MICHELIN and the Colorado Tourism Office announce the MICHELIN Guide Colorado, the latest expansion of the MICHELIN Guide.
2023 is shaping up to be a delicious year. Having reintroduced California in 2021 and Florida last year, the newest destination for the MICHELIN Guide is Colorado. Known for having a rich culinary community rooted in established, notable chefs along with innovative upstarts, the Rocky Mountain state highlights technique and craft. “Colorado has a dynamic culinary scene, one that’s perfect for the MICHELIN Guide,” says Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guide. “The state’s locations feature many creative restaurant teams and an exciting mix of flavors."
Those flavors are thanks to a coupling of hyperlocal produce and ingredients, sourced sustainably, and the unique cultural influences of the region including German, Hispanic and Native American cultures. (The state is home to several Native American tribes, including the Ute, Navajo and Apache.) “Colorado residents have long enjoyed the expanding food scene of our incredibly talented chefs, who bring locally harvested ingredients to life," says Timothy Wolfe, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office. "The MICHELIN Guide will further elevate Colorado as a global dining destination, serving a variety of flavors with the authentically friendly attitude that can only be found in Colorado.”
While the first MICHELIN Guide Colorado selection will be revealed later in 2023, it will cover Aspen and Snowmass Village, Boulder, Denver, the town of Vail, and Beaver Creek Resort. "We are thrilled to partner with the MICHELIN Guide to highlight the exceptional cuisine, sustainability efforts, and innovation of the culinary industry in Colorado,” says Wolfe. "And it all starts with the freshest seasonal ingredients, such as local fruits, vegetables, fish, and game. Gourmets will travel from near and far to get a taste of what 'Colorful Colorado' has to offer!” adds Poullennec.
The 2023 Colorado restaurant selection joins the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels later this year and features the most unique and exciting places to stay in Colorado and around the world.
History and Methodology
The upcoming Colorado restaurant selection follows MICHELIN’s historical methodology, based on five universal criteria, to ensure each destination’s selection equity:
1) quality products
2) the harmony of flavors
3) the mastery of cooking techniques
4) the voice and personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine
5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year)
The MICHELIN Guide was first published in France in 1900 as an accompaniment to tire sales providing practical advice on where to dine and stay to local motorists. MICHELIN’s Inspectors still adhere to the same criteria and manner of selection used from launch, and apply them to destinations around the world.
MICHELIN published its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Since then, Guides have been added in Chicago; California; Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida; Washington, D.C.; Toronto; and Vancouver.
