The “Michelin brothers” André (1853–1931) and Édouard (1859–1940) Michelin were French industrialists who founded the Michelin company in 1888, developing revolutionary tires, including the first removable pneumatic tire for bicycles in 1891 and for automobiles in 1895. To promote car travel and their tires, André Michelin published the first Michelin Guide in 1900, a now-famous restaurant and travel guide. The brothers were interested in the growing automotive industry and believed that by making tires more reliable and comfortable, they could promote car ownership. The Michelin Guide served as a tool to increase the demand for cars, and consequently, for their tires. Andre and Edouard Michelin  started their world-famous tire company in Clermont-Ferrand (a small French town) in 1889.  Which was fuelled by a grand vision for France’s automobile industry at a time when there were fewer than 3,000 cars in the country then.

In the late 19th century, cars were a luxury item, and there were only about 3,000 vehicles on the roads in France. Naturally, this limited the market for tires, which posed a challenge for the Michelin brothers. Rather than merely relying on traditional advertising to sell more tires, they came up with an innovative solution; they decided to create demand by encouraging people to drive more. In 1900, they published the first Michelin Guide, a small red book filled with information that was important to drivers. The guide included maps, tire repair instructions, and, most importantly, recommendations for hotels and restaurants across France. The idea was simple, if people had more reasons to travel, they’d drive more, and if they drove more, they’d need more tires. Look at this brilliant marketing strategy used by the brothers.

The Michelin Guide became a game-changer. It didn’t just promote Michelin tires; it enhanced the overall experience of driving. By providing useful content that people wanted and needed, the Michelin Brothers were able to subtly promote their brand and build a lasting relationship with their customers. Over the time, the Michelin Guide became a trusted source for travellers, and its influence grew far beyond its initial purpose. Today, the Michelin stars awarded by the guide are a mark of excellence in the culinary world, but the origins of this respected guide rests in a simple, yet brilliant, content marketing strategy.

The story of the Michelin Brothers is a powerful reminder that content marketing isn’t just about selling a product, it’s about providing value. By creating content that echoes with your audience and addresses their needs, you can build trust, foster loyalty, and ultimately drive sales in a way that traditional advertising cannot. Content marketing has come a long way since the days of the first Michelin Guide.

The Michelin Guide, which awards stars to restaurants based on anonymous, mysterious diners who review food, service, ambiance, prices of dishes in a restaurant. The brothers introduced Michelin stars, to rate restaurants. In practice. a one-star rating means, “a very good restaurant,” two stars signify “excellent cooking that is worth a detour,” and a three-star restaurant is one that offers “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.”

According to Michelin, there are 80 inspectors responsible for covering different geographical areas, and their rotations change each year. The Michelin starts are not everywhere on the globe, and if a restaurant is not within a zone that the guide covers, they are not eligible for a Michelin star. Michelin stars are available in 41 countries and territories across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, including countries like France, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States, China, and Singapore, reflecting the guide’s global expansion beyond its French origins.  In the U.S., the areas covered are New York City, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, the East Bay and wine country, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas.

The inspectors are expected to remain anonymous and must visit restaurants several times  at different times of day and over several seasons before awarding any stars. Once a restaurant receives one star, they are up for review in 18 months, at which point they can either maintain their rating, add a star, or lose a star. According to Michelin, the food is the sole focus of the evaluation, but Michelin-starred establishments tend to also have exceptional service and ambiance, which keeps standards high across the board. Michelin states its official judging criteria as follows:

1. Using quality products
2. Mastery of flavour and cooking techniques
3. Personality of the chef in the cuisine
4. Value for money
5. Consistency of food

While Michelin Guide does not cover India, many Indian restaurants and chefs in other countries have earned Michelin Stars.  Jamvar in Doha is making it a notable Indian restaurant brand internationally. Quilon which is Taj restaurant in London has consistently held a Michelin Star for its Southwest Indian cuisine. Trèsind Studio in Dubai led by Chef Himanshu Saini, it made history by becoming the first Indian restaurant to be awarded three Michelin Stars. Atul Kochhar is first Indian chef to earn a Michelin star, his work at London’s Tamarind and later at Benares brought recognition to Indian cuisine. Vikas Khanna is an  Indian American celebrity chef, he holds a Michelin star and is a well-known figure in the culinary world.

Across the globe food industry is scaling heights. It is one of the industries which is growing each day, although the food industry is very vulnerable to innovation, quick changes and style it is the only one which has sustainability power. It requires hard work and consistency.  Indian food is in high demand on the world’s culinary map. Credit goes to many chefs, who have made Indian food well-known. Some of our talented and young and well groomed, stylish chefs have become stars in their own right. They are no less than our Bollywood stars. In addition to their kitchens, these brilliant chefs have dominated social media, and are in high demand in restaurants and parties.

One of the most important human activities is eating and drinking. The scripts on the cooking shows are well crafted which describe the goal of the program, the host’s viewpoint, the distinctive style of narration of the anchor and how a typical episode would be structured. The chefs play the lead role because of their unique style of presentation.

It won’t be wrong to mention that cooking shows have literally become obsession with many viewers. A good team can portray an eating experience on screen with an absolute delight! An average person spends more time watching, scrolling and reading about food on social media and television than cooking his/her daily meals. I know many diehard cooking enthusiasts who like try cooking a dish which they watch on various shows.

Chole Kulche by Ajay Chopra 

According to a British survey, seven in ten enjoy watching cooking programmes, in which  half have been inspired to try and cook something they’ve seen on screen. Cooking is an art which anyone can master with practice. But to master it, one needs to have patience and good imagination. Yes, cooking takes imagination, instinct and creativity to try out new dishes.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor needs a special mention for making Indian cuisine globally famous. The secret to Kapoor’s success is his ability to take an ordinary dish and give it the kind of twist that makes people wonder. He made the daily food items of breakfast, lunch and dinner famous in the globe. Similarly the late Tarla Dalal made Indian food famous in world.

Many people have an aversion for cooking; they think it is messy and tiring.  On the contrary, cooking is therapy, making meals helps to reduce stress; it can heal a broken heart, among other benefits. It can soothe clanked nerves, and cure boredom, insomnia and anxiety. Cooking is a great therapy.

“There is no sincere love than love of food” this quote says it all! The most beautiful thing in world is food. Eating is the most powerful motivation. Even if we cannot have the gorgeous dishes being cooked on-screen, just knowing that something like that exists makes us happy and this happiness is an addiction. We love watching the process, because the camera only shows the vital portions of cooking, the kitchen appears spick and span, and we don’t get to see the mess on screen. We see only perfection on screen. Sometimes, we hope to recreate it. We keep going to the same restaurant to eat the same food again and again, because the experience elevates our mood.

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Some of these world famous cooking shows have the best of TRPs: Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, The French Chef, Iron Chef America, Master Chef, Chopped, The kitchen, Food Network Star etc. Our Indian television food channels Living, Food, Food -Food have already become world famous.  There is a saying – you can win anyone’s heart with your cooking.

Like actors entertain us by playing various roles, chefs entertain us with the culinary skills on their shows. Cooking shows also educate us how to cook right, eat healthy, how many ways we can cook a particular thing and not get bored up of eating the same food but cooked in a different way. Eating is a never ending activity, we like variety, we like different spices, different aromas, different colors of foods. The most compelling part of this experience is the fact that any food and cooking show becomes popular with tons of positive comments on social media handlers, which goes on to reveal that the awareness of these shows is cheering and very well-liked among viewers in any part of world.