How our food writer broke the news on Michelin ratings coming to Texas

I couldn’t contain my excitement last month when Sarah Blaskovich, our long-time restaurant and food reporter, broke the news that Michelin is coming to Texas.
Now if you don’t know why the revelation that this French company has finally turned its attention to Texas has made me so happy, that’s OK. I’m here to explain. A Michelin star is the most prestigious honor any restaurant can achieve in the world. Until now, no Texas restaurant could earn one of its coveted star ratings, which makes the news that much more exciting.
This fall, Michelin will announce which restaurants in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio earned its praise. The restaurants that win one star — or goodness gracious, two or three — will stay booked for months and become destinations for international travelers.
“Michelin is the Olympics of food,” Sarah said. It’s “where only the best and brightest restaurants in the world get a medal,” she wrote in one of her stories.
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I’m confident Michelin’s 2024 acclaimed Texas Guide will be filled with local stars. More times than I care to admit, I find myself out exploring our great restaurants, and because of it, battling with my waistline. But I digress. Which ones do you think will get the honor and privilege of saying they are among the best restaurants in the world?
Sarah wrote this news so quickly and thoroughly because of her dedication to constantly educate herself about the industry she covers, because she’s spent countless hours getting to know her sources and having them get to know her, and because she’s earned their trust. In return, over the years, so many of them have shared their stories with The Dallas Morning News first — stories about their private health battles like this one.
“My goal with our coverage of Michelin matches my goal with most of our restaurant stories: I want to be your friend in the know,” Sarah said. “I want to write stories that offer context and information, and I never want to lose sight of the fun parts of this job, too.”
Sarah loves this community. She was born and raised in D-FW and watched her parents faithfully read The News daily. She has worked here for 12 years and her first job with us was as a 17-year-old high school intern before she headed off to journalism school at The University of Missouri, or Mizzou. Later, Sarah returned and was our entertainment editor for years before returning to food — the beat she describes as the highlight of her career.
Her devotion to serving you is exactly how she and our food team planned our Michelin coverage. Within 24 hours, they published six stories and followed up with two more in-depth ones.
Their coverage included an explainer piece by restaurant reporter Claire Ballor that tried to answer every question you have about Michelin. Reporter Imelda Garcia published a list of 13 pop-culture references to Michelin and provided fun and, as Sarah said, functional examples of how this rating system is glamorized and loathed across the globe. Sarah made an appearance on NBC5, published Instagram reels, spoke on local radio shows and engaged in a discussion with her teammates on our Eat Drink DFW podcast.
One of my favorite parts of their coverage was the emotional, powerful interviews. In one story, Sarah spoke to popular Dallas chef Dean Fearing who had longed for Michelin’s move into Texas for his whole career.
“He said so many things that became the emotional explanation of why Michelin’s entry was a game-changing opportunity for Texas chefs,” Sarah shared.
“Here’s my favorite: “We’re all scared to death.”
I can see that perspective, too.
Now go find a restaurant and eat something great!