Hotel and Restaurant Management

The Michelin Guide

Started by the Michelin brothers in 1889 as a method to encourage French people to travel by car - and boost car and tire sales - the small red guide was filled with handy information for travelers, such as maps, information on how to change a tire, where to fill up on petrol, and a listing of places to eat or take shelter for the night. The iconic guide book evolved into a coveted status for restaurants - a star rating can make or break a business. 

The restaurant rating system was first introduced in 1926 as a single star, with the second and third stars introduced in 1933. According to the Guide, one star signifies "a very good restaurant", two stars are "excellent cooking that is worth a detour", and three stars mean "exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey". The listing of starred restaurants is updated once a year.

Michelin Official Home Page

More about the Ratings and what they mean - To the stars and beyond

Who are the Michelin inspectors and what are they looking for? - The Inspection Process

ElBulli is widely regarded as the world's best restaurant until its closure in 2011. Having held three Michelin stars from 1997 to 2011 and regularly voted 'Best Restaurant in the World' by a panel of 500 industry professionals, elBulli was at the forefront of the restaurant scene from when Ferran Adrià became sole head chef in 1987.

The restaurant only opened for six months every year in order that the rest of the year could be spent developing a completely new menu for each season. Many hours of development work went into the creation of each spectacular dish at the purpose-built elBulli workshop in Barcelona, and the gastronomic innovations of the creative team continue to influence restaurants and chefs around the world.

The following cookbooks have all been produced by award-winning restaurants. They can all be found in the Exchange District Campus Library location.

For more award winners check out the page on James Beard Award Winners - for award-winning cookbooks.

Canada's Top 100 can be found here - Canada's 100 Best Restaurants

For a list of the newest books in the library check out New Materials.

Do you have a title to recommend for our collection? Use the Suggest a Purchase form to suggest a book, video or journal.

Are you an RRC Polytech staff or student with suggestions or feedback that can help improve this guide? Please contact this guide's author on the "Getting Started" page.