For the first time, restaurants in Pinellas County will have the opportunity to earn coveted Michelin stars as the prestigious guide expands its coverage in Florida.
The Michelin Guide announced Tuesday that it will begin evaluating restaurants in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and other parts of Pinellas County, along with two additional Florida regions, starting in 2025. This expansion levels the playing field for Pinellas establishments, which have been unable to receive Michelin stars, while their counterparts across the bay in Tampa have been eligible for the past three years. The move is expected to bring increased attention and prestige to the area’s burgeoning culinary scene.
“We’re known as America’s best beaches, but we’re so much more than just incredible sand,” said Brian Lowack, President and CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. “As locals here, this is something we already know. The caliber of restaurants that we have throughout the entire county, from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, Safety Harbor to Seminole, is excellent. As the destination has evolved the last few years, so has our restaurant scene, so we’re happy that the Michelin Guide has finally noticed this.”
Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters said one of her main goals in recent years was to bring the Michelin Guide to Pinellas County.
“We deserve it. Our restaurants and our chefs are top-notch. We all know this, but now we get the opportunity to brag about it,” Peters said, noting that the timing of the announcement following last year’s tumultuous hurricane season is positive news to motivate and encourage the local food industry.
“This is the exact thing we need right now. We have recovered from these storms quickly and our businesses are back open. Now we get the opportunity to really boast about the incredible restaurants and dining experiences that we have, from beach shacks to the finest dining.”
Lowack said the tourism boards Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and Visit Florida partnered with local officials to bring the Michelin Guide to Pinellas County on a two-year contract. The Michelin Guide accepts “partnership” money from cities and tourism boards to help cover the costs of the review process. Lowack said the local investment is $90,000 per year, with the money coming from Pinellas County’s tourist development tax.
“That [tax] is paid for by overnight stays of our visitors that come to the destination, and we can use it specifically to promote the destination and for projects that increase visitation. So I can’t think of a better way to spend it than this,” Lowack added.
The Michelin Guide, which began in France in 1900 as a way to promote tire sales by encouraging motorists to travel, has become one of the most influential arbiters of culinary distinction worldwide. Its anonymous inspectors evaluate restaurants based on five criteria: quality of ingredients, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, expression of the chef’s personality in the cuisine and consistency across visits.
Restaurants can receive various accolades from Michelin, including the highly sought-after star ratings. One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, two stars denote excellent cooking worth a detour and three stars represent exceptional cuisine worthy of a special journey.
For chefs and restaurateurs, earning a Michelin star can be a career-defining achievement.
“It’s really great to see this recognition finally coming to this area,” said Drew Dimitrovski, Executive Chef at Juno & the Peacock. “I think I speak for a lot of chefs that have been operating here: we’ve all known that this culinary scene has been on the rise. so it’s just validating to have that recognition here.”
Juno & the Peacock, the second restaurant concept from local owners Jeanna and Shawn Damkoehler, opened on Beach Drive in August 2024. Dimitrovski said they have been hoping for and anticipating the Michelin Guide’s arrival in Pinellas County.
“Since day one, this is something that we’ve had our eye on; about setting ourselves apart, about helping raise the standard of the dining scene in this city and bringing others with us,” he said. “So [the announcement] doesn’t really change what we’re doing, it just kind of makes us sit up in our seat a little bit.”
The impact of Michelin recognition extends beyond individual restaurants. It can elevate an entire region’s culinary reputation, attracting food-focused travelers and talented chefs.
“It signals to people at large, whether you’re diners or employees, that this is a place to learn. This is a place to experience,” Dimitrovski said. “If there’s a Michelin-recognized restaurant, [chefs] want to work under those people. It can bring talent from outside of Florida to work here. It’s huge in the fact that St. Pete, when you think of it on a national stage, is not normally thought of as a high-end food scene. Now, we are getting noticed.”
However, the prospect of Michelin inspectors anonymously evaluating their restaurants can be nerve-wracking for chefs.
“I would be lying if I said no,” Dimitrovski admitted when asked if the process was stressful. “It is a pressure-filled situation. You have to perform consistently because they don’t just visit you once; they visit you three times. With us being a large restaurant [and] having three different meal periods, we set quite a challenge for ourselves to meet that goal.”
While this marks the first time the Michelin Guide will arrive in Pinellas, local chefs and restaurants are already familiar with receiving recognition. Numerous establishments have received Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence, and others have earned awards and designations from statewide publications and review websites like Yelp.
Chefs in the area have also competed in Food Network competitions, appeared on the hit TV show Top Chef and been nominated for accolades like the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef award.
The Michelin Guide’s anonymous inspectors are already in the field, making dining reservations and scouting for culinary gems in Pinellas County. The full 2025 restaurant selection will be revealed at a later date during the annual Michelin Guide ceremony for Florida.
In addition to St. Pete-Clearwater, the Michelin Guide also announced expansion into the greater Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach areas.
