclean's magazine that Toronto's restaurants were "doing something right" by not having Michelin at their doorstep.
"Who needs that kind of validation?! I think it's meaningless," Mr Bourdain said.
Some chefs the BBC reached out to for this story did not respond or declined to be interviewed, with one saying they wanted to wait and see how Michelin's arrival plays out in the city.
Toronto is known for being the most diverse city in Canada, and has a culinary scene to match
For Victor Ugweke, who recently launched a food venture in Toronto focused on reimagining the West African Food he grew up eating in Nigeria, the arrival of Michelin won't change his focus on celebrating the food of his culture. He said he hopes that will be the case for other kitchens, too.
This breadth of the city's food culture will soon be under an international spotlight. Tyre company Michelin has chosen Toronto as the next destination for its coveted restaurant guide - the first in Canada. Restaurants being awarded with one or more Michelin Stars will be unveiled on Tuesday.
Vancouver, Michelin has said, will soon follow.
The arrival of the guide in Toronto - first announced in May by Michelin, the city's mayor, and Canada's federal minister for tourism - has been celebrated by some as an exciting opportunity that will boost exposure for the city, marking it as a global destination for food and travel.
But it has also unearthed a familiar debate seen in other large cities like New York or Los Angeles: Will Michelin's selections reflect the diversity of Toronto's food and dining experiences? Will the guide create pressure on restaurants to live up to the hype?
And does Toronto, where some restaurants have already achieved international acclaim, still need Michelin's seal of approval?
"My first reaction is, it's kind of late," said Toronto food writer Suresh Doss, whose work is focused on showcasing diverse mom-and-pop restaurants and innovative food ventures in the city, especially outside the downtown core.
"If we needed outside recognition, it would have been maybe 10 to 15 years ago," he said.
The process of bringing a Michelin guide to a city is an extensive one, explained Andrew Weir, the executive vice-president of tourism group Destination Toronto.
In Toronto's case, Mr Weir said it began with conversations almost five years ago between two local business owners, Mayor John Tory, and Michelin.
Destination Toronto then got involved and formed a marketing partnership with the company - something he said Michelin has done with other cities - and an assessment process began.
"For some destinations, that assessment might be the end of the road," Mr Weir said, meaning Michelin may determine that a certain city doesn't have a culinary scene strong enough to warrant a long-term guide.
Toronto passed with ease, he said, and the guide was set to launch in 2020. Pandemic disruptions, however, delayed the announcement by two years.
The Michelin guide's existence dates back to 1889, when the brothers behind the brand launched a travel guide in the form of a little red book to encourage transportation - and therefore boost tyre sales - in France.
It has since expanded to other cities around the world, including in Asia and North America. It has also become a living guide - restaurants can earn - and lose - stars.
The process of awarding a Michelin star is shrouded in secrecy. When Toronto's announcement was made, Michelin said anonymous inspectors were already eating around the city, booking their own reservations and using a broad rubric to measure each dining experience.
Throughout the years, Michelin and its stars have ascended as a symbol of success and notoriety in the culinary world - some say akin to a film winning an Academy Award for Best Picture.
But the guide has also received its share of criticism. After the 2021 guide was released, food publication Eater wrote that the choices "stuck to mostly Eurocentric and Japanese selections, leaving out major swaths of the US culinary landscape".
Mr Aggarwal said Michelin tends to reward tasting menus - where dishes are served in small portions - rather than family-style restaurants, an abundance of which exist in Toronto suburbs that are harder to reach by public transit.
Chefs who have been awarded Michelin stars have also spoken out about the pressure they've faced to meet expectations set by the guide. Some have even "given back" their stars by revamping their restaurants, effectively stripping themselves of a Michelin title.
In Toronto, the response has been mixed.
When visiting the city in 2016, the late chef and food journalist Anthony Bourdain told Maclean's magazine that Toronto's restaurants were "doing something right" by not having Michelin at their doorstep.
"Who needs that kind of validation?! I think it's meaningless," Mr Bourdain said.
Some chefs the BBC reached out to for this story did not respond or declined to be interviewed, with one saying they wanted to wait and see how Michelin's arrival plays out in the city.
Toronto is known for being the most diverse city in Canada, and has a culinary scene to match
For Victor Ugweke, who recently launched a food venture in Toronto focused on reimagining the West African Food he grew up eating in Nigeria, the arrival of Michelin won't change his focus on celebrating the food of his culture. He said he hopes that will be the case for other kitchens, too.
"I hope as a city, we just keep valuing the food that brings us all together," Mr Ugweke said.
Others spoke out when the initial announcement was made. Jen Agg - a renowned restaurateur in Toronto - wrote in Canada's Globe and Mail in May that the Michelin guide belongs to a "bygone age". She added that she would return a Michelin star if she were to receive one.
But she admitted that "chefs are pretty into Michelin, even the cool ones", and that earning a star means a great deal to people in the restaurant industry who have worked hard for years to perfect their craft.
Working at Michelin-starred facilities was an "incredible experience" for Rudi Fischbacher, who is now the dean of hospitality and culinary arts at Toronto's George Brown College.
He said it enabled him to learn a lot as a cook in a short period of time, by working with high quality ingredients and being part of a kitchen brigade focused on delivering a perfect, consistent dish on each plate.
"I call it the Formula 1 of culinary," Mr Fischbacher said, acknowledging the pressure a star can have on a food or hospitality establishment. "It is so intense."
He also recognised Michelin's efforts to reward more than fine-dining experiences.
There are the Bib Gourmand awards up for grabs, given to restaurants that offer good food at a reasonable price, or the Michelin Green Star, awarded to restaurants who put sustainability practices top of mind when serving their guests.
Above all, Mr Fischbacher said he is excited for the opportunities more international recognition can bring to up and coming local chefs.
For a city that is notorious for losing its talent to places that get more recognition, like New York City or London, Mr Aggarwal agreed that Michelin could be a good thing.
More homegrown talent, he said, may "see a future here".
As for whether it'll change how and where people eat in Toronto, the jury is still out.
For food writer Mr Doss, he said it is the locals' opinion that matters above all else.
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