The MICHELIN Guide announces its addition of 2 new awards: the MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award, the MICHELIN Guide Service Award, and a new distinction, the MICHELIN green star, to the 2021 MICHELIN Guide Thailand’s portfolio of accolades.

The move demonstrates the MICHELIN Guide’s true appreciation for the entire restaurant ecosystem; while these new accolades are believed to help elevate the standards of Thailand’s culinary industry on all fronts and levels, and – during these tough times – boost the morale of restaurant professionals, and encourage consumer patronage of local dining establishments.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of MICHELIN Guides, revealed: “Launching these two new awards and a new distinction shows that our recognition goes beyond the search for the best quality of food. Our inspectors are more than eager to train the spotlight on the talent and commitment of restaurant teams, who put all their passion and know-how to create unforgettable gastronomic experiences.”

The three accolades newly introduced, are: the MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award, given to a young starred chef with exceptional talent and great potential; the MICHELIN Guide Service Award given to a restaurant personality, who has a genuine passion for service, in making all customers feel special and enjoy a truly wonderful dining experience; and a brand-new distinction, the MICHELIN green star, given to one or more restaurants that outstandingly embody and embrace sustainability in its day-to-day operations – such as recycling, food waste reduction, or promotion of local and seasonal ingredient sourcing. Winners of these awards are selected based on researches and data collected from the MICHELIN Guide inspectors’ fieldwork.

Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said: “New MICHELIN Guide awards serve not only as an inspiration for chefs, restaurant professionals and entrepreneurs, to be dedicated in developing themselves and operating with environmental sustainability in mind; but also as a morale booster for them to overcome challenges along the road to their goal and success. Driven by the MICHELIN Guide awards, Thailand’s culinary and restaurant industry is moving towards excellence that is imbued with true Thai identity and authenticity – the uniqueness that will lead Thailand towards the ultimate goal of becoming a world-class sustainable tourism destination.”

The 2021 MICHELIN Guide for Thailand is scheduled to be released at the end of 2020, in a bilingual edition (Thai and English) and available in both print and digital versions.