A renowned French chef gave up his Michelin Star because he can't afford it

Jerome Brochot/Facebook

"It's been catastrophic for the last three years," Jérôme Brochot said.

• Renowned French chef Jérôme Brochot owns a restaurant in a former coal mining town in the Burgundy region of France.
• His restaurant, Le France, was awarded a Michelin Star in 2011.
• In November, Brochot voluntarily dropped his Michelin Star because diners in the working-class town couldn't afford to eat there.
  

Jérôme Brochot, a renowned French chef, has decided to return his Michelin Star, the highest honor bestowed upon chefs around the world.

Brochot is the owner of hotel-restaurant Le France in Montceau-les-Mines, France, a former coal mining town with a population around 18,000, according to the New York Times.

In 2011, he was awarded a Michelin Star, a sign that he had succeeded at the highest level as a chef. But after a costly kitchen renovation put him in debt and Brochot couldn't keep a steady stream of high-paying customers in the restaurant, he wrote to the Michelin Guide to give up his star, a symbol of fine dining with prices to match.

"It's been catastrophic for the last three years," Brochot told the Times. "We're reacting here. We are going to do everything to keep this place going," he said. "I'm looking for ideas to survive."

Keep scrolling to peek inside Brochot's restaurant.