Julio Biosca of restaurant Casa Julio, located in the small village of Fontanars dels Alforins in Valencia, has become the latest chef to voluntarily hand back his single star ranking to the revered red guide.
He has no problems with the Michelin brand, he said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais.
But unlike many of his ambitious chef brethren, Biosca says he never sought out to be recognized by Michelin and said he’s not interested in having to deal with the pressure and fallout that comes with a star ranking.
“You start giving yourself airs. And when everyone tells you you’re the best, the day you fail to get the second star you get pissed,” he said.
Casa Julio received its first star in 2009. The restaurant wrote Michelin asking to be taken off the list in the 2014 edition of the guide but the request went unanswered.
It only finally managed to be dropped from 2015 volume of the guide.