The MICHELIN Guide has set a date and location for the reveal of the inaugural selection of the MICHELIN Guide American South. South Carolina has been chosen as the host territory for the ceremony which will be held on the evening of Nov. 3 in Greenville, S.C. at the Peace Center.
“We are excited to honor and celebrate the talented culinary community of the American South in just a few months,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide. “South Carolina is home to southern staples, fresh seafood and a homegrown culinary community full of passion and innovation, making it the perfect place to celebrate the region’s culinary talents. Our anonymous Inspectors look forward to finally sharing their discoveries with the world.”
As the MICHELIN Guide continues to be committed to promoting the gastronomy players of tomorrow and the diversity of cuisines across its destinations, the Guide seeks to hold its annual ceremony in different territories each year. With a strong culinary history focused on homegrown and authentic ingredients, South Carolina proved to be the perfect fit for the 2025 MICHELIN Guide American South Ceremony.
“Southern food and hospitality are the heartbeat of our flavorful, inviting, and diverse regional culture and identity,” said Duane Parish, Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT). “South Carolina is proud to host both the MICHELIN Guide and our regional partners with the local support of VisitGreenvilleSC. We look forward to the highly anticipated announcement of the inaugural American South restaurant selections.”
Chefs will be invited to discover whether their restaurants have received a MICHELIN Star or another MICHELIN Guide distinction. Attendance is by invitation only.
The MICHELIN Guide in North America
Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2007, statewide 2019); Florida (Greater Miami, Orlando and Tampa in 2022, adding Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater in 2025, statewide in 2026); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Colorado (2023); Atlanta (2023), Mexico (2024), Texas (2024), Québec (2024), the American South (2025), Boston (2025) and Philadelphia (2025).
About the MICHELIN Guide
Recognized globally for excellence and quality, the MICHELIN Guide offers a selection of world-class restaurants.
The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking an unforgettable meal and hospitality experience. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Progressively, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations. Michelin’s inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by the inspectors in the very beginning.
The restaurant selections join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay around the world. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an amazing hotel.
Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently in more than 60 destinations (60+ Guides), the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining.
All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors, who are trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated.
To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria guarantee a consistent and fair selection so a Starred restaurant has the same value regardless of whether it is in Paris, New York or anywhere else in the world.
About the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism markets the state as a preferred vacation destination, manages South Carolina's state parks, and empowers local communities to develop recreational assets. Explore the unforgettable flavors, great golf, rich history, sandy beaches, and family attractions a South Carolina vacation has to offer at DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.
