France’s toxic kitchen culture was copied around the world. Now there comes a reckoning

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Every year after the Michelin guide announces its selection of starred restaurants in France, journalist Nora Bouazzouni receives a flurry of angry and resentful messages.

It’s become an unexpected consequence of her burgeoning reputation as one of the most influential whistleblowers of France’s restaurant industry.

The messages come from despondent restaurant staff, livid at seeing abusive, toxic chefs who have made their lives hell elevated to hero status with the awarding of one of the highest accolades in the industry.

“It’s really the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” Bouazzouni tells CNN.

Since 2017, the French food journalist has reported on toxic restaurant culture in kitchens a