Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, a new documentary presented by Topjaw’s Jesse Burgess, follows some of the world’s best chefs and restaurants as they seek to attain and retain what in many people’s eyes are the ultimate gastronomic accolade: Michelin stars.
Premiering on Apple TV+ on 10 October, the eight-part series focuses on restaurants from London to Los Angeles, Mexico City to Copenhagen, during the year-long Michelin Guide season.
If the trailer below is anything to go by, there will be stress, elation and tears as Burgess follows restaurant teams pushing themselves to the limit to be included in the famous Red Guide, which can make or even break a restaurant if the Guide decides to take a star away.
The documentary is the work of Studio Ramsay Global, chef Gordon Ramsay’s production company, a man who is no stranger to the world of Michelin and whose pursuit of a third star for his flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London made the late 1990s documentary Boiling Point so gripping.
Interestingly, the series also speaks to the mysterious Michelin inspectors to get an insight into how the judging process works. Michelin’s inspectors are famously anonymous, shadowy figures, but many chefs know who at least some of them are, or have their suspicions. In the clip, you get the sense of those suspicions rippling through kitchens and dining rooms in hushed tones with everyone on high alert.
It will also be curious to see how much the series explores the toll the pursuit of Michelin stars has on the mental and physical health of the pursuers.
Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the presence of chef Emily Roux, whose London restaurant, Caractère, did in fact win a Michelin star earlier this year. So, there is at least one happy ending to look forward to.
