Having a Michelin is more trouble than it's worth, says a chef in Catalonia who is all to happy to renounce his.

"Total slavery, with enormous stress," is how Joan Borras describes his plight. His Hostal Sant Salvador in the village of La Vall de Bianya, northeast Spain, won Michelin's blessing in 2006.

"It's the wish of all chefs ... but you have to remember the price that has to be paid to keep it," he told the El Periodico newspaper, in an article published on Sunday.

The Spanish edition of the celebrated French guide to Europe's gastronomical marvels lists six three-star restaurants in Spain, nine two-star establishments, and 109 with a single star.

Having even a single star means forever striving for excellence — but after his recent brush with a brain tumour, Borras said he'd rather ease back on the pressure and enjoy life more.

He said as much in a letter on Thursday to the Michelin guide — but his gesture is not without precedent.

Three years ago French chef Alain Senderens renounced the three stars Michelin gave to his Lucas Carton restaurant in Paris, saying he no longer cared to be locked into "highly stressful gastronomical competition".

AFP