In what was the most cringeworthy California Michelin Guide ceremony ever, Monday night’s 2024 awards gala in Half Moon Bay left a bitter taste in the mouth of thousands of viewers unable to watch the event.
Considered the Oscars of the food world, the annual California Michelin Guide awards can make or break a restaurant.
But a last minute technical malfunction with live streaming equipment at the invite-only event sent home audiences scrambling to find alternative live streams.
Even for attendees, the stunning lack of new stars and confusion over who would keep (or lose) stars left a pall over what’s usually one of the most anticipated events in the restaurant world.
In a press release sent after the event, however, more details were provided.
Sonoma and Napa received no new stars for 2024. Barndiva, in Healdsburg, lost its star after changing its concept from fine dining to a casual cafe in January.
Molti Amici was the only North Bay restaurant to receive a new Bib Gourmand award. That distinction is given to restaurants with good food at a moderate price.
The (still) winners
There were still plenty of winners who maintained stars from 2023 in the new California Michelin Guide, including Healdsburg’s SingleThread (3 stars), The French Laundry in Yountville (3 stars) and Harbor House in Elk (2 stars).
Keeping their one-star status are Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford), Auro (Calistoga), Cyrus (Geyserville), Kenzo (Napa) and Press (St. Helena).
Maintaining Bib Gourmand status: Ciccio (Yountville), El Molino Central (Sonoma), FolkTable (Sonoma), Glen Ellen Star (Glen Ellen), Khom Loi (Sebastopol), Ramen Gaijin (Sebastopol), Stockhome (Petaluma) and Valley (Sonoma).
So, what happened?
From the start of Monday’s Golden State Michelin Guide event, things were chaotic as eager chefs, hospitality workers, restaurateurs and journalists awaited the start of a 7 p.m. live feed to watch the awards.
After an agonizing wait, the Michelin YouTube channel announced that the livestream wouldn’t be viewable.
“We are terribly sorry and are excited to share the news with you, so please check back and we’ll post links to the stories detailing the awards as they are announced.” (They weren’t.)
Local chef Rogelio Garcia of Auro restaurant in Calistoga (a 2023 and 2024 one-star winner) was in attendance and pointed his phone toward the stage in a live Instagram feed. At one point, nearly 300 people were watching, including several local chefs. Journalists from Eater LA provided running commentary of the foibles while live streaming to Instagram.
Exactly who was winning awards was often unclear with shaky handheld video, loud background noise and videographers for the event frequently standing in front of the stage.
“And thanks to everyone watching at home,” said the event’s host, awkwardly wrapping up the event, somehow unaware of the glitch.
To which one Instagram-watcher replied: “This stream gets no stars.”
The first American Michelin Guide was released in 2005 for New York. San Francisco and the Bay Area were added in 2008, with the statewide California guide first appearing in 2019. The Michelin Guide was first published in France in 1900 to encourage car travel (and the use of Michelin tires) and offered hotel and restaurant recommendations.