A French chef was furious when La Maison des Bois, his restaurant in the Haute-Savoie area of France, which borders Switzerland and Italy, received a two-star rating in the 2019 guide.
Marc Veyrat sued the guide in September and demanded a full explanation after losing top rating.
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But the French court declined his case and ordered him to pay costs. The 69-year-old chef had no proof of showing that his material was damaged.
“This decision enshrines the freedom to criticize and enshrines the fact that his grievances were imaginary and unfounded,” said Richard Malka, the lawyer representing the Michelin Guide.
Richard Malka: “Marc Veyrat complained about a review that is really good, since he has two stars, and he claimed that it was not normal. But like any public personality, Mr. Veyrat is subject to critics and opinions.”
Mr. Veyrat said in a phone interview after the ruling was made public that he would “keep fighting against Michelin’s people.”
“They offended me, I’ve had enough,” he told Reuters.
‘’I don’t want to be part of the Michelin Guide anymore,” Mr. Veyrat said. “I don’t want to have to deal with these people. They are bad, bad, bad.”
He has previously said that since the restaurant lost one of its stars he has struggled to sleep.
“Can you imagine the sense of shame I feel? I am the first chef in history to have won a star and lost it the next year,” Veyrat said in an interview with French media outlet Le Point in July.
“Every morning, I wake up with that in my head. I’m at the end of my tether, I struggle to sleep, I hardly eat any more … I’m on medication. I’ve had dark thoughts.”
Michelin, however, described the chef a “narcissistic diva” and said the case was about freedom of opinion and criticism.
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