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Controversial Michelin Guide comes to Canada

Over the next few months, undercover inspectors will be dining at Toronto restaurants to decide if any are worthy of a coveted Michelin Star. The designation can propel a restaurant to stardom — but the Michelin Guide has also been plagued with controversies and allegations of elitism.
Duck soup with vermicelli at Sang-Ji Fried Bao in North York. (Suresh Doss/CBC)

Right now, undercover inspectors from France's prestigious Michelin Guide are visiting Canada for the first time, to see if any of Toronto's restaurants are worthy of a coveted Michelin Star.

Getting that designation from the de facto gastronomical authority can propel a chef and their restaurant to stardom. But the Michelin Guide has also been plagued with allegations of bias, elitism, putting dangerous levels of strain on chefs, and ignoring how the workers making the food are treated.

Today, food writers Nancy Matsumoto and Corey Mintz join us to hash out what the guide's arrival in Canada could mean for a beleaguered industry — and whether it even matters.

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