I Spent Years Fighting Michelin Stars. Then I Got One and Broke Down Crying.

I built Relæ to be the opposite of everything Michelin stood for. No linen. Loud music. A restaurant for the people who cook in it — not the reviewers, the guides and the accolades. I despised everything about the Michelin Guide, then they gave us a star. This is the story of the award I never wanted — and why I cried when it arrived anyway. -- I am Christian F. Puglisi, a chef and former restaurant owner. 25 years in professional kitchens. Taillevent, El Bulli. Sous-chef at Noma. Opened Relæ in Copenhagen in 2010 (Michelin star). Scaled to five restaurants and 150 employees. Manfreds, Bæst, Mirabelle, Rudo, Farm of Ideas. Sold it all in 2025. Now I write, teach, and cook up thoughts about the cooking life. __ 0:00 I swore I didn't want one 0:21 What Relæ was actually trying to be 4:49 The wrong award 7:00 Becoming a father 8:07 The anonymous visit 12:45 The flight home -- 📧 Subscribe to my Substack to receive the recipes and my thoughts on cooking in your inbox https://chrifrapug.substack.com/subsc...