Origine Non Animale Receives 1st Michelin Star as Vegan Eatery
A vegan, completely animal-product-free establishment called ONA, short for Origine Non Animal (Non-Animal Origin), has been awarded a Michelin star for the first time in an historic instance for vegan restaurants in France. ONA is one of 54 restaurants to receive their first ever Michelin stars in the Michelin Red Guide this January 2021. It is located in the southwestern village of Arès in France. It is the first vegan eatery to achieve this feat since the Guide was first created in 1900.
ONA was first opened by a self-taught chef and former archaeologist Claire Vallée in 2016 after she crowdfunded the finances and was able to secure a loan from Société financière de la N.E.F. (la NEF), a financial cooperative ethical bank in France. Despite the two sources of funding, prior to the completion of work on the restaurant, Vallée ran out of finances and gathered up to 80 volunteers over social media to help finish the work over the span of 2 months.
Claire Vallée was first informed by the Guide about her accomplishment on Thursday, January 14th, 2021 when their international director called her to congratulate her and inform her. Talking to CNN, the chef says, “Cooking with my team is like performing in a theater. You never really know how it’s being received until the very end… The team that I work with are really proud. The Michelin star and the green star serve as recognition. It’s also for them and the local producers and the vegetable farmers we work with.” Additionally, she credits the success of ONA to the French vegan community: “This is a good thing for the vegan community as this star is evidence that French gastronomy is becoming more inclusive. That plant based dishes belong there too.”
The Michelin Star is awarded every January since 1900 in the Michelin Red Guide after anonymous reviewers known commonly as “inspectors” visit restaurants upon the Michelin’s budget. Famous French chefs consider the Michelin to be the only Guide that counts; the frenzy and importance created around the Michelin Guide is compared by some to be the Academy Award of the food industry.
In addition to the main Michelin Star, the Guide also awards Rising Stars to those restaurants that show promise of gaining a star or an additional star. Another is the Michelin Green Star that has been awarded since 2020 to establishments showing sustainability. There are also Bib Gourmand awards for restaurants with food deemed good quality and of good value with a total price value of £28 or under (for the 2020 edition) for a 3 course meal. Finally, The Plate is a new symbol awarded since 2016 to establishments that “simply serve good food”.
The team at Media Quotient Inc. wishes congratulations to Claire Vallée and her team on this accolade that puts her not only in the lead as a restaurant but finally puts vegan establishments on the map too!
Credit: Maxime Gautier/ClaireVallee.com
