Apart from this food blog I have been tending to for over 15 years (since 2010!) and leading food & wine tours in Florence as a sommelier, I’m also a freelance writer.
The TLDR of this post links to my latest bylines for the prestigious Michelin Guide! Very proud of the articles filed as part of a guide compiled alongside fine local talent with exceptional editors. Read on for the tea and link cookies!
Sometimes I joke what does a tire company have anything to do with wielding authority over the fine dining world, arguably revolutionizing it?
For those of you familiar, surely this answer is quite obvious!
Provide free travel guides to tire customers, thus subtly encouraging travel. More miles, more wear and tear = more tires sold.
The original business model/logic doesn’t seem to hold much today, but yet the brand is still extremely relevant. The selections from inspectors some of the most trusted in the whole food media world.
I’m no expert (and I’m not sure you’re so interested in learning) in the nuts and bolts of their current revenue stream. I’m not here to even write an origin piece!
As a food writer, the Michelin guide has always been one of those career goal gigs I always hoped to one day land.
Whenever I travel myself, I reference a handful of sources like an Eater guide (a little biased here as I also write for Eater), CNT and/or suggestions from another fellow local writer. Not just for fancy stars, I trust the picks in the Michelin guide. A lot of people assume if a restaurant or eatery is in the Michelin guide, it must have distinction (i.e. stars), but the guide does include a mix of casual spots worthy of mention.
NB: An inspector who is apart of selections and assigning distinctions is different from a writing contributor like myself. I’m not an inspector!
So you can understand I was extremely stoked to be commissioned a collection of pieces for their latest comprehensive guide to Florence.
Any restaurants mentioned in the articles me and others curated for the Florence guide usually drew from existing listings. I believe more additions & updates are in the works, but if you’re looking for more suggestions for traditional eateries, comment and you shall receive!
If you’re visiting Florence and Michelin is at all on your radar, I highly encourage you all to check out the guide. More travel focused including itineraries and hotel tips, you’ll find some well-written pieces by fellow local writers (some of whom I am lucky to call supportive friends) like Georgette of Girl in Florence and Mary Gray (EIC of Italy Magazine).
Full disclosure: both are friends and whose writing I genuinely enjoy). Laura Rysman’s work is also in the guide (her IG page) who I don’t know personally but have been following her writing on NYT.
Here’s some links:
The Michelin guide to Florence with interviews and extremely helpful curated guides & articles by the writers cited above. https://guide.michelin.com/en/travel-guide/florence-travel-guide
Links to my pieces for the Michelin Guide:
Florence for Wine Lovers (where to eat and drink)
Top Picks for Dining Solo in Florence, Italy
Essential Dishes of Florence and Where to Eat Them
Tuscan Flavors at Florence’s Best Trattorias
Florence’s Most Romantic Restaurants
(There’s more to be published, and will add more here or on my Press Clipping page if you’d like to peruse more of my past & future bylines)
In your love for Florence (and all things Italy) trust,
Curious Appetite