Ottawa Tourism met with chefs. Michelin was on the table
Ottawa Tourism representatives have met with selected restaurateurs and chefs and discussed the possibility that Michelin Guide inspectors could evaluate the city’s top eateries.
The meeting took place in November, say several of the 15 or so restaurant industry members who were present. Later, in December, a consultant working for Ottawa Tourism visited at least one downtown restaurant and assessed it as part of what was seen as a “Michelin readiness program.”
Adam Vettorel, chef-owner of North & Navy in Centretown, said he and his peers were asked whether bringing Michelin inspectors to Ottawa would be a worthwhile investment. Typically, tourism boards for Michelin destinations, sometimes with support from levels of government, fund the inspections and ratings of the globally recognized taste-making business through multi-year deals.
“The consensus among most chefs was yes, that it would be worth whatever it costs,” Vettorel said.
The chefs and restaurant owners also agreed that Ottawa struggled to be recognized as a food destination in Canada, he said.
“People from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal don’t think of Ottawa, period, when it comes to food,” Vettorel said.
Even if just one Ottawa restaurant were to receive a Michelin star and others received lesser kudos, Michelin’s attention “would be useful to get us put on the map,” Vettorel said. “It would establish Ottawa as a credible food city.”
Jérôme Miousse, director of public affairs for Ottawa Tourism, declined to discuss the meeting or any interest on Ottawa Tourism’s part in bringing Michelin to the city.
“While we cannot comment on the processes or considerations of external organizations, we share the culinary community’s excitement about the long‑term potential for broader international visibility for Ottawa’s chefs, restaurants and neighbourhoods,” Miousse said.
With warmer winters impacting Winterlude, Ottawa Tourism needs to diversify its approaches to marketing the city to tourists, said Justin Champagne-Lagarde, chef-owner of Perch on Preston Street.
“Whether it’s Michelin or not, hopefully they (Ottawa Tourism) start putting a bit more push into restaurant tourism,” he said.
Miousse said Ottawa Tourism’s “destination stewardship plan identifies culinary tourism as a core strategic priority and outlines actions to position Ottawa as a leading culinary destination.
“We work closely with chefs, restaurateurs and industry partners to help strengthen Ottawa’s position as a vibrant, creative and attractive food destination,” he said.
Ottawa Tourism’s Instagram account shows recent posts highlighting Winterlude, as well as a scattering of collaborative posts made by Toronto-based influencers showing them
, hefty sandwiches, poutine or dinner at Riviera on Sparks Street.
Ottawa Tourism is also a partner, promoter and partial sponsor of the
Canadian Culinary Championship
, an annual multi-day event held in recent years in Ottawa each January or February.
The Michelin Guide began to inspect Canadian restaurants just a few years ago.
Michelin ratings for Toronto’s dining scene
were
unveiled in late September 2022
, and
ratings for Vancouver restaurants
quickly followed a few weeks later. The Vancouver Sun wrote last fall that
Michelin’s five-year agreement with Destination Vancouver is to end next year
.
Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Destination Vancouver, told the Sun that its partnership with the Michelin Guide was a “net positive” both for the city and Michelin. The financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
“Media articles now refer to Vancouver as a Michelin city and it has opened eyes to the depth and diversity of the culinary culture here,” Chwin said. “Michelin restaurants have customers coming in specifically because they’re on the list and they see a bit of more international and U.S. diners. And they’re also able to attract and retain quality employees.”
Michelin restaurant ratings debuted in Quebec in May 2025, with Quebec City notching more one-star restaurants than Montreal.
In last year’s Michelin tallies, Toronto had 92 restaurants with Michelin kudos, including 14 one-star restaurants, 23 Bib Gourmand citations for good quality and good value, and 55 restaurants recommended for good cooking. Vancouver had 12 one-star restaurants, 15 Bib Gourmands and 49 selected restaurants for a total of 76 restaurants. Montreal’s 55 cited restaurants included three one-stars, seven Bibs and 45 selected eateries. Quebec City had just 28 Michelin recommended restaurants, but they included the two-starred restaurant Tanière3, four one-star restaurants, eight Bib Gourmands and 15 selected eateries.
Cam McGihon, chef de cuisine at
on Wellington Street West, said he thought some Ottawa restaurants would merit a Michelin star, notably the tasting-menu restaurants
and
Chef Briana Kim’s new restaurant on Somerset Street West.
McGihon, who in early 2024 worked for several months at the three-Michelin-starred Stockholm restaurant Frantzen, said there were no downsides to Michelin coming to Ottawa. The benefits would include busier restaurants, more tourists, greater recognition for Canadian restaurants as a whole and even a city that would be more appealing to investors, he said.
Still, Perch’s Champagne-Lagarde said he had mixed feelings about Michelin.
“Do I think it could help the community? Sure, it would bring more attention,” he said. “But just the added stress and pressure on a restaurant’s shoulders seems like a lot.
“It’s one more thing to worry about. There’s already a (Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants) list. There’s already Google reviews, which become a nightmare sometimes,” Champagne-Lagarde said.
Champagne-Lagarde and other chefs said it seemed like Ottawa Tourism was at the “very, very beginning” of exploring the Michelin option.
“I don’t believe they had funding for it, and, as we know, Michelin takes a lot of money,” Champagne-Lagarde said.
“We could still be a ways away as a city from affording the Guide to come check out our worthy restaurants,” McGihon said. “I understood more so that Ottawa Tourism wanted to take steps to create beneficial events, positive articles and Ottawa pride that could all very well lead us into Michelin acceptance.”
Still, a culinary consultant contracted by Ottawa Tourism visited at least one Ottawa restaurant to assess its “Michelin readiness.”
Ann Lee, the owner of Tomo, said consultant Mat Beausoleil dined at her Clarence Street restaurant in December to take stock of its new, upscale sushi-counter experience. Afterward, Beausoleil provided his feedback and asked Lee to evaluate her own restaurant.
Vettorel, Champagne-Lagarde and McGihon said they opted not to have Beausoleil assess their respective restaurants.
“My role is advisory in nature and focused on long-term culinary destination development,” Beausoleil said. “This includes working with chefs and operators on standards, consistency, storytelling, and how Ottawa’s food scene presents itself when viewed through a national or international lens.
“Ottawa’s food scene continues to flourish, and the presence of the Michelin Guide would be a positive and natural evolution, placing Ottawa alongside Toronto and Montreal on the national and international stage,” Beausoleil said.
Based in the Outaouais, Beausoleil is also a member of the Ottawa Nightlife Council convened by nightlife commissioner Mathieu Grondin, but Beausoleil and Miousse said the City of Ottawa and Grondin were not connected to these Ottawa Tourism activities.
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