Michelin and the Colorado Tourism Office have announced the Michelin Guide Colorado, the latest expansion of the Michelin Guide.
Colorado has a rich culinary community that includes both established, notable chefs and innovative up-and-comers. Their restaurant teams are committed to using a wide range of high-quality ingredients, sourced locally and sustainably, with farm-to-table dining being a particular highlight. Colorado’s mountainous terrain has influenced its culinary landscape, with many restaurants offering dishes inspired by the state’s outdoor lifestyle. Colorado’s gastronomy is influenced by German, Hispanic and Native American cultures; the state is home to several Native American tribes, including the Ute, Navajo and Apache.
The famously anonymous Michelin Guide inspectors award the iconic Michelin Stars – one, two or three – to unparalleled cuisine. The Guide is also renowned for its Bib Gourmand selection, highlighting restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices. The Michelin Green Star is given to restaurants that are leaders in sustainable gastronomy. Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the inspectors.
The first Michelin Guide Colorado selection will be revealed later in 2023, and it will cover Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass Village, the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort.
“Colorado has a dynamic culinary scene – one that’s perfect for the Michelin Guide,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the Michelin Guides. “The state’s hotspot locations feature many creative restaurant teams and an exciting mix of flavors. A blend of cultural influences provides chefs inspiration to reinvent classic dishes. 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!”
Meticulous in maintaining their confidentiality, Michelin Guide inspectors are already in the field, making dining reservations anonymously and paying for all their meals to ensure they are treated the same as any other customer.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Michelin Guide to highlight the exceptional cuisine, sustainability efforts and innovation of the culinary industry in Colorado,” said Timothy Wolfe, Director of the Colorado Tourism Office. “Colorado residents have long enjoyed the expanding food scene of our incredibly talented chefs, who bring locally harvested ingredients to life. 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.”
The Michelin Guide is constantly observing the evolution of culinary destinations around the world. Michelin works with Destination Marketing Organisations, or tourism boards, to promote the travel industry in the respective locations; however, the Michelin Guide selections process remains completely independent and determined by anonymous inspectors. The Michelin Guide is working with the Colorado Tourism Office on marketing and promotion activities only.
Michelin published its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have since been added in Washington, D.C.; Chicago; California; Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida; Toronto; and Vancouver.
