Joseph’s Culinary Pub is now in the Michelin Guide!
The Michelin Guide is known and respected around the world for its listings of exceptional dining establishments. The requirements to qualify are stringent and strictly objective, and being included is an honor granted to relatively few. This year that honor has been awarded to Joseph’s Culinary Pub, one of just seven restaurants in Santa Fe to be recommended in the Michelin Guide’s first Southwest edition.
“It feels great to have been recognized,” says chef/owner Joseph Wrede, with a big smile. “I’m psyched. We heard in January that a Southwest edition was going to be added this year, but there’s no way to prepare, because we had no idea when or how we would be evaluated. So we just carried on as normal, doing what we’ve always been doing, and let the chips fall where they may. I’m very happy about how things turned out.”
Inspection teams use various sources - national and local media, social media, and word-of-mouth recommendations – to decide on potential destinations. Fieldwork is carried out by anonymous inspectors, former hospitality professionals with at least 10 years’ experience. Their identity is kept secret and, like any customer, they pay their own bills.
Places are visited several times by different inspectors, who are given extensive training in the Michelin Guide’s methods and criteria. These are the areas they focus on: quality of ingredients used by the kitchen; harmony of flavors in the dishes; mastery of cooking techniques; how the personality of the chef is reflected in the cuisine; consistency between visits and throughout the menu as a whole. Inspectors visit the same restaurant on different days of the week and during different times of the year before making a final decision, and the same rules apply to all establishments, wherever they are in the world.
The chosen ones are officially announced at a special ceremony, held each year in a different location. This year, for the new Southwest edition, it was Las Vegas. Each recipient receives a special red Michelin plaque to display in their establishment, and since the guide is an annual publication, restaurants are re-evaluated every year.
As Joseph points out, “They have a commitment to the Southwest now, and there’s definitely an appreciation of Spanish, Mexican and Latin food, which is now given much more respect. People are discovering its diversity, and realizing there’s far more to it than chips, salsa and tamales.”
The state’s culinary identity, from traditional New Mexico cuisine to contemporary, gourmet dishes, has also become increasingly familiar to the tourist industry, and the prospect of experiencing Michelin-recommended eating establishments is bound to be an added attraction. It could also bring some much-needed relief to the hospitality industry’s slow times of year.
Joseph is planning to travel more in the coming months, in search of new ideas. “I’m always on the lookout for new dishes to make my own,” he says, “and travel is the key to getting inspiration for the creative process. Winning a Michelin award is great, and we’re thrilled to be recognized. Now I want to get out and see what’s going on out there, because in the end, you’re really only as good as your last meal.”