TAMPA, Fla. — Three Tampa restaurants are now proudly sporting one of the most exclusive honors in the food world: a Michelin Star.
The Michelin Guide, seen as the holy grail for chefs and food fanatics across the globe, held an invitation-only ceremony Thursday night in Miami to award Rocca, Koya and Lilac the highly-coveted designation.
Using a rating system based on the quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, mastery of techniques, and how the personality of a chef is expressed through their food, anonymous Michelin inspectors give out stars to restaurants with excellent cuisine worth traveling for.
Rocca, Koya and Lilac
Only four new stars were dished out in the 2023 edition of the Florida Michelin Guide, and three of them went to Tampa restaurants. The fourth went to Miami Beach's Tambourine Room.
If Michelin's 120 years of experience recognizing the best restaurants in the world doesn't speak for itself, receiving a Michelin star is a huge deal – especially given that Tampa missed out on stars when the guide first came to Florida in 2022.
The honor also solidifies Tampa's position as an international dining destination.
In addition to the stars, Michelin awarded Bib Gourmands to two Tampa restaurants: Gorkhali Kitchen and Psomi.
Named after Bibendum, the big, white Michelin Man, the award is given to restaurants that offer "exceptionally good food at moderate prices."
In total, Tampa now has 18 recommended restaurants, three Bib Gourmands and three starred restaurants in the Michelin Guide.
Tampa also represented in the special awards presentation. Lilac General Manager Matthew Braden earned the Michelin Outstanding Service Award while Psomi owner Christina Theofilos earned the Michelin Young Chef Award.
If you're wondering if this is the same Michelin that makes the tires — it is.
The small red travel guidebook was first created in 1889 in France by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin to get more drivers on the road, and in turn, sell more tires. Now, it's used by foodies across the world to know which restaurants are worth traveling to.