Sezanne restaurant in Tokyo, which held the top 1 position in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, had its three Michelin stars withdrawn ahead of the next Michelin Guide announcement in 10/2026. This development occurred after founding chef Daniel Calvert departed in April.

Michelin did not make a public announcement, but Reddit forum members discovered the event in early May, with SCMP confirming it in early June.

Inside Sezanne restaurant. Photo: SCMP

Inside Sezanne restaurant. Photo: SCMP

Located within the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo, Sezanne experienced a rapid ascent under Calvert's leadership. Opening in 7/2021, the restaurant earned one Michelin star after six months of operation, received its second star a year later, and achieved three stars by the end of 2024. This momentum continued as Sezanne topped the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list and ranked 7th in The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025.

The Michelin Guide website stated in 2016: "Star rankings will not be affected when a head chef leaves and a new chef takes over." In another article in 2025, when asked whether Michelin revokes a restaurant's stars when the head chef changes, the organization also clarified: "No. Michelin stars are awarded to the restaurant, not to the chef. If a restaurant promotes a sous chef or appoints a new head chef and maintains its cooking standards, the stars will remain."

This makes Sezanne's case unusual. The removal of its previous profile indicates that the organization is taking the changes at Sezanne seriously following Daniel Calvert's departure and intends to conduct a comprehensive re-evaluation.

In a written response to Sezanne, the Michelin Japan team stated: "Following the changes at Sezanne, the restaurant's previous profile on the Michelin Guide website has been removed. The restaurant currently has a new team, and a new profile has been published. According to its procedure, Sezanne is currently being re-evaluated by inspectors."

This is not the first time Michelin has stripped a restaurant of its stars after a key chef left. Previously, a notable case was The Araki, which lost its three Michelin stars when chef and founder Mitsuhiro Araki left London in 3/2019 to open a restaurant in Hong Kong. His successor was long-time protege Marty Lau, and The Araki has not regained any stars since then.

Another case occurred in 7/2023 at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in My. The restaurant closed after head chef Cesar Ramirez was fired due to misconduct allegations and reopened in 10/2023 with a new team. A month later, Michelin announced the restaurant had lost its three stars. In 2024, Chef's Table regained two stars and has maintained them to date.

A photo posted by chef Daniel Calvert at the end of 2025. Photo: SCMP/Instagram

A photo posted by chef Daniel Calvert at the end of 2025. Photo: SCMP/Instagram

Michelin stated that Sezanne has been reinstated in the guide with a new profile, under the "immediate release" category. This mechanism is used by Michelin to highlight outstanding restaurants that they believe do not need to wait for the next announcement period.

"Sezanne was reinstated in the Tokyo list in May under 'immediate release'. This process aims to introduce new establishments that have not yet been awarded any accolades. All accolades will be determined and announced at the Tokyo ceremony, in line with our evaluation methodology," Michelin explained. The Michelin team also emphasized that any restaurant undergoing significant changes will be systematically re-evaluated to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Now, successor Stephen Lancaster faces the pressure of returning Sezanne to its peak and regaining its Michelin stars. Before arriving in Tokyo, he built his reputation in Singapore as the head chef of Saint Pierre restaurant, earning two Michelin stars. In 2022, Lancaster also launched Poise restaurant (now closed) and earned one Michelin star in its first year of operation.

Lancaster stated that the transition at Sezanne went smoothly. Daniel Calvert himself proactively contacted him to invite him to manage the restaurant. He arrived in Tokyo in February, spending about one month working with Calvert before taking over in April. "Essentially, I was Daniel's choice. Of course, he wouldn't choose someone and then leave them with a terrible handover process. He helped me a lot."

These statements suggest that Sezanne did not undergo an abrupt "changing of the guard" but rather a well-prepared transition. However, under Michelin's current procedure, the restaurant must still undergo a completely new round of evaluation before it can determine if it will regain any Michelin stars in the next announcement.

Since taking over, Lancaster has changed the menu. Currently, all dishes at Sezanne are his own creations, no longer using recipes left by Calvert.

Instead of feeling immense pressure to quickly regain Michelin stars, Lancaster stated his immediate goal is much simpler: "My aim is to maintain a restaurant that is always busy, full of energy, and satisfies diners."

These statements indicate that Lancaster is focused on building a new identity for Sezanne rather than attempting to replicate past successes. The results will be revealed when Michelin publishes its next guide in 10/2026.

Tam Anh (according to SCMP)