The Michelin Guide is finally in Pinellas County, and chefs are ready to chase the star
By Mahika Kukday
February 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM EST
For many restaurateurs in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, it means the end of a long period of “feeling left out in the cold,” said Tampa Bay Times restaurant critic Helen Freund.
Whether you prefer a Cuban sandwich from Ybor City or fresh grouper at a waterfront spot near the St. Pete Pier, there’s no denying that Tampa Bay area residents love food.
Now, Pinellas County restaurants are finally eligible for one of the culinary field’s highest honors: a Michelin Star.
This month, the Michelin Guide announced it will expand to St.Pete-Clearwater, Greater Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beaches. In 2026, the guide will begin covering the entire state.
Tampa Bay Times food critic Helen Freund explained that the Michelin Guide used to focus exclusively on only a few cities worldwide, picking up the cost on their own.
But, she said, its latest expansion strategy hinges on payments from tourism marketing agencies.
<i>Tampa Bay Times</i> food critic Helen Freund in the Times newsroom. Her desk is stacked with cookbooks. (6000x4000, AR: 1.5)
For example, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater will pay Michelin $90,000 annually for the next two years, Freund said.
For many restaurateurs in St. Petersburg, it means the end of a long period of “feeling left out in the cold,” according to Freund, especially since Michelin has been covering Tampa since 2022.
“It's created some momentum that we didn't have before,” she said. “There's a lot of creativity. There's a lot of chefs moving in from out of town to work at restaurants there.”
Five restaurants in Tampa hold one-star distinctions. Michelin awards up to three stars.
And Chef Nathan Howey of Fortu in downtown St. Petersburg said his team wants a star of its own.
Untitled
“As a chef and a culinarian, it’s very exciting,” he said. “It’s a goal that many people have and something that we look to achieve and have strived for.”
Howey leads menu development at Benson Hospitality and has experience in everything from butchery to molecular gastronomy.
That will come in handy, as his team will have to be ready at any time for Michelin inspectors, who dine anonymously, frequently and unannounced.
“Good restaurants always have a lot of self-checks, but it's another great layer to ensure that we're doing our job properly and that we're holding ourselves accountable,” he said.
Although Fortu’s elevated Asian-fusion cuisine keeps the dining room full on most days, Freund pointed out that the fine-dining push in Tampa hasn’t always worked.
“I think that some of those restaurants that are charging $300 to $400 a person are having a kind of a rough time right now,” she said. “Bills are still high. Inflation is still running rampant.”
Michelin doesn’t just award stars.
Since 1997, its Bib Gourmand Award highlights restaurants that serve quality food at reasonable prices. The award is widely known as Michelin’s most accessible distinction and one that goes beyond ultraexclusive gastronomic establishments.
Being included in the yearly guide that Michelin announces for its coverage areas is also seen as a feat in itself.
And while chefs may be tweaking their offerings to be honored, Dalia Colon, host and executive producer of WUSF’s The Zest podcast, said the guide itself will be forced to change as well.
“I think even if that guide wants to survive, it needs to turn its attention to sustainable restaurants, BIPOC-owned restaurants, LGBTQ-friendly restaurants,” she said.
Dalia Colon said she rarely eats out, contrary to what most people think when they hear that she hosts WUSF's The Zest podcast. (4284x5712, AR: 0.75)
Both Colon and Freund feel that, in general, Pinellas County diners usually prefer laid-back, diverse local eateries, while the Michelin star has historically been awarded to a certain mold of white-tablecloth restaurants.
And in today’s times, Colon said foodies don’t really view the Michelin Guide the same way they might have previously.
“There are so many places we can get information about restaurants now. It's really been democratized with social media and websites like Yelp; we don't necessarily need these gatekeepers as much as we used to,” she said.
But, she recognized that receiving a star would not only be a dream come true for many chefs -- it could also be an economic boon.
“Restaurants operate on such thin margins that just knowing that you're booked out for the next few months with these people who want to eat at the restaurants in the Michelin Guide is a huge deal,” she said.
Freund and private chef Terrell Manning think Michelin’s presence will attract more than just those traveling diners to Pinellas County.
Manning, a St. Petersburg native who owns a catering company, said “anytime the Michelin Guide goes to a certain place, highly prominent chefs tend to follow.”
Chef Terrell Manning has years of experience in the field, having worked under Michelin-starred chefs himself. (1350x1798, AR: 0.7508342602892102)
He also thinks that it’ll force Michelin’s evaluators out of their comfort zone when considering award recipients.
“I don't think it'll be just your traditional steakhouses, and that's it,” he said. “I think they'll be more open minded. You have to be more open minded when you come to a place like St. Pete that isn't known for just one thing.”
After all, as Colon puts it, Florida’s food scene is a melting pot of diverse cultures and experiences.
Her prediction is that Michelin will look for restaurants that are focusing on sustainability and pushing the boundaries of flavor and innovation.
“That's the future. Just serving beef Wellington on a white tablecloth, that's not going to cut it anymore,” she said.
Michelin will announce the full list of Florida restaurants included in its guide, along with the star and Bib Gourmand recipients, at its annual ceremony, which usually happens in April.
Now, Pinellas County restaurants are finally eligible for one of the culinary field’s highest honors: a Michelin Star.
This month, the Michelin Guide announced it will expand to St.Pete-Clearwater, Greater Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beaches. In 2026, the guide will begin covering the entire state.
Tampa Bay Times food critic Helen Freund explained that the Michelin Guide used to focus exclusively on only a few cities worldwide, picking up the cost on their own.
But, she said, its latest expansion strategy hinges on payments from tourism marketing agencies.
<i>Tampa Bay Times</i> food critic Helen Freund in the Times newsroom. Her desk is stacked with cookbooks. (6000x4000, AR: 1.5)
For example, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater will pay Michelin $90,000 annually for the next two years, Freund said.
For many restaurateurs in St. Petersburg, it means the end of a long period of “feeling left out in the cold,” according to Freund, especially since Michelin has been covering Tampa since 2022.
“It's created some momentum that we didn't have before,” she said. “There's a lot of creativity. There's a lot of chefs moving in from out of town to work at restaurants there.”
Five restaurants in Tampa hold one-star distinctions. Michelin awards up to three stars.
And Chef Nathan Howey of Fortu in downtown St. Petersburg said his team wants a star of its own.
Untitled
“As a chef and a culinarian, it’s very exciting,” he said. “It’s a goal that many people have and something that we look to achieve and have strived for.”
Howey leads menu development at Benson Hospitality and has experience in everything from butchery to molecular gastronomy.
That will come in handy, as his team will have to be ready at any time for Michelin inspectors, who dine anonymously, frequently and unannounced.
“Good restaurants always have a lot of self-checks, but it's another great layer to ensure that we're doing our job properly and that we're holding ourselves accountable,” he said.
Although Fortu’s elevated Asian-fusion cuisine keeps the dining room full on most days, Freund pointed out that the fine-dining push in Tampa hasn’t always worked.
“I think that some of those restaurants that are charging $300 to $400 a person are having a kind of a rough time right now,” she said. “Bills are still high. Inflation is still running rampant.”
Michelin doesn’t just award stars.
Since 1997, its Bib Gourmand Award highlights restaurants that serve quality food at reasonable prices. The award is widely known as Michelin’s most accessible distinction and one that goes beyond ultraexclusive gastronomic establishments.
Being included in the yearly guide that Michelin announces for its coverage areas is also seen as a feat in itself.
And while chefs may be tweaking their offerings to be honored, Dalia Colon, host and executive producer of WUSF’s The Zest podcast, said the guide itself will be forced to change as well.
“I think even if that guide wants to survive, it needs to turn its attention to sustainable restaurants, BIPOC-owned restaurants, LGBTQ-friendly restaurants,” she said.
Dalia Colon said she rarely eats out, contrary to what most people think when they hear that she hosts WUSF's The Zest podcast. (4284x5712, AR: 0.75)
Both Colon and Freund feel that, in general, Pinellas County diners usually prefer laid-back, diverse local eateries, while the Michelin star has historically been awarded to a certain mold of white-tablecloth restaurants.
And in today’s times, Colon said foodies don’t really view the Michelin Guide the same way they might have previously.
“There are so many places we can get information about restaurants now. It's really been democratized with social media and websites like Yelp; we don't necessarily need these gatekeepers as much as we used to,” she said.
But, she recognized that receiving a star would not only be a dream come true for many chefs -- it could also be an economic boon.
“Restaurants operate on such thin margins that just knowing that you're booked out for the next few months with these people who want to eat at the restaurants in the Michelin Guide is a huge deal,” she said.
Freund and private chef Terrell Manning think Michelin’s presence will attract more than just those traveling diners to Pinellas County.
Manning, a St. Petersburg native who owns a catering company, said “anytime the Michelin Guide goes to a certain place, highly prominent chefs tend to follow.”
Chef Terrell Manning has years of experience in the field, having worked under Michelin-starred chefs himself. (1350x1798, AR: 0.7508342602892102)
He also thinks that it’ll force Michelin’s evaluators out of their comfort zone when considering award recipients.
“I don't think it'll be just your traditional steakhouses, and that's it,” he said. “I think they'll be more open minded. You have to be more open minded when you come to a place like St. Pete that isn't known for just one thing.”
After all, as Colon puts it, Florida’s food scene is a melting pot of diverse cultures and experiences.
Her prediction is that Michelin will look for restaurants that are focusing on sustainability and pushing the boundaries of flavor and innovation.
“That's the future. Just serving beef Wellington on a white tablecloth, that's not going to cut it anymore,” she said.
Michelin will announce the full list of Florida restaurants included in its guide, along with the star and Bib Gourmand recipients, at its annual ceremony, which usually happens in April.