PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County’s growing culinary scene is earning international recognition after several local restaurants received honors from the Michelin Guide Florida, including one West Palm Beach restaurant making history.
Monday, 10 restaurants were awarded 2026 Michelin plaques by Discover The Palm Beaches.
Emelina, a 16-seat tasting-menu restaurant in West Palm Beach’s Flamingo Park neighborhood, earned Palm Beach County’s only Michelin Star this year. According to Discover The Palm Beaches, Emelina also became the first Cuban restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin Star.
Several other Palm Beach County restaurants received Michelin recognition through recommendations and Bib Gourmand honors, which recognize quality food at a good value.
Michelin inspectors evaluate restaurants based on ingredient quality, flavor harmony, cooking techniques, consistency and the chef’s personality reflected in the cuisine.
In Palm Beach County kitchens, chefs are chasing perfection and now, Michelin is noticing.
Chef Pushkar Marathe said Michelin inspectors visit anonymously.
“They never really shared that they’re going to be in your restaurant,” Marathe said.
Marathe’s Palm Beach Gardens restaurants, Stage Kitchen & Bar and Ela Curry & Cocktails, both earned Michelin recommendations this year. His first reaction after learning about the recognition focused on improvement.
“First thought was, how could we do better to get a star?” Marathe said.
Marathe explained that Michelin recommendations place restaurants within reach of earning a future star.
“When you’re recommended, you’ve been considered for the star, but there’s still some things you need to work on,” he said.
Chef Tim Lipman’s Coolinary and the Parched Pig also received a Michelin recommendation.
“You don’t necessarily strive for the award, but you strive for excellence,” Lipman said.
Lipman said the recognition has helped local restaurants stand out in a competitive dining market.
“Definitely needle in a haystack, right? There’s so many great restaurants out there,” he said.
Aioli in West Palm Beach earned a Bib Gourmand designation for the second consecutive year. Owners Michael and Melanie Hackman said the recognition validates their commitment to scratch-made baking and consistency.
“We are a scratch sourdough bakery,” Michael Hackman said. “It’s definitely why Michelin noticed us. We’re doing stuff the right way. We’re not cutting corners."
Aioli’s sourdough takes more than three days to ferment. Hackman said even pop culture trends have influenced customer interest.
“They said, ‘I’m only here because Taylor Swift makes sourdough. I want to learn how to make sourdough,’” Hackman said.
Melanie Hackman said maintaining Michelin recognition can be even more challenging than earning it initially.
“Earning it the first time was huge, but retaining it was even bigger for us,” she said.
Restaurant owners also said the recognition is helping business during the slower summer months.
“We are in the dead of summer and grateful that our restaurant is full every day,” Melanie Hackman said.
Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches, said culinary tourism is becoming increasingly important to Palm Beach County’s economy.
“Normally visitors come here for the beaches and the experiences we can offer. Now they are returning, because we became this powerhouse in the culinary scene,” Segarra said.
Segarra said tourism investment tied to culinary marketing efforts has generated measurable returns for the county.
“For every dollar that we invest on behalf of the county, we have a return of $3.55 in TDTs,” he said, referring to tourist development tax revenue.
Why this matters now: Michelin recognition continues to reshape Palm Beach County’s reputation beyond beaches and luxury resorts. As more nationally recognized chefs and restaurants open across the region, local leaders see fine dining and culinary tourism becoming a growing economic driver for South Florida.
From scratch bakeries to chef-driven tasting menus, Palm Beach County’s restaurant scene is earning attention from diners around the world — and local chefs say they are still striving for more.
2026 Palm Beach County restaurants recognized by Michelin Guide Florida
MICHELIN Star • Emelina — West Palm Beach
Bib Gourmand • aioli — West Palm Beach
MICHELIN Recommended
• Stage Kitchen & Bar — Palm Beach Gardens
• Ela Curry & Cocktails — Palm Beach Gardens
• Coolinary and the Parched Pig — Palm Beach Gardens
• būccan — Palm Beach
• Moody Tongue Sushi — West Palm Beach
• Nicholson Muir Distinguished Meats — Boynton Beach
• The Butcher’s Club — Palm Beach Gardens
What do Michelin distinctions mean?
• MICHELIN Star: Awarded for exceptional cooking and culinary excellence.
• Bib Gourmand: Recognizes high-quality food at a good value.
• Recommended: Honors restaurants serving standout meals with quality ingredients and strong execution.
What do you want me to Shine A Light on? What are you most proud of where you live? Email me at tawalker@wptv.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
