Jacksonville earns first Michelin recognitions, three

Jacksonville joined the Michelin Guide on August 5 with its first three recognized restaurants, according to local coverage and a City Hall ceremony led by Mayor Donna Deegan and Visit Jacksonville. Eggboy, Rue Saint Marc and The Bearded Pig received Michelin recognition placards on Wednesday, making them the first Jacksonville restaurants to be honored by the guide, Action News Jax and News4JAX reported. (actionnewsjax.com) The milestone followed Michelin’s expansion into Northeast Florida for the 2026 guide. Action News Jax reported in May that eight restaurants across Northeast Florida were included for the first time, with Jacksonville accounting for three of them. (actionnewsjax.com) Michelin did not award stars to those Jacksonville restaurants, but inclusion placed them in the guide’s listings. ### Which Jacksonville restaurants were recognized? Eggboy, Rue Saint Marc and The Bearded Pig were the three Jacksonville restaurants named at the August 5 ceremony at City Hall, according to News4JAX and Action News Jax. The outlets said the three establishments were the first in city history to receive Michelin Guide recognition. Action News Jax reported that the plaques were presented to The Bearded Pig co-owners Chad Munsey and Michael Schmidt alongside the other honorees. (actionnewsjax.com) News4JAX identified Nicholas and Zachary Presti as the co-founders of Eggboy. ### Was this a Michelin star announcement? Michelin’s 2026 Northeast Florida selections were not stars for the Jacksonville restaurants, according to Action News Jax’s May 29 report. (actionnewsjax.com) The station said Michelin described such listings as establishments that are not yet at star or Bib Gourmand level but still merit inclusion in the guide. Two other Northeast Florida restaurants — Bar Citra and Sunday in St. Augustine — received Bib Gourmand distinctions, Action News Jax reported in May. (actionnewsjax.com) That left Jacksonville’s three August 5 honorees as Michelin-recognized guide selections rather than starred restaurants. ### Why did city officials treat the moment as a milestone? Mayor Donna Deegan said at the ceremony, “For the first time, Jacksonville is represented,” according to News4JAX. (actionnewsjax.com) Michael Corrigan, president and chief executive of Visit Jacksonville, said the recognition would give the restaurants “international notoriety” as places to visit in the city. News4JAX tied the event to Jacksonville’s recent image problem, citing a June 2025 FinanceBuzz study that ranked the city the most boring in America among 75 major cities and said chains made up 54% of local restaurants. (actionnewsjax.com) The station reported that city leaders cast Michelin recognition as evidence of a broader local dining scene that had been overlooked. ### What did the restaurant owners say? (actionnewsjax.com) Chad Munsey of The Bearded Pig said the honor reflected “10 years of hard work,” according to News4JAX. Michael Schmidt, his co-founder, told the station, “We don’t do this for the awards, but the awards are certainly validation.” Nicholas and Zachary Presti of Eggboy told News4JAX they initially thought the Michelin message was fake. “It was in an email, and I didn’t really believe it at first,” they said, adding that they were “ecstatic and grateful” after realizing it was real. (news4jax.com) ### What comes next for Jacksonville’s food push? Mayor Deegan used the August 5 event to point to Jacksonville’s negotiations to bring a Culinary Institute of America campus downtown, Action News Jax reported. Corrigan said the city has committed a $35 million incentive package for the proposed campus. (news4jax.com) Action News Jax reported that the proposed Culinary Institute of America deal will return to the City Council for final approval once negotiations are complete. (news4jax.com) Munsey said the school could help with one of the restaurant industry’s main problems in Jacksonville: finding talent. (actionnewsjax.com)