The Michelin Guide, a cult book of culinary criticism, lists restaurants of excellence around the world. Their inspectors are numerous and visit hundreds of establishments in many countries every day. But who are they? How do they work?
He lived in anonymity for 37 years, guarding his secret carefully. Werner Loens, recently retired Michelin Guide inspector, exceptionally confides in our team.
In his job, the search for anonymity was permanent. In addition to regularly assuming false names, he juggled between several email addresses: “We also have two SIM cards in our phones, one for private and one for reservations. The number changes every six months” he confides.
We eat ten meals a week
During his career, he was employed by the guide. He defines himself as “a professional eater”: “We are on the road every day, we eat seven to eight meals a week in restaurants, lunch and dinner. When we are abroad and we do intercontinental trips, we leave for two or three weeks and then we eat ten meals a week.“.
During his career Werner will have traveled 1,600,000 km, will have traveled around the world four times and eaten 8,500 meals. In his phone, he keeps photos of dishes that he has tasted and analyzed according to very precise criteria: “First there is the quality of the product, does it taste, is it fresh. And also the personality, how the product and its toppings are presented. It is also the know-how, the cooking, the mastery of seasonings. And then consistency, the fact that a dish is always the same“.
The harsh reality of the stars
Being an inspector brings with it some pleasant surprises, but also some disappointments. For example, the restaurant “Comme chez soi” was downgraded by one star. Announcing the bad news is a real heartbreak: “I have a fantastic job, which I love, except the day I have to tell the restaurateurs that they have lost their star. It is very painful, but it is even more painful for them.“.
For Werner, the passion remains present, because the cuisine is constantly evolving. From now on, he pays his own bills, a major change, but one that will not prevent him – he tells us – from returning to the restaurant at least once a week.
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