The recently published 2025 update to the Michelin Guide features 10 restaurants added to the list of eateries boasting an 鈥�Etoile Verte鈥� (Green Star) for sustainable gastronomy.
They bring the total number of restaurants committed to reducing their environmental impact to 100, with several among them also earning or keeping a regular Michelin star or stars for dining excellence.
Michelin describes the concept of awarding Green Stars 鈥� launched in the 2021 edition 鈥� thus: 鈥淭he Michelin Green Star is an annual award which highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices. They hold themselves accountable for both their ethical and environmental standards, and work with sustainable producers and suppliers to avoid waste and reduce or even remove plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chain鈥�.
A crucial element is sourcing local ingredients and supporting nearby producers. 鈥淢any work directly with growers, farmers and fishermen; forage in hedgerows and woodlands; grow plants and rear animals; and use regenerative methods such as no-dig vegetable gardens and successional cover crop growing,鈥� says the prestigious dining guide, first published by the French tyre manufacturer in 1900.
G茅rald Azoulay and wife Patricia, who run Hi茅ly-Lucullus, recipient of the Michelin Green Star for sustainable cuisineHi茅ly Lucullus
The latest list of Green Star restaurants 鈥� 鈥� reveals the extent to which the latest generation of top chefs are embracing plant-based cuisine, as well as the explosion in fusion cooking as French cuisine is blended with culinary touches from abroad.
One such place is Hi茅ly-Lucullus in Avignon (Vaucluse), where G茅rald Azoulay鈥檚 鈥楶茅rouvence鈥� cuisine 鈥榖oldly fuses the flavours of Provence and Peru [his wife is Peruvian], driven by the vibrant intensity of Andean peppers and braise cooking鈥�, says the guide, adding that 鈥榓s part of an exemplary sustainable approach, this cuisine favours the local: 95% of products and 90% of wines come from less than 100 kilometres away.鈥�
Azoulay鈥檚 dish of local Provence tomatoes with a pinch of spicy Andes pepper, piment rocoto, is a great example of his inventive combinations.
If you seek fine dining with a conscience, the Green Stars list is the place to start.
