It's true what they say: It can be lonely at the top.
Indian chef Gaggan Anand is asking the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants academy to take him out of next year's running and cast their vote for someone else, after he claimed the title of best restaurant in Asia for the fourth year in a row for his Bangkok restaurant Gaggan.
In a wide-ranging and frank interview with Fine Dining Lovers, the food blog helmed by event sponsor San Pellegrino, Anand declared before the gala ceremony that should he win the title again for 2018, it would be the last time he takes to the stage to accept the award.
After monopolising the spotlight for four years in a row, Anand feels he's lost friends to his fame, particularly among former chef pals he used to hang out with at the event who no longer return his smiles.
(Related: Gaggan Is Asia's Best Restaurant For A Record Fourth Year)
"I want my friends back, I don't want to make 49 enemies, so I don't want to be part of this misery," he said in the interview.
"That's part of fame, it's fame's curse and I think they all should get the curse," he added with a smile.
Anand's wish to be withdrawn from the list echoes some chefs' recent reactions to being crowned by the Michelin guide, which likewise turns chefs into overnight stars and fills up dining rooms months in advance.
Over the last few years, several high-profile chefs, notably France's Sebastian Bras of Le Suquet in Aveyron, have asked to be stripped of their stars, citing the unsustainable pressure of churning out three Michelin-starred meals every night.