Photo by LIz Clayman
For too long Tampa Bay’s culinary community has been on the lookout, waiting for stars to fall their way. Not just any stars, but those annually awarded to the world’s best restaurants based on reviews by anonymous diners representing the prestigious MICHELIN Guide*.
It seemed the stars would never align in Tampa’s favor until a formal announcement at an invitation-only event held in Miami this May. Three restaurants now proudly comprise Tampa’s inaugural induction into the ranks of MICHELIN Star* recipients.
No longer resigned to star gazing, each of these honored eateries are now known worldwide for “High quality cooking, worth a stop!” In other words, star grazing.
Comprising that starstruck trio are:
KOYA
An intimate restaurant nestled in South Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood
LILAC
The signature restaurant of The Tampa EDITION Hotel on Water Street
ROCCA
Located across from the Armature Works waterfront in Tampa Heights
“Earning a MICHELIN star has been a great achievement and honor. It represents all of the hard work and effort we have put in over the last three years at Koya. Having Koya in the MICHELIN Guide puts us on the map with other prestigious restaurants from around the world and will hopefully draw some international customers into Tampa who follow the guide closely,” said Eric Fralick, head chef of both Koya and Noble Rice, which he co-owns with wife Adriana Fralick.
A recent Bon Appétit article highlighting Florida’s MICHELIN-starred eating and drinking establishments observed, “Receiving a star from Michelin is perhaps the most coveted accomplishment in the restaurant world.”
“We haven’t even been open a year yet and are already getting recognized with a MICHELIN star,” marveled renowned chef and restauranteur John Fraser who opened Lilac in downtown Tampa last October. Not only was Lilac among the elite group of Tampa’s star-worthy dining spots, the restaurant was the sole recipient of the 2023 Michelin Guide Florida Service Award.
“We worked really hard to set up a structure and a team that knows what to do and is very guest- and hospitality-focused,” Fraser said, noting the star is awarded to the restaurant, rather than the chef.
“This is a really big deal, not just nationally but on a world stage,” said chef, and Rocca owner, Bryce Bonsack. “People tell you to keep doing what you did to get there, but you have to get little better each day. Now the real work begins.”
The globally revered stars are awarded based on five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for the money and consistency between visits, according to the MICHELIN Guide’s website.
“When you go to a MICHELIN rated restaurant there is an expectation of a personality and singular focus that is not in any way cookie cutter,” said Fraser whose career spans 25 years. “We definitely have a voice and I hope that it shows up in the food.”
The single-star bearers based in Tampa are as diverse as they are deserving of this honor.
Koya offers a multi-course tasting menu featuring fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables flown in weekly from the famed Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. Eight diners seated nightly Wednesday through Saturday are introduced upon arrival to the evening’s menu that begins with an amuse bouche, or “handshake” course and progresses through to dessert, each element showcasing a creative approach to Japanese cuisine. “Dishes are often unexpected, yet always thoughtful,” MICHELIN notes.
At Lilac, Chef Fraser combines influences from his Greek heritage and fondness for Turkish cuisine with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients to create a fine dining experience at Tampa’s first 5-Star rated hotel. His star-studded career includes maintaining MICHELIN star status for eight consecutive years at Dovetail, as well as receiving a star at NIX, both restaurants rooted in New York City. Lilac’s food features “Mediterranean influences, Florida-focused ingredients and French techniques,” per MICHELIN.
Rocca, known for pastas made in house, and mozzarella hand pulled to order and served from a tableside cart, is named for a family Bonsack lived with and worked for over several seasons as he traversed the northern regions of Italy. His immersion in Italian food focused on traditional cooking techniques authentic to that area. Bonsack previously worked at two MICHELIN starred New York City restaurants, Blanca and Corton. It’s a background that “blends his New York know-how with Italian training to great effect,” MICHELIN notes.
The cache carried by a MICHELIN star benefits not only a restaurant’s bottom line and bolsters a chef’s reputation. It can even elevate the host city, nurturing its notoriety as an in-demand dining destination.
“We were always a hard reservation to get, but the volume of phone calls tripled. And this is normally a slow time of year for the restaurant. It has been a financial boost for the staff and for the investment team,” said Bonsack, who opened Rocca in 2019. “MICHELIN is a brand. It is obviously a powerful statement to be associated with the brand and I am grateful for that association.”
“But now the real work has begun. You realize this is a marathon and not a sprint,” he added. “It opens a different type of diner’s eyes to the restaurant, possibly, and to Tampa at large. Guest spends typically increase when you are recognized by MICHELIN. There is a trust associated with the award and when people trust you, they spend more,” noted Fraser. “Folks are willing to travel more broadly in order to get a great meal whether it is to have that experience, or to celebrate a special occasion.”
For anyone considering, or pursuing, a culinary career, firsthand familiarity with establishments boasting MICHELIN, and other credentials is advised.
Fraser recalls as a young cook he spent “all of his money eating at other people’s restaurants, and making notes while trying to understand “the why and the what of what they were trying to do, as well as, what was working and what didn’t for me.”
For Bonsack, there is no substitute for working alongside accomplished chefs.
“You can’t learn everything in a book. You really need the experience you get from working work in multiple places. I did a lot of internships at two- and three-star MICHELIN restaurants. You need that mindset instilled in you. Go get that discipline. And then train, train, train. Don’t worry about money. That will come later. Learn what you can and it will come,” Bonsack said.
Chef Fralick sums up the accolade as follows: “To earn a MICHELIN star it takes an incredible amount of hard work, creativity and a drive for perfection. Every service has to be better than the last. It means never being complacent in all that you do and always trying to improve day in and day out.” M
—By Mary Lou Janson
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR RESERVATIONS:
Koya: 807 W. Platt St., Tampa, FL 33606 | www.koyatampa.com | 813.284.7423
Lilac: 500 Channelside Dr., Tampa, FL 33602 | www.lilacrestauranttampa.com | 813.771.8022
Rocca Tampa: 323 W. Palm Ave., Tampa, FL 33602 | www.roccatampa.com | 813.906.5445
MICHELIN Guide: www.guide.michelin.com
* The “MICHELIN Guide” and the MICHELIN “Star” are copyrighted/trademarked properties. © 2023 MICHELIN Guide
