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The results are in. Europe鈥檚 most famous judge of culinary craft has broken its silence. We now know which restaurants will bear small stars beside their name in the

The to the Guide鈥檚 ratings has already started, in particular why some restaurants attained a star and why others didn鈥檛. What truly defines a one, two or three star venue still remains because of Michelin鈥檚 relatively ambiguous criteria. It continues to stir a mystique 鈥� so how does the rating affect the kitchen?

Gordon Ramsay's thirst for Michelin stars was revealed in the documentary series, Boiling Point

We鈥檙e often told that many chefs develop a parochial lifestyle in the obsessive pursuit of attaining Michelin stars. Perhaps the revered French Chef Bernard Loiseau, who , is proof.

A documentary last year by food writer William Sitwell investigated the Michelin Guide鈥檚 affect on chefs. Bernard Loiseau鈥檚 wife, Dominique, appeared in the programme to discuss her husband鈥檚 obsession with Michelin prior to his death. She explained movingly how and why the restaurant , despite the sad, sudden parting of its driver, the engine restarted.

Within the UK, Marcus Wareing had the to win the coveted third star, yet instead was awarded two stars. I spoke to him last week about the Guide to shed to light on why it鈥檚 spurred an emotional "roller-coaster" for the past 15 years.

鈥淭hey are an accolade of great history and substance; I think I鈥檝e around it, in a good way and a bad way.鈥� Yet he believes chefs are 鈥渟tarting to realise that there鈥檚 a lot more out there to achieve鈥�, paying homage to other awards and social networking鈥檚 grip on a restaurant鈥檚 fate. 鈥淎s you get a bit older you start to understand them and calm down.鈥� What do other chefs believe?

Francesco Mazzei, whose restaurant , was also tipped for a star, but missed out again. For him, 鈥渁 Michelin star is the best achievement a chef can ever gain. It helps the chef to become a perfectionist. But in terms of running a restaurant, it鈥檚 a different story. You have to make sure that the restaurant makes money, so you can pay your staff and it can have a long life.鈥�

Bryn Williams trained in several Michelin-starred kitchens before owning his own restaurant, . He was equally restrained on how stars affect his life. 鈥淵ou do see places get a Michelin star and then eight months later they're no longer with us because of that pressure in trying to gain a star. For me it鈥檚 all about the business.鈥�

Chefs don鈥檛 necessarily take a sanguine attitude to winning Michelin stars these days 鈥� activity on Twitter suggested the opposite. At the grass roots, William Sitwell told me that the majority of young chefs he meets at catering college still list a Michelin star and owning a restaurant as the aspiration.

Maybe Michelin stars are 鈥渘ot the be all and end all鈥�, as Marcus Wareing says. Incidentally, he likens fine dining to Formula 1 鈥� with the surroundings, levels of service and the running costs 鈥� and that being part of a 鈥渂eautifully-oiled machine鈥�, in the kitchen and front of house, is actually what drives him. But if the Michelin stars should ever disappear, then Dominique Loiseau is surely living proof that a bad review should never mean the end of the road.

Have you been following the ratings? What do Michelin stars mean to you?

Michael Kibblewhite works on the 主播大秀 Food website.