BREAKING NEWS: One of Singapore’s Top Chefs, André Chiang Returns 'Home' to Taiwan, Returns Michelin Stars and Requests RAW In Taipei To Be Excluded. Is Michelin Losing Its Value?
by Darinee Durai
@ 11 Oct 2017
Many chefs like Andre Chiang live to be recognized in the Michelin Guide. After all, it’s the benchmark of stellar cuisine that all chefs hope to achieve at least once in their lifetime. 41-year-old Taiwan-born Chef Chiang received his first Michelin award in 2016 when Restaurant Andre was awarded 2 Michelin-stars and for the second time when the restaurant was awarded the same number of stars in 2017. Could that have been the reason? Chef Chiang was pushing his team, striving hard to gain a third Michelin-star – which would be the epitome of perfection for the Michelin Guide. So why is the perfectionist leaving before snatching the third and final star?
His official statement is as below:
Restaurant Andre is the first in Singapore to relinquish the coveted stars just after the second edition of Michelin Guide in Singapore, but not the first in the world to do so (as reported in Cuisine&Wine Asia at:
http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/main.php/blog/details/3405/ ). Is the Michelin Guide losing its relevancy? Who’s next, we all wonder? What’s going to happen to his closely-knit team? Will Michelin agree to not include RAW even if the restaurant matches the Michelin's Guide criteria?
While so many questions remain unaswered, Restaurant Andre will serve its last service on 14 February 2018.
