Michelin Guide director Gwendal Poullennec on making the ‘difficult but necessary’ calls that can make or break restaurants

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“I’m just passing through, I’m here to ensure continuity,” he says.

When he was growing up between western France and the outskirts of Paris, Poullennec’s family did not frequent a lot of restaurants.

But after studying business, he joined the Michelin group, hoping to be part of its gastronomic guide. After a stint in the company’s tyre factory, he got his wish.

The key trait you need, he says, is a “good appetite” and, as we witnessed over lunch in Paris, to enjoy finishing other people’s dishes out of curiosity.

He recalled his first – gargantuan – meal after joining the guide’s team. It was in Burgundy, the mecca of French gastronomy, where he was served an “entire casserole of tripe” and a “salad bowl of chocolate mousse”.

Poullennec’s break came when he was sent to Japan in 2006 to launch the Michelin Guide’s Tokyo edition – not a simple task in a country so protective of its codified culinary traditions.

As well as getting to eat “sushi by the tonne”, he saw the edition become a big success.

“We sold half a million copies, more than Harry Potter!” he says.

By 2018, he had worked his way up the ranks to be named director of the guide following the retirement of American Michael Ellis.

Poullennec has overseen a new era, including an inevitable shift to an online-first strategy, the acquisition of upstart young competitor Le Fooding, and the spread of the guide to new destinations around the world.

Before his trip to Japan, there were only 10, all in Europe. Today, there are 45 editions covering cities and countries in several continents.

The Michelin Guide is also expanding into hotels. One of Poullennec’s first moves was to buy booking website Tablet, and in the next few weeks Michelin will launch its first hotel reviews (the best receiving keys instead of stars).

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The father of five daughters, Poullennec likes cooking family meals and making his own bread. In restaurants, he looks for “simple and comprehensible cuisine” but “with mastery”.

He refuses to name his favourite dish for fear of being served it ad nauseam, and he generally keeps quiet about his views on particular meals.

Inevitably, the job has made him some enemies.

Star chef Marc Veyrat tried to sue the guide in 2019 after a vehement dispute over a supposed touch of cheddar in his soufflé (cheddar being considered far too cheap an ingredient for a respectable French chef) and the loss of his third star.

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Such incidents are “difficult but necessary” to remain respected by readers, Poullennec says.

A recommendation from Michelin “is based on talent, not on reputation, and even less on how influential they are”, he concludes.