Clermont-Ferrand (Occitania) 1900. The André and Édouard Michelin brothers decided to draw up and publish a roadmap for the French car pioneers. Eleven years earlier the Michelin wheel factory had been set up and, despite the fact that the business had a great future, they thought that any promotion would not hurt them. Two years earlier, in 1898, the mascot Bibendum was created, with the help of designer O’Galop. Although his name is not well known, the image of the doll became an icon, to the point that sometimes the word “michelín” became a synonym of chichi.

The first Michelín Guide published in 1900 gathered, of course, road maps and gathered the few mechanical and gas stations of the time. In case instructions were also added for wheeling and for the resolution of simple breakdowns, as well as information from emergency physicians.

In the first year, 35,000 units were distributed free of charge, a figure of some 2,400 cars distributed throughout the French State. But the aim of the book, besides meeting the needs of its predecessors, was to create new motorists; if they sold more cars, the Michelin brothers would sell more wheels. And not just in France. In 1904 the Belgian guide was published, in 1907 that of Algeria and Tunisia, and in 1909 the English version was published for the first time.

After the outbreak of the First World War in the 1920s, the Michelin Guide became fatter like a Bibendum doll. It was no longer free and the number of pages was increasing, along with the informative sections. Where to spend the night, where to eat or dine... Hotels and, of course, restaurants began to appear. In 1926, the Michelin brothers thought they needed a symbolic system that could be easily understood to recommend restaurants and decided to use the stars to do so. But the three-star system was not established until 1931. Finally, in 1936 they defined the meaning of the stars:

• A star: a very good restaurant in its category.
• Two stars: an excellent kitchen, it is worth deviating.
• Three stars: one of the best kitchens, it is only worth doing it for this trip.

Under the shadow of the stars another myth emerged, the mysterious army of visionaries who are responsible for valuing the level of restaurants. In 2009, The New Yorker magazine published a report on the Michelin Guide visionaries, which looks like a spy novel: “Michelin has made a huge effort to maintain inspectors’ anonymity. Most of the company’s senior officials have never met the inspectors face to face: they recommend not to talk about the profession with their relatives and relatives; and Michelin has never given them permission to speak with journalists.”