Stoner Food Critic Joel Haas Debuts Michelin Month, Continues Supporting Local Restaurants During the Pandemic

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Stoner food critic Joel Haas continues to support the food service industry amid the coronavirus pandemic. His new initiative, Michelin Month, documents his month of dining at Michelin Star restaurants or ordering to go ? allowing him to merge his love for food with his love for giving back.

"I wanted to see how the Michelin Star restaurants were handling and adapting to the pandemic," said Haas, who lives in Washington D.C. "They were delicious and offered wonderful experiences. They all passed with flying colors and continue to be Stoner Approved."

Before the pandemic, Haas would travel the country and dine at premier restaurants while high on legal, recreational cannabis. He produced a podcast, too, called High Speed Dining and Inhaling America. The video podcast documented his adventures and experiences with the world's best food and weed.

But the pandemic forced the closure of hundreds of restaurants across the country, thereby altering his ability to dine. So he responded by ordering takeout every night and eating restaurant food exclusively. He's placed over 260 orders from over 80 local D.C. restaurants, totaling more than 750 meals and counting. More recently he's also been dining out, tallying 66 meals at over 40 restaurants in six states. Haas has spent over $60,000 supporting the hospitality industry, and always makes it a point to tip generously.

Haas sought another fun challenge, though, and conceived Michelin Month. For this particular initiative, he ate the majority of his meals from Michelin star restaurants during September and October and documented his experiences via social media.

"I've never appreciated my favorite restaurants and their hard working staff more," said Haas, who was featured in a recent Forbes Magazine article. "I am so thankful for their talents and dedication in these crazy, dangerous times."

Michelin Stars are hard to obtain, and restaurants with the distinction are rated with one, two or three stars. Fewer than 200 restaurants in the country have Michelin Stars, and only 14 hold the coveted three-star rating.

Haas totaled 21 stops at 15 prestigious Michelin Star restaurants, including the sole three-star restaurant in D.C., The Inn at Little Washington. Restaurants around the world yearn for Michelin Star status, and those with the distinction are revered by many of the world's top chefs. They tend to focus on the quality and flavor of the food ? along with the technique and personality of the dishes.

Haas has received recognition on Instagram from several of the Michelin restaurants, including Fiola, Gravitas, Tail Up Goat, Komi and Masseria thanking him for featuring their restaurants on his social media page @HighSpeedDining.

"I'm thrilled that many of my favorite restaurants appreciate my kind words," said Haas. "But it doesn't compare to how much I appreciate them and how much joy they bring me and so many others during these tough times. I'll continue to support my favorite restaurants by eating only restaurant food until this pandemic is officially over."

For more content on Haas' Michelin Month journey, visit his Instagram page for in-depth descriptions of taste, experience, favorite dishes and, of course, pictures that will make you drool.

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About Joel Haas, Stoner Food Critic

Joel Haas gets high on legal, recreational cannabis and eats at premier restaurants around the country. He's produced more than 100 episodes in his podcast's first year, chronicling 600 meals at 315 restaurants in 17 states. Since 2015, he's had at least 2,400 meals at more than 750 fine dining establishments, covering 23 states and several countries. His High Speed Dining and Inhaling America Video Podcast has been his way of documenting more than 2,400 stoned (mostly fine dining) meals in just under 6 years. For more information on Joel Haas, the Stoner Food critic, please visit stonerfoodcritic.com and visit his Instagram page @HighSpeedDining.

About Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide is a series of books published by the French tire company Michelin for more than a century. It is meant to serve as a restaurant reference guide, which awards up to three Michelin stars to restaurants for excellence. For more information on the Michelin Guide, visit https://guide.michelin.com/en/about-us.

Media Contact

Charisse Curtis, Milano Consulting, LLC, +1 (323) 251-3582, [email protected]

SOURCE Joel Haas, Stoner Food Critic