The MICHELIN Guide Is Coming to the South!
The South is getting its stars ... its MICHELIN stars! The MICHELIN Guide has announced its debut in the American South, focused on six states in the region. We've got the scoop! Image: Andrew Thomas Lee/ Locust
Get ready to break out the buttermilk biscuits and pop the Champagne — because the MICHELIN Guide has officially arrived in the American South!
This isn’t just a quick swing through the big cities; it’s the first-ever regional MICHELIN Guide in North America, covering six diverse states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, joining the preexisting Atlanta Guide. That’s a whole lot of Southern-inspired, chef-driven fare finally getting the five-star treatment it deserves.
Announced on April 2, this news made waves. Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, couldn’t have said it better. “The cuisine of the American South is a unique product of diverse influences… prepared by proud and impressive culinary talent.”
Translation? The rest of the world is about to discover what Southern cooks have known all along — flavor, soul, and innovation don’t always need white tablecloths or foie gras foam (though we love those, too).
Vivek Surti, chef and owner of Nashville’s Tailor tells us, “I’m very excited to see MICHELIN highlight the amazing cuisine of the American South, and especially of my hometown, Nashville. Nashville is a city with soul, offering world-class dining, unique culinary experiences, and wholesome Southern hospitality. Our region features an amazing network of local farmers, producers and artisans. As chefs and restaurateurs continue to honor, build, and innovate our food culture, I hope many are able to be recognized so that more people can see what Nashville and the American South have to offer.”
While MICHELIN Guides in places like New York, California, and D.C. have largely focused on major metropolitan areas, this new Southern edition dares to drive the backroads. From shrimp and grits on a Charleston porch to hot chicken served with unapologetic spice in Nashville, the anonymous MICHELIN inspectors are already weaving their way across state lines, stuffing their notebooks (and bellies) with under-the-radar delights.
This regional approach, created in partnership with Travel South USA, is all about widening the culinary lens. Liz Bittner, Travel South USA’s president and CEO, calls it a long-overdue recognition: “Our region has long deserved global recognition for its extraordinary farm-to-table cuisine, world-class seafood, and rich food culture,” she says.
And let’s be honest, this is the kind of road trip we’d all sign up for.
For those new to the MICHELIN world, their inspectors operate with stealth, and their method encompasses five consistent, global criteria: quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, mastery of techniques, the chef’s unique culinary voice, and consistency.
That means whether it’s a catfish po’boy from a gas station counter or a slow-braised oxtail from a James Beard Award-winning chef, it all gets judged by the same exacting standards.
The MICHELIN Guide may have been born to sell tires in 1900s France, but today it’s a badge of culinary excellence. Its expansion into the South isn’t just a win for the region — it’s a love letter to a cuisine that’s long been undervalued on the global stage. One that draws on African, French, Native American, and Appalachian influences. One where Sunday supper and kitchen gardens are still sacred. One that knows how to make collards sing and cornbread crumble just right.
And to the women stirring, baking, braising, and inventing in kitchens across the South? This one’s for you. Whether you’re running a food truck, a mom-and-pop restaurant, or keeping three generations well-fed and delighted, you’ve helped put the South on the global culinary map.
Stay tuned for the 2025 MICHELIN Guide American South reveal. Until then, keep your cast irons hot and your reservations flexible — because soon, your favorite local spot might be wearing a star. Or three!
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.