The Michelin Green Star chefs serving up a new era of sustainable fine dining

Crispy holy leaf and fried grasshoppers with cottage cheese served at Los Danzantes, Oaxaca City, Mexico Photo credit: Los Danzantes

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The late great Joël Robuchon famously earned 31, Alain Ducasse has 21 and Gordon Ramsay counts a very respectable 17. Michelin Stars have long been the benchmark for excellence in the fine dining world. Attaining one requires technical mastery, innovative menus, painstaking attention to detail and can propel a chef’s career into the stratosphere – and keep tables fully booked for months ahead.

However, environmental responsibility, such as reducing waste and using seasonal produce, is increasingly being recognised as an essential element of the haute cuisine experience.

Recognising this growing movement, in 2020 Michelin Guide launched the ‘Green Star’, an annual award recognising restaurants that integrate sustainable practices with culinary excellence. According to the guide inspectors assess ‘the use of seasonal produce, the restaurant’s environmental footprint, food waste systems, general waste disposal and recycling, resource management and communication between the team and guests about the restaurant's sustainable approach’.

Any restaurant can apply, and the Green Star is a separate award that can be earned alongside other Michelin Guide accolades, such as a Bib Gourmand or a Red Star. There are currently 291 establishments with a Michelin Green Star around the world spread across the United States, United Arab Emirates, Asia, Central America and Europe.

Stunning views of the Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve at Wiesner Mysterion near Lausanne, Switzerland | Photo credit: Courtesy of Stefan Wiesner

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From nature to the plate

Wiesner Mysterion – Werkstatt Kost, near Lucerne in Switzerland, is one of them. The site opened in 2023 and immediately earned a Bib Gourmand, which recognises restaurants serving high-quality cuisine at reasonable prices, alongside a Green Star. During his career, chef Stefan Wiesner has also earned a Michelin Star and 17 Gault Millau points.

Those accolades are testament Wiesner’ culinary innovations, which include apple blossom soup, ravioli made from bone marrow and sauerkraut ice cream. However, the Green Star stands out among his most proud achievements as recognition of his culinary vision, which draws inspiration from natural woodland ingredients and open-fire cooking.
 

“They see and taste the difference; they feel connected to nature”
Stefan Wiesner, Wiesner Mysterion

“The Green Star is very important – more important than the red one,” Stefan Wiesner says. “If a red star rewards skill, green represents the future.”

The Swiss chef has spent 40 years perfecting his vision. He is now putting it into practice at his restaurant located in the Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve, Switzerland’s second UNESCO Biosphere Reserve after the Swiss National Park.

It’s an approach that has seen Stefan Wiesner work closely with local farmers, foragers and hunters. “The produce must be organic and locally sourced,” the chef insists. Coffee is sourced with the same care from a local artisan roastery located four kilometres away. “It’s important to keep it local,” he adds.

The kitchen also produces zero waste. “We cook like they did in the Stone Age,” Wiesner exhaults. “We don’t use modern products or machines.” Judging by rave reviews, guests clearly appreciate this approach. “They see and taste the difference, they feel connected to nature,” Wiesner adds.

Waste not, want not

Some 6,000 kilometres away in the UAE is LOWE. First opening its doors in Dubai in 2019, the restaurant serves a menu designed to celebrate ‘rustic and approachable’ food on its charcoal grill, rotisserie and wood-fired oven. After relaunching following a pause due the pandemic, LOWE obtained a Green Star in the same year. Today, LOWE is delighting guests with menu favourites such as local oysters with onion and shiso granita or orzotto with egg yolk, smoked pancetta, comté and truffle.

For LOWE restaurant manager Zachary Roy, earning a Green Star was a significant moment of pride, especially as the venue was the first and only recipient in the UAE that year.

“We were quite surprised when we got it. We weren’t chasing after awards; we just did what we believed in. To be acknowledged by the Michelin Guide is obviously extremely exciting and flattering,” he says.
 

Green inside and out – the interior of LOWE in Dubai, UAE | Photo credit: Courtesy of LOWE

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Above all, one woman’s vision has propelled LOWE’s sustainable journey: chef Kate Christou. “She’s been a firm driver and believer from the beginning. She may no longer be involved in day-to-day activities, but she’s always on hand for the important decisions, especially regarding changes to ingredients and the menu,” Roy says.

“We strive to generate as little or no waste at all,” Roy adds, detailing the sustainable practices at LOWE. “This commitment is clearly demonstrated in our ‘waste no dinner’ concept, where we transform scraps into delicious culinary delights through innovative techniques, such as using cabbage stems or oyster brine. We freeze, dry and mash with enthusiasm, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.”
 

“We respect the seasons when sourcing our products”
Victor Ramírez, Head of Communications, Los Danzantes

Head chef Muhammad Ali Shiddique and his team have mastered the art of repurposing leftovers into dishes good enough for a Michelin-starred restaurant. “With creativity and planning, we can eliminate waste completely,” he says.

It may sound like a laborious process for a fast-paced kitchen, but Shiddique insists that significantly reducing waste has been integrated into LOWE’s operations with surprising ease.

“It just takes attention, care and effort. It has been a journey to get where we are and we’re proud of what we have accomplished,” he says. LOWE is also happy to share its processes. “We’re not keeping anything secret, and we’re keen to help other restaurants with their sustainability questions. It’s a great experience”. Sharing is also an opportunity to educate guests. “If we can do it, they can too,” Roy explains.

The restaurant works also with suppliers to improve sustainable sourcing. “One of them is Dibba Bay, an oyster farm. We take the oyster shells back, wash them out and return them. This helps rebuild the reef more quickly.”

LOWE has also partnered sustainable fishery initiative, Seafood Souq, on a traceability programme. “We know where our fish comes from, to ensure it is ethically sourced.” And the same goes for coffee. “We serve lots of coffee from the RAW Coffee Company in the UAE, which supplies direct trade and ethically sourced specialty arabica.”

Supporting local businesses is a priority for the restaurant. “There are now many new farms in the UAE. They are doing great things. But we have a clear policy: no single-use plastic. If products contain it, we demand our suppliers to stop using it or use cardboard instead. If they don’t comply, we won’t work with them, because we expect them to be committed to excellence and environmental responsibility,” Roy explains.
 

“We strive to generate as little or no waste at all”
Zachary Roy, Restaurant Manager, LOWE

An immense happiness

Opening its doors way back in 2001, Los Danzantes, located in Oaxaca City in Mexico’s south, serves up a modern interpretation of the country’s ancestral cuisine. With dishes including crispy holy leaf and fried grasshoppers with cottage cheese and artisan string cheese, goat cheese, green tomato sauce, Los Danzantes has also long championed a sustainable approach to fine dining.

Earning its Green Star in 2024, the restaurant group always seeks locally sourced ingredients and aims for minimal kitchen waste. Spent cooking oil and glass bottles are sent to local glass art workshop, Xaquixe, for use as biofuel and materials. Meanwhile, Los Danzantes uses a rainwater harvesting system to reduce its water footprint. It also encourages sustainable practices among its suppliers, particularly regarding reduced plastic use.

“We have special containers for ingredients delivery and return any plastic to suppliers,” says Victor Ramírez, Head of Communications for the venue. “We know this doesn’t solve the problem, but we hope this will raise awareness of using less plastic.”

Since November 2024, the restaurant has been working on a zero-recycling project to ensure all ingredients are fully utilised in the kitchen. Los Danzantes also prioritises sourcing ingredients from small local producers in and around Oaxaca. “We shop at Central de Abastos twice a week for top-quality ingredients and to strengthen relationships with the vendors,” adds Ramírez.

Diners enjoy a sustainably-sourced menu inspired by Mexican ancestral ingredients at Los Danzantes, Oaxaca City, Mexico City | Photo credit: Courtesy of Los Danzantes

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Moreover, the Los Danzantes team guarantees fair treatment of producers and workers, environmental respect in production, quality and food safety, and supply chain transparency. “We respect the seasons when sourcing our products, allowing us to highlight local and seasonal produce from small producers. Our chefs create special dishes for each season,” says Ramírez.

“The Green Star belongs to the restaurant, its suppliers and their staff”, Ramírez acknowledges, adding that a commitment to the environment demands unwavering dedication. “We must spread the sustainability message,” he urges.

At A Casa do Porco in São Paulo, Jefferson Rueda and Janaína Torres’ decade-old venture is a paradigm of sustainability. Being awarded a Green Star in May 2024 was a testament to the team’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, as Jefferson Rueda underlines. “This accolade is a clear highlight and reinforcement of our business model”.

For instance, the chefs’ vertically integrated pig-rearing model is animal welfare-centric and acts as a conservation project for native Brazilian breeds. Jefferson Rueda and Janaína Torres’ commitment is further emphasised by a vertically integrated vegetable production system they have implemented.

“The initiative’s genesis can be traced to our Sítio Rueda in São José do Rio Pardo during the pandemic, where we practice organic farming.” In an era where environmental impact is facing more scrutiny than ever before, Michelin Green Stars serve as an important recognition that true quality embeds sustainability at its core. As these stand-out restaurants show, producing world-leading cuisine needn’t cost the earth.
 

This article was first published in Issue 23 of 5THWAVE magazine.

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