Joe Frillman, chef and owner of Daisies in Chicago’s Logan Square, first heard about his 2024 Green Star and reacted with a simple “Wow!” The restaurant had long operated according to the principles of sustainability, featuring a vegetable-forward menu, direct sourcing from his brother’s Michigan farm, and a “root-to-fruit” philosophy where every part of an ingredient is either reused or fermented.
Launched in 2020, the Michelin Green Star evaluated ingredient provenance, seasonality, waste management, and environmental footprint. In Chicago, only Daisies and Feld were granted the distinction. For Frillman, it was more than just an award; it was a signal that drew in out-of-town guests who visited specifically because “this matters to us.”
In May 2026, Michelin quietly announced the discontinuation of the Green Star program. In its place, they launched the “Mindful Voices” initiative—a content series profiling various culinary innovators. Frillman learned of the news via Instagram as fellow star holders began posting their frustrations. “It’s certainly a disappointment,” he says. Establishments that spent years developing sustainable supply chains have now been left without a visible mark of distinction.
Jake Potashnick also earned a Green Star at his restaurant, Feld. His hyper-seasonal menu is built on local produce, an approach that helped the restaurant secure a traditional Michelin star in 2025. Potashnick acknowledges that auditing sustainability is a complex task on a global scale, but he feels the sudden cancellation of the program was quite abrupt. “It was an honor to be part of the final class of recipients,” he notes, though he emphasizes that his work will not change.
Sarah Stegner, chef at Prairie Grass Cafe and a co-founder of Green City Market, has spent decades championing local food. According to her, the Green Star provided a platform to share the stories of what farmers go through to get food onto the table. Now that this tool has been removed, the question of what will take its place remains open.
Rumors of political pressure have surrounded the decision, with some pointing to the Trump administration’s cuts to climate programs and local supply chain grants. Michelin has offered no official comment on the matter. For Chicago’s chefs, the news doesn’t change their daily work—they will continue to buy “ugly” vegetables, ferment surpluses, and cultivate relationships with farmers. However, the external validation has disappeared.
A visit to Daisies or Feld is most rewarding during the height of the season when the menus are built entirely around local farm deliveries. This is when diners can truly taste how the “root-to-fruit” approach functions and see why sustainability here is a daily practice rather than just a slogan. A single conversation with a farmer or chef makes it clear why these restaurants cannot be replicated in a different climate or with different suppliers.
