Until December, only 13 restaurants across the United States had the coveted three MICHELIN star designation. San Diego’s Addison joined that exclusive list earlier this month, an astronomical rise for an establishment that had no stars just four years ago.
Addison chef William Bradley has been enthralling diners since 2006, initially with French fine dining before pivoting to California-focused fare a few years ago. The restaurant earned its first MICHELIN star in 2019, when the guide began awarding stars in Southern California. Addison backed up that recognition with a second star the subsequent year, and has now become the first new U.S. restaurant to receive three stars since 2019.
OpenTable chatted with Addison director of services Sean McGinness on what this victory means to the team.
This interview has been edited for clarity
First off, huge congratulations! What does it mean to be recognized by MICHELIN in this way?
Sean McGinness: Spirits are high right now! We’ve long admired our three star colleagues and the culinary greats who have led the way. It’s surreal and humbling to receive three stars from the MICHELIN guide. We are honored to be in a position that allows us to champion San Diego’s culinary scene.
What does this victory mean for San Diego, in particular?
McGinness: It’s tremendous for San Diego and the team feels a real responsibility to represent our city through these three stars. First and foremost we wouldn’t be here without the support of our local community so there’s a tremendous amount of gratitude on a local level. We hope that the recognition continues to bring more people to San Diego. Whether these are travelers excited about the culinary scene or chefs who are inspired to open restaurants in the area. I’ve lived out here for many years and I can’t imagine there’s not a real appeal for hospitality professionals to move out west, live by the ocean, and be acknowledged on a global platform.
Did this announcement come as a surprise?
McGinness: When we learned of MICHELIN’s expansion [recognizing restaurants in all of California starting in 2019] we were excited by what that would mean both for San Diego and for the team at Addison. We’ve always been inspired by the excellence in hospitality and the tenets MICHELIN upholds and celebrates. Seeking three stars was a shared dream of ours. We have the deepest respect for the MICHELIN guide and its significance within the global community. So we just pushed. We continued to evolve, remain relevant, and do all we could to put our best foot forward every day.
Have there been any major recent changes at the restaurant?
McGinness: In the past we had multiple menus available, but when we received our second star [2020], there was an intention to go to one singular tasting menu, which allowed our chefs to become hyper-focused on ingredient selection, sourcing the highest quality ingredients available, and really diving in and strengthening our relationships with distributors. Once they got locked into the single menu, it felt like game on. Chef [William Bradley] has a tremendous palate and his ability to develop flavors on a plate is a real inspiration to the team. There’s so much pride in knowing all the work that goes into this right from the amount of time the farmers put into this to the thought that goes into the composition of the plate. Then to be able to see the pure delight on the guest’s face as we deliver that and describe what it is in detail, it is so fulfilling, in service, to be a part of that.
How would you describe Addison to a diner who might not be familiar with it?
McGinness: We describe it as California gastronomy. California is a melting pot culturally and that’s what’s allowed chef to really broaden the spectrum. We want guests, when they visit, to have a full culinary experience. We have world-class cuisine with a world-class wine program. Our service is synchronized but personable. We want guests to feel like royalty. We’re here to provide a service, but we’re also here to see that you can have all that you want.
Does it feel like a lot of pressure now? What’s next for the team?
McGinness: Yes, there’s always pressure. We have a saying that pressure builds diamonds. We just aspire to continue to champion California, San Diego, and our culinary community. We strongly feel that California is establishing itself as a destination for chefs around the world to find inspiration in, and we are really excited to contribute to that momentum. We’ll just keep pushing, that’s really just the goal, just to continue to put our best foot forward each day.
Tanay Warerkar is a content marketing manager at OpenTable
