frmichelin1-5, Exercise 2: A balanced account of a chef who gave back stars

Model answer (check the details), using Alain Senderens in 2005:

Documented facts: in 2005 Senderens announced that he was giving up the three stars of Lucas Carton in Paris; the restaurant was redesigned and reopened under his own name with a more informal service and a lower price; the guide listed the new restaurant with fewer stars (check). He was a leading figure in nouvelle cuisine and had held three stars for many years.

His stated reasons: that the cost of three-star service, including staff, the setting and the wine, was too high for the number of diners, and that he wanted to cook in a freer way (check).

Other people's interpretations: some chefs and critics said it was a brave and sensible decision that showed the cost of the system; others said it was a business move or a sign that the formal three-star style was going out of fashion; some said that he was giving up what he might have lost. These are opinions, and the accounts of his finances are not public.

What to treat with caution: quotations from interviews that vary in different retellings, and claims about the profits or losses before and after.

Care: keep the three categories apart: what he did, what he said, and what others said about it.