leslDiners and food media have been buzzing about how Mamani got its star in the second Michelin ceremony in Texas, and some of the buzz has been less than flattering. Some of the things people have said to me about it have made me balk, bordering on conspiracy theories. This week, I'd like to address some of the hyperbole, attempt to demystify it from my limited expertise and the available context, and explain the things that haven't been said but should be about why this remarkable restaurant earned a star so quickly.
Has this ever happened before?
Most of the consternation centers on how quickly it earned its star, after being open for under two months, which is not unprecedented but is the exception rather than the rule. And yes, restaurants have earned stars faster than this. Chef Andy Beynon's London restaurant Behind won a star after being open for only 20 days in 2021, besting Mamani by nearly two dozen services. It was the first star for that chef. Cristal Room in Hong Kong earned a star for chef Anne-Sophie Pic in just four months, making it the chef's eleventh restaurant to receive a star.
Those are just a few examples, but the key point to bear in mind is that how quickly a restaurant earns its star or stars is relative to how close its Michelin ceremony is to its opening date. A part of the speed here is attributable to Mamani's opening date slipping back from mid-summer, with an expected opening in June or July, to early September due to construction delays. Even still, it opened with some incorrect elements in place, such as the chef's counter, which was originally red and not the gold you see now. In fact, the restaurant was initially targeted to open much earlier in 2025, and had it done so, it still likely would have been a priority restaurant for Michelin to review. However, it would have earned its star.
Why did this happen?
Sarah Blaskovich at the Dallas Morning News put exactly that question to Michelin and got a statement about how the resume of chef Christophe de Lellis prompted them to prioritize eating at Mamani. I confirmed with Blaskovich that she didn't ask about de Lellis's resume, and Michelin came up with its statement naming him independently. So let's talk about it. If you don't know already, de Lellis was the executive chef at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, where he started in a lower title in 2011 and stayed, working his way up, until 2024. As another food writer in Dallas pointed out to me, the restaurant was not Michelin-starred during de Lellis's tenure. That restaurant held three Michelin stars in 2008 and 2009, during the guide's evaluation of the city. After that, Vegas parted ways with Michelin, which is something Texas could very well do after its contract ends in 2026. While speaking to de Lellis for an interview with Eater over the summer, he mentioned the lessons he learned from Robuchon multiple times, making it clear that the lauded chef was a mentor to him and that they had a personal relationship. When Robuchon passed away in 2018, his restaurants had a cumulative 31 Michelin stars. To be one of his acolytes is no small thing to Michelin, and makes any project of a chef who worked for him worthy of consideration.
I do think Michelin's statement was misguided, however, because, first of all, the star is not awarded to the chef but to the restaurant, and because there are multiple staff members with Michelin associations.
Look to general manager, Sueyoung Jo, who was at the three-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York City before moving to Dallas to help open this restaurant. She also worked for chef Daniel Boulard's Dinex Group — his restaurants in NYC currently hold multiple stars. And her job directly before this one was at the Global Ambassador Hotel in Phoenix, which has a Michelin Key.
We can also look to sommelier Allie Nault, who, at 21, became a sommelier at the then three-starred Inn at Little Washington — although this is not confirmed, she is among the youngest people to hold that title at a three-star establishment, if not the youngest. She is not yet 30. Directly before coming to Dallas, Nault was the somm at the Fisher Island Club, the billionaire-filled enclave off Miami, where membership costs up to half a million dollars. They pop some really baller bottles, too.
Let's not forget about Rubén Rólon, who was the head bartender at L'Atelier Joël Robuchon Miami, which held one star, and won Michelin's Exceptional Cocktail Award in 2022. He developed the cocktail program for Mamani. He has been working at Feels Like Home Hospitality's Bar Colette since it opened at the end of 2023.
There is also Leslie Brenner, the publicist and a consultant who helped develop the restaurant's concept. She's the former dining critic for the Dallas Morning News and a James Beard award-winning food writer. She has also worked on some of the best restaurants in the city, including Michelin-recognized Sachet and Gemma, Billy Can Can, Las Palmas, Domdomo Ko, Boltino Gelato, Eataly Dallas, and Paranope. Previously, she helped launch Meridian with Junior Borges and Via Triozzi.
So sure, Michelin had eyes on de Lellis — but it is very familiar with the work of a lot of other people in Mamani, too. Additionally, any institution is likely to be inclined to double down on rewarding a figure it has previously honored with awards. I've seen this working at Eater, at MTV, at CBS, writing about the Grammys, the Oscars, the Emmys — once you're in, you're a priority.
How did Feels Like Home hospitality get all these people to work at Mamani?
The short answer is: money. Its owners, brothers Henry and Brandon Cohanim, are the founders of Feels Like Home hospitality, and de Lellis is a partner in the company, overseeing food across all its restaurants, which currently include Namo, Bar Collette, and Mamani. It will soo add the Bread Company, a bakery opening next door to Mamani. Longer answer: all of them hold positions across the hospitality group, overseeing multiple restaurants, and not just at Mamani. This enables larger salaries, broader portfolios, and more exciting opportunities. Despite what Dallas diners, or sometimes the Dallas food media, think, most hospitality workers and investors view Dallas as an up-and-coming food city that hosts numerous businesses, has substantial financial resources, and can support a large number of fine dining restaurants. If it's not prestigious yet, it feels like it is on its way — perpetually. The opportunity to make a mark and elevate DFW's dining scene is a very tempting prospect. For Mamani, it clearly worked.
Why did Michelin like this restaurant, in particular?
This is so easy to answer. Michelin is a French company. Mamani serves French food. Not just any French food, but classic French cuisine. I've created a video explaining the menu, which you can watch for more information, or you can read my review of it. It is the biggest no-brainer in the world that Michelin would instantly recognize Mamani's food and what it is going for with French-style service and a brigade kitchen, both hallmarks of French fine dining.
Asking why this place and not any other restaurant that you personally like also has an obvious answer: Michelin diners have a specific palette. Mamani doesn't serve Texas or Dallas-style food; it serves French cuisine of the style and caliber that a Michelin-starred diner would expect to find in Los Angeles, Montreal, or Berlin. There are not many restaurants with long histories of winning Michelin recognition in Dallas, certainly not to the extent that Mamani has.
Should I eat there? Is it worth the price?
If you're curious about what it means to have a star, yes. If you're not, no. Only you can decide.
Is Michelin pay-to-play? Was this rigged?
Someone actually texted me this during the ceremony. The answer is yes, Michelin is a pay-to-play organization. The cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio are all paying for Michelin to be here; it is not a goodwill mission or something we've earned. Every city, or now across the U.S. region, pays for Michelin. However, individual restaurants cannot influence Michelin or pay for coverage.
Hope that clears things up for the doubters, and pour one out for the haters.