SAN ANTONIO – The renowned Michelin Guide wrapped up its first trip through Texas. The guide, recognized for its best and must-try cuisine, has honored 117 restaurants in Texas and 13 in San Antonio.
“It was a bit of a dream at that moment to see all that work. Eleven years of being open at Mixtil,” Mixtli owner and chef Rico Torres said. “We started in a train car. All the hardships. Nothing’s been easy, but we fight. We struggle, we show up, we smile and we do it again.”
Torres, along with fellow owner and chef Diego Galicia and their team, brought home the only Michelin star in the Alamo City.
Here’s a guide to the Michelin Guide’s ranking system:
- A recommendation from the Michelin Guide is not an award, but it’s not nothing. According to the guide’s website, it’s a recognition by the inspectors of quality that hasn’t been awarded — yet.
- A Bib Gourmand is also NOT a star. This award honors great food at a great value.
- One Michelin Star means “High-quality food, worth the stop.”
- Two Michelin Stars means it’s worth going out your way for, or as the inspectors put it, “Excellent food, worth the detour.”
- Three Michelin Stars means the meal is the reason for the trip, or “Exceptional cuisine, worth a special trip.”
“For us, it makes total sense,” Galicia said. “We cook at a very high level with a lot of precision, so we’re right at home.”
Galicia and Torres said that their dining experience isn’t just a delicious dish. It also displays a beautiful story across all regions of Mexico.
Their restaurant earning a Michelin Star was never the goal.
“No,” Galicia said. “It was to feed our families. That was the main thing. We got a lot of blessings along the way.”
As for Bib Gourmands, San Antonio had five restaurants recognized, including Cullum’s Attaboy.
“Think about what a Bib Gourmand means for us as a team, and as a tiny restaurant hidden in San Antonio,” Cullum’s Attaboy owner and chef Christopher Cullum said.
Cullum’s Attaboy might be tucked away on the North St. Mary’s Strip, but it now has the eyes of the world on what it has to offer.
“You’re going to order at the counter. You’re going to almost be in our kitchen,” Cullum said. “You’re going to see what we do, and you’re going to be able to see your food being cooked and feel our hospitality.”
As Cullum’s culinary legacy continues to grow, his late father and legendary jazz band leader, Jim Cullum, has his own legacy that continues.
Cullum said his dad’s legacy doesn’t stop at the classic hits but for the part he played in Attaboy’s name and logo.
“He became the inspiration of the whole project because there is no one attaboy their life more than Jim Cullum,” Cullum said of his father.
“What do you think your dad would say about this recognition?” KSAT asked Cullum.
“‘It’s just great,‘” Christopher said, imitating his father. “‘Keep going! Attaboy!’”
How Mixtli will handle the new wave of customers stopping in to try their cuisine didn’t appear to faze its owners.
“I’m not worried about anybody else coming in from around the world because they’re going to get the same love hospitality service that we offer at the highest level that we can,” Torres said.
More coverage of the Michelin Guide on KSAT:
