{"id":370082,"date":"2026-06-22T12:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T12:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/370082\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T12:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T12:16:15","slug":"californias-culinary-superstars-to-gather-at-michelin-guide-ceremony-in-san-diego-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/370082\/","title":{"rendered":"California\u2019s culinary superstars to gather at Michelin Guide ceremony in San Diego \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday evening, the culinary stars will collide in downtown San Diego. That\u2019s when The Michelin Guide will bring its California restaurant awards ceremony to San Diego for the very first time.<\/p>\n

At the invitation-only event, Guide officials will unveil the California restaurants that are receiving new Michelin stars for 2026 or retaining the stars they\u2019ve earned in years past. San Diego County restaurants have only been eligible for Michelin recognition since 2019, so luring the awards ceremony here has been a top priority for local restaurant and tourism officials ever since.<\/p>\n

\"WilliamWilliam Bradley, chef-director of San Diego\u2019s Michelin three-star Addison by William Bradley, center, with fellow three-star chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, left, and two-star chef Chris Bleidorn of Birdsong at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)<\/p>\n

Nobody is more proud to be hosting the event in San Diego than William Bradley, the chef-director of Addison by William Bradley. The Chula Vista native opened his restaurant in San Diego\u2019s Carmel Valley 20 years ago, and it is now one of just 14 Michelin three-star restaurants in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo get the ceremony in San Diego was something I really dreamed of and pushed for,\u201d said Bradley. \u201cWhat an opportunity to have so many great chefs here in our hometown and in our own backyard to celebrate as a group all of the great restaurants in the state. We\u2019re so ready to shine in San Diego. We\u2019ve been waiting for this for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chef-DirectorChef-Director William Bradley at Addison by William Bradley, a Michelin three-star restaurant in San Diego\u2019s Carmel Valley, on Friday, May 22, 2026. The restaurant, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, reopened May 19 after a 52-day renovation.\u00a0 (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nThe Michelin effect<\/p>\n

Born in France in 1900, the Michelin Guide was created to boost sales of the company\u2019s car tires. The guide booklet, which recommended restaurants and other spots to visit during cross-country road trips, was a hit (for tire sales and the restaurants). In the 1920s, Michelin stars were introduced and over time they became the international standard for excellence.<\/p>\n

In 2005, the Michelin Guide arrived in the U.S., starting in New York City, followed by the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007 and Chicago in 2011.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the Guide finally expanded its coverage throughout California, thanks to a $600,000 investment in the program by the Visit California tourism organization. Michelin spent the money recruiting and training inspectors with at least 10 years of hospitality industry experience to dine anonymously at restaurants around the state year-round.<\/p>\n

In the first year of statewide eligibility in 2019, Addison by William Bradley earned Southern California\u2019s first Michelin star. Seven years later, San Diego County is now home to 43 Michelin Guide-honored restaurants, including five with Michelin stars, nine with Bib Gourmand awards, which recognize great cooking at great value, and 29 with selection honors, recognizing high-quality food.<\/p>\n

For these local restaurants, Michelin awards have put them on the international map, brought in more business and helped them recruit investors and motivated workers. For local tourism officials, the awards have raised the profile of San Diego as an international culinary destination.<\/p>\n

San Diego Tourism Authority Chief Operating Officer Kerri Kapich said restaurant awards from Michelin, as well as from the James Beard Foundation and Eater.com, give travelers another reason to visit San Diego, stay longer and spend their dollars eating out.<\/p>\n

About $1.6 billion of San Diego\u2019s $14.8 billion visitor economy in 2025 was spent on dining, and most of that was driven by overnight guests, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how fresh our food is here and the quality and diversity of our restaurants,\u201d said Kapich, who has worked in local tourism for more than 20 years. \u201cWhen we talk to travelers about why San Diego is a great place to visit, they\u2019ll talk about our unique local cuisine and the quality of our cuisine.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its 2025 \u201cBeyond the Michelin Stars\u201d study, the accounting firm Ernst & Young found that 60% of international travelers under the age of 34 use the Michelin Guide when choosing a restaurant, and 74% of travelers consider Michelin\u2019s presence in a city as a reason for choosing a destination.<\/p>\n

The study also found that 82% of chefs surveyed reported an increase is overall sales after receiving a Michelin award.<\/p>\n

Chef and restaurateur Roberto Alcocer, whose 4 1\/2-year-old contemporary Mexican restaurant Valle in Oceanside earned its Michelin star in 2023, said there\u2019s a common adage in the industry about how stars impact a restaurant\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say when you get one star, your business grows by 40 percent. If you get two stars, it grows 60 percent, and if you get three stars it grows 100 percent. But when we got our star, our business grew 100 percent,\u201d Alcocer said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The chefs and owners of California\u2019s eight Michelin three-star restaurants at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. At far right is William Bradley, the chef-director at Addison by William Bradley in San Diego. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

\"California\u2019s<\/p>\n

California\u2019s newest Michelin one-star restaurant chefs, from left, Lennon Silvers Lee, Sarah Cooper, Aomboon Deasy, Ki Kim, Nozomi Mori and Eric Bost at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/p>\n

Robert Alcocer is the executive chef of Valle, a contemporary Mexican tasting-menu restaurant in Oceanside, which earned a Michelin star in 2023. (John Gastaldo \/ For the Union-Tribune)\n<\/p>\n

\"Thomas<\/p>\n

Thomas Keller, chef-owner of the Michelin three-star restaurant The French Laundry in Yountville, gives a standing ovation to winners at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

\"William<\/p>\n

William Bradley, chef-director at San Diego\u2019s Michelin three-star restaurant Addison by William Bradley speaks at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

\"William<\/p>\n

William Bradley, chef-director of San Diego\u2019s Michelin three-star Addison by William Bradley, center, with fellow three-star chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, left, and two-star chef Chris Bleidorn of Birdsong at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

\"Restaurateur<\/p>\n

Restaurateur John Resnick, left, and executive chef Eric Bost inside Lilo, their 24-seat tasting menu restaurant in Carlsbad that earned a Michelin star in 2025. (Elodie Bost)\n<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/p>\n

Eric Bost, the executive chef and partner of Michelin-starred Lilo Restaurant in Carlsbad, gets a handshake from the Michelin Man at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 8<\/p>\n

The chefs and owners of California\u2019s eight Michelin three-star restaurants at the 2025 Michelin Guide California Awards Ceremony in Sacramento. At far right is William Bradley, the chef-director at Addison by William Bradley in San Diego. (Marc Patrick \/ BFA.com)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a>
\nThe lure of Michelin<\/p>\n

Two of San Diego County\u2019s five Michelin-starred restaurants are in Carlsbad: Jeune et Jolie, which earned its star in 2021, and the 24-seat Lilo, which landed a star in 2025 just 10 weeks after it opened<\/a>. Both are led by restaurateur John Resnick and executive chef Eric Bost, who is also a partner in Lilo.<\/p>\n

When Resnick opened Jeune et Jolie in December 2018, there was no California Michelin Guide. But meeting Michelin\u2019s high-quality standards was Resnick\u2019s top priority for the contemporary French restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichelin was the mindset. They\u2019re not here, but if they were, we want this to be a one-star restaurant,\u201d he said. \u201cWe wanted to be creating a really great restaurant that\u2019s incredibly delicious, equal parts special occasion and neighborhood restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bost said that when he was growing up, he was fascinated with the \u201cmystique and romanticism\u201d of Michelin-star restaurants, but it was an abstract concept, since the Guide didn\u2019t exist in the U.S. at the time. So in 2001, he moved to Paris to work in French kitchens, and later worked under French master chefs Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy.<\/p>\n

Bost said earning a Michelin star is a proud achievement, but it\u2019s also a big responsibility. Customers expect excellence every night and stars must be re-earned each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about how to keep the team engaged, the restaurants growing and doing better and better each year,\u201d Bost said. \u201cWe\u2019re very conscious of that. It keeps this positive pressure. We have a responsibility to maintain those standards for our guests. It\u2019s an internal compass as much as it is an external recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alcocer said his desire to earn a Michelin star was one of the main reasons he moved to Carlsbad from his native Mexico in 2021 to open Valle in Oceanside. Mexico didn\u2019t launch its Michelin Guide until 2024, but by then Alcocer already had a star under his belt in the U.S.<\/p>\n

How Michelin works<\/p>\n

The Michelin Guide tightly guards the secrecy of its inspectors and its judging process, but the anonymous Chief Inspector of Michelin Guide North America did respond to questions submitted via email by the Union-Tribune.<\/p>\n

Inspectors choose the restaurants they visit based on their knowledge of the region\u2019s gastronomic scene and they pay their own bills. They rate restaurants based on the five criteria Michelin has used in its now-global methodology since 1926: use of quality products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, the voice and personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine and consistency between each visit.<\/p>\n

The decision to award a star is done collegially, meaning several inspectors will visit a potential star restaurant throughout the year to ensure they all agree that the five criteria have been met.<\/p>\n

A Michelin Guide award is not permanent. Every recipient, whether they have a top-tier star or a third-tier selection, are revisited each year to ensure that all five criteria continue to be met.<\/p>\n

In San Diego in 2024, Sushi Tadokoro\u2019s star and Solare\u2019s Bib Gourmand awards were both downgraded to selection status. And since 2019, more than a dozen local restaurants that were named selections have been dropped from the guide completely.<\/p>\n

Even though Addison\u2019s Bradley is in the Michelin major leagues with fellow three-star California chefs like Thomas Keller, Dominique Crenn, Cory Lee and Michael Cimarusti, he said he still finds it nerve-wracking each year to find out whether his stars have been renewed.<\/p>\n

Bradley, Bost and Alcocer said their job as chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants is to never rest on their laurels.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to keep evolving and keep growing. Every time we learn something or see something that could use a small change, we go for it,\u201d Alcocer said.<\/p>\n

In the past year at Valle, Alcocer has introduced a lighter tasting menu for off-hours dining, added patio seating, changed the candles on each table, and he\u2019s now sending diners home with a gift bag stocked with house-made Haba\u00f1era hot sauce and lavender soap made with recycled cooking oil.<\/p>\n

Awards night<\/p>\n

Because so many of California\u2019s top chefs will be in San Diego this week for the ceremony, Addison, Valle, Jeune et Jolie and Lilo will all be expanding their operating hours to accommodate visiting chefs and restaurateurs.<\/p>\n

Resnick and Bost said they\u2019re excited to welcome colleagues from afar who have yet to explore San Diego\u2019s fine-dining community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a rad opportunity for people to come and see how incredible this place is with the great community of restaurants that we\u2019ve forged,\u201d Resnick said. \u201cWe\u2019re all excited and it\u2019s a big point of pride for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the California awards ceremony each year, invited chefs mingle at a reception before the ceremony begins. Then, Michelin officials announce the year\u2019s new and returning star recipients, starting with the one-star tier and concluding with three stars.<\/p>\n

The biggest cheers of the evening always go to restaurants receiving their first-ever star, as well as the rare restaurants fortunate enough to earn a second or third star. California has eight restaurants with three stars, 14 with two stars and 61 with one star.<\/p>\n

Bradley said he\u2019s \u201cpretty confident\u201d there will be some good news for San Diego restaurants on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there will be some chefs that are going to get their star this time around. I want them to. We want more stars here in San Diego. It just makes San Diego more of a destination,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was our goal many years ago to help secure this region on a world map and here we are. It\u2019s going to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are all 43 of the current Michelin Guide honorees in San Diego County:<\/p>\n

Michelin starred: fiveStars honor outstanding cooking, based on the five criteria of ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, the mastery of culinary techniques, how the chef\u2019s personality shines through their cuisine and consistency across the entire menu and over time. Restaurants can earn up to three stars. There are just 14 Michelin three-star restaurants in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Addison by William Bradley, Carmel Valley \u2013 three stars
\nJeune et Jolie, Carlsbad \u2013 one star
\nLilo, Carlsbad \u2013 one star
\nSoichi, North Park \u2013 one star
\nValle, Oceanside \u2013 one star<\/p>\n

Bib Gourmand: nineA Bib Gourmand honors great cooking at great value \u2014 simple, skillful dishes that don\u2019t compromise on quality.<\/p>\n

Atelier Manna, Leucadia
\nCallie, East Village
\nCesarina, Point Loma
\nCiccia Osteria, Barrio Logan
\nCucina Urbana, Bankers Hill
\nDija Mara, Oceanside
\nLola 55, East Village
\nMabel\u2019s Gone Fishing, North Park
\nMorning Glory, Little Italy<\/p>\n

Selections: 29This represents high-quality food.<\/p>\n

Artifact at Mingei, Balboa Park
\nA.R. Valentien, La Jolla
\nBorn & Raised, Little Italy
\nCatania, La Jolla
\nCampfire, Carlsbad
\nCoasterra, Harbor Island
\nCloak & Petal, Little Italy
\nCraft & Commerce, Little Italy
\nThe Fishery, Pacific Beach
\nFort Oak, Mission Hills
\nGreat Maple, Hillcrest
\nHerb & Wood, Little Italy
\nHidden Fish, Convoy District
\nHimitsu, La Jolla
\nJuniper & Ivy, Little Italy
\nKingfisher, Golden Hill
\nLucien, La Jolla
\nMarket Restaurant + Bar, Del Mar
\nMenya Ultra, Convoy District
\nNine-Ten, La Jolla
\nParadisaea, Bird Rock, La Jolla
\nSiamo Napoli, North Park
\nSer\u00e9a Coastal Cuisine, Coronado
\nSolare, Liberty Station
\nSushi Tadokoro, Old Town
\nTanner\u2019s Prime Burgers, Oceanside
\nTrust, Hillcrest
\n24 Suns, Oceanside
\nSovereign, East Village<\/p>\n

For the complete list of all California Michelin Guide honorees, visit\u00a0guide.michelin.com\/us\/en\/california\/restaurants<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Wednesday evening, the culinary stars will collide in downtown San Diego. That\u2019s when The Michelin Guide will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370083,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[387,7,9,8,421,181,412,1969,74,84,420],"class_list":["post-370082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-business","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-food-and-drink","tag-latest-headlines","tag-restaurants","tag-retail","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}