Buying a plane ticket for a restaurant
One of the most memorable images from the 2025 Michelin Guide Ceremony was not only etched into my mind, but into the minds of almost everyone in the room. There was a brief moment of silence as the team behind Vino Locale appeared to believe they had lost their stars. Then came the announcement, the look of astonishment on their faces, the visible sense of relief that followed and the applause that rose throughout the hall. That evening, Vino Locale became only the second restaurant in Türkiye to be awarded two Michelin stars.
A few weeks ago, I sat down with Seray and Ozan Kumbasar and found myself revisiting that evening. We spoke about the journey to two Michelin stars, what changed afterward and what continues to excite them today. Yet as the conversation unfolded, I realized the story was not really about a second star. At a certain point, it was not even about Michelin. The real story was about how a restaurant finds its own voice over time, protects that voice and eventually inspires people from all corners of the world to set out on a journey simply to experience it.
Success in the world of gastronomy is often measured through outcomes. How many stars were awarded, which rankings were achieved, or which accolades were collected? Yet after years of visiting restaurants across different countries, I have come to believe that awards are not what make great restaurants truly great. What sets them apart is their ability to discover their own identity. More important than what a restaurant cooks is understanding what it wants to say. It is about defining its geography, its culture and the story it wishes to tell.
