With a Historic 3 Michelin Stars, a Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco Defies Stereotypes
Val Cantú said the award validates Mexican fine dining after an eight-year wait, with inspectors praising Californios for precision and clarity.
- After an eight-year wait, chef and co-owner Val Cantú's San Francisco restaurant, Californios, became the first Mexican establishment worldwide to earn three Michelin stars at a June ceremony in San Diego.
- Drawing from his family's restaurant business in Texas, Cantú created Californios to pursue his vision of Mexican fine dining after working at high-end establishments in Austin and San Francisco.
- Michelin inspectors awarded the third star for dishes consistently 'executed with such precision, refinement and clarity,' noting the restaurant is never 'afraid to cross borders' on the plate.
- The promotion validates Mexican fine dining, allowing Cantú and his 40-person staff to challenge stereotypes that Mexican food must remain inexpensive and strictly working-class.
- Food writer and journalist Gustavo Arellano suggests such recognition helps humanize the immigration debate, countering rhetoric in regions where Mexican culture faces political skepticism.
43 Articles
43 Articles
Associated Press News
With a historic 3 Michelin stars, a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco defies stereotypes
Chef Val Cantú and his team at Californios in San Francisco have earned a historic third Michelin star, the first for a Mexican restaurant worldwide.
Chef Val Cantú recalls the family reunions of his childhood in Texas, which always culminated around a table presided over by the dishes prepared with the recipes of his Mexican grandmother. His father and uncle were the first to convert that love for the flavors of his land into a business project, which included a tortilery. From that heritage was born the culinary proposal that led Californios, in San Francisco, to conquer three Michelin star…
After an eight-year wait, the Michelin Guide’s historic third recognition, so longed for by chef and co-owner Val Cantú and his team at the Californios restaurant in San Francisco, is already his own. It’s the first such distinction for a Mexican restaurant anywhere in the world. That’s why it’s understandable that both he and his team of 40 people now show up with greater security and pride. “It’s been really gratifying to see the team walking …
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