The first encounter with a three-star restaurant was in 2007, at The French Laundry, but then Matthias Ruhl visited them all, chronicling them on his blog Travels For Stars.
The story
A passion for fine dining is often reserved for the few. But there are those who have made this passion a mission: to visit all three-Michelin-starred restaurants around the world. Matthias Ruhl, with his insatiable curiosity for signature gastronomy, has accomplished a feat that has the unbelievable, succeeding -exactly- in eating in the 145 restaurants at the top of the Guide score scattered among various continents. Born in Freiburg in 1973 and moved to the United States for work, Ruhl has not always had a close relationship with fine dining. Growing up in a family where frozen pizza reigned supreme, his love of food only blossomed after moving to California, especially with the release of the first local edition of the prestigious guide in 2006.
His first encounter with a three-star restaurant was in 2007, at The French Laundry, an icon of world cuisine in Yountville. Ruhl says he felt overwhelmed by that first experience, almost as if he could not fully grasp the complexity of the dishes. But his curiosity has not stopped, and over the years he has honed his palate, turning into a true culinary explorer who chronicles his tastings on the blog www.travelsforstars.com, sharing the dining experience mostly with his wife. Visiting three Michelin stars day after day is no easy feat, even for an enthusiast like him. Eating tasting menus for many days in a row requires no small amount of physical endurance, so much so that even world-renowned critics, such as a well-known New York Times pen, have had to give up such tight rhythms.
Ruhl admits that he was only able to keep up the pace through jogging and strategic food breaks. He tells Rolling Pin magazine about a time when he visited eight restaurants in as many days, a marathon that led him to fast during the rest of the day in order to approach each meal with the right focus. An interesting aspect of Ruhl's journey is the accessibility he found in many starred restaurants. We often tend to imagine that such establishments impose strict dress codes, or that there is an almost intimidating air of formality. On the contrary, Ruhl points out how in many gourmet establishments things have changed: "Haute cuisine is becoming more and more accessible. The audience is not only over 60, but more and more young people are going there. Also, restaurants where suits and ties are required are almost disappearing: at most, jackets are required." Especially in California, it happens that you can even show up in jeans and t-shirts.
During his long gastronomic journey, Ruhl has traveled all over the world, discovering the differences between the starred cuisines of different cultures. In Asia, for example, he found himself in an Italian restaurant that, despite having three Michelin stars, would never have achieved the same rating in Italy. This reflects how cuisine adapts to local tastes, sometimes to the detriment of the perception of those from other cultures. However, for Ruhl, the essence of starred cuisine lies in the philosophy that each chef tries to convey through his or her dishes, whether it be French, Asian or the increasingly popular Nordic cuisine influences.
Among his favorites, the food blogger cites restaurants such as Alinea in Chicago, Martín Berasategui in Spain, and Waldhotel Sonnora in Germany. However, it is Switzerland that he says offers the best value for money when it comes to three-star restaurants. Here, establishments such as Cheval Blanc and Hôtel de Ville have never let him down, maintaining a consistent level of culinary excellence. Visiting every three-star Michelin restaurant on the planet might seem like the ultimate goal for a haute cuisine aficionado, but for Ruhl it is not so. Unlike those who scale all the world's highest peaks and then have no new challenges, the world of starred gastronomy is constantly evolving. Every year new restaurants reach the coveted accolade, and Ruhl has no intention of stopping.
What the food writer has shown is that the love of good food can drive one to travel, discover and savor the world in ways that many can only dream of. And his adventure is proof that cooking, when done well, is not just a sensory experience, but a real journey into the soul of the person who creates it.
