Why Chef Julio Biosca Returned His Michelin Stars

A restaurant in Spain handed back its Michelin stars just before the 2015 guide was announced late last month. Last year, chef Julio Biosca's Casa Julio in Fontanars dels Aforins managed to garner two Michelin-stars. According to the Local, Biosca decided to return the stars this year because he no longer wanted to deal with the pressure that comes with running a Michelin-starred restaurant.

It's not the guide Biosca has a problem with but "the whole world that is generated around it": "When everyone is telling you you're the best, when you don't get your second Michelin star, you're pissed off." The restaurant was first in the guide in 2009 and has appeared every year since then. Biosca attempted to give back the star in 2013 but was still featured in the 2014 guide.

Casa Julio isn't the first restaurant to give up the highly coveted stars. After the announcement of Michelin's 2014 guide to Belgium, Flemish chef Frederick Dhooge of 't Huis van Lede handed back his star. Dhooge noted that he wanted "to be free" in his kitchen and not chained to what customers expect from a Michelin-starred place. Back in 2011, French restaurant Le Lisita also gave back its star so that it could re-open as a more casual brasserie.