A Michelin star has been won by a vegan restaurant in south-west France, the first for an establishment selling only animal-free items in France.
In the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, Claire Vallée runs the restaurant ONA, which stands for Origine Non-Animale, which she opened in 2016 thanks to supporters’ crowdfunding and a green bank loan.
“It felt like I got hit by a train,” Vallée told AFP about the moment she received a call from the Guide Michelin informing her of its decision.
Vallée also earned a green star, which Michelin launched last year to recognize institutions with a clear record of ethical standards, in addition to Monday’s classic star honor.
A Guide Michelin spokeswoman told AFP that ONA is “the first vegan restaurant in France to win a star.”
Before she had to close ONA because of Covid-19 limitations, Vallée offered seven dishes on her gourmet menu. Pine, boletus mushroom and sake, or celery, tonka, and amber ale are her favorite combinations.
When she came to them seeking a loan to get started, conventional French banks gave the young chef short shrift.
“They said the outlook for veganism and plant-based food was too uncertain,” she said. The chosen location for her restaurant in the Arcachon basin on the Atlantic coast was also not considered promising enough.
Vallée said she held no grudge: “Everybody does their job.”
Via crowdfunding, without the need for collateral, Vallée went on to secure financing, and through La Nef, a bank that specializes in lending to ventures that it finds ethical. “This goes to show that nothing is impossible,” she said.
Vallée admitted to having wondered along the way “whether we were good enough because vegetable-based cooking is difficult and innovative”.
But, she added: “The most important thing is to enjoy doing this.”
While now considered a pioneer in France for vegan cuisine, Vallée said she merely followed others’ footsteps, highlighting the late Jean-Christian Jury, who managed Berlin’s Mano Verde restaurant.
Source: The Guardian