Michelin unveils first ever California Guide, hands out seven two-star distinctions and 27 single stars

The first Michelin Guide awards ceremony for the State of California was held on Huntington Beach in California yesterday. 

Seven restaurants received two stars for the first time, and 27 were awarded a single star. The eight three-star restaurants in the guide remained the same: Atelier Crenn, Benu, The French Laundry, Manresa, Quince, The Restaurant at Meadowood and SingleThread. 

Six restaurants in Los Angeles were given two stars for the first time,

including chef Jordan Kahn's Vespertine, José Andrés' Somni, and the seafood-centric Providence in Hollywood, manned by chef owner Michael Cimarusti.

Another newcomer to the two-star list is San Francisco's Campton Place, whose chef, Srijith Gopinathan, specialises in Californian-Indian cuisine and has held a single star for the past nine years. 

The 27 new one star restaurants are more geographically diverse - though there are still twelve are in LA - and include Aubergine in Monterey, the Central Coast's first restaurant to receive a Michelin star, the critically-acclaimed Dialogue in Santa Monica and Sacramento's first and ever Michelin-starred restaurant, The Kitchen. 

A common criticism of the Guide is that it favours classic fine dining restaurants with an inclination for Japanese and (French) European cuisines. Chef Carlos Salgado's Taco María in Orange County was one of the few exceptions to the rule this year, receiving its first Michelin star. 

International Director of the guide, Gwendal Poullennec said it was an honour to celebrate Californian chefs in the first statewide guide in the United States.  The California food scene, he said, is "trendsetting, laid-back and health-conscious," thus making for "an amazing showcase for the great local produce.”

That is not to say that the Guide hasn't benefited from its new California launch - according to Family Meal, who reported that the state's tourism board agreed a $600,000 deal with the Guide to allow it to expand the guide to an entire state.