Dominique Crenn: Meet the First and Only Three-Michelin-Starred Chef in the U.S.

In the middle of a sunny January in the Cayman Islands, Dominique Crenn gave interviews wearing a tank top with the face of American singer Whitney Houston. Those unfamiliar with the French chef’s name may begin to understand her from her outfit, as the choice can be interpreted as a hint of her own figure.

Considered one of the greatest singers of all time, Whitney’s strong and fearless personality is also a reflection of the traits found in Dominique Crenn, the first woman – and the only one so far – to have three Michelin stars in the United States.

But the accolades don’t stop there: she has already been elected Best Female Chef in the world in 2016 by 50 Best, the same institution that gave him the 2021 Icon Award and which guaranteed last year the 48th place for his restaurant among the 50 best in the world.

Today, his San Francisco business also appears among the top-ranked restaurants in the world in La Liste 2023.

“Food is art”

With so many titles, it is to be expected that his connection with art goes beyond admiration for the American singer. The connection already starts in the name of her restaurant, the Atelier Crenn which carries the word “atelier”, a place of experimentation and art production.

From the conception of the dishes to the presentation, this is the concept that drives the chef’s modern vision of French cuisine.

“Food is art. What is the meaning of art for you? For me, art is a way to have a storytelling purpose and be something bigger than all that. If society did not have art, it would not exist. Food is art and energy. It’s vibration”, says Crenn to CNN Viagem & Gastronomia during the 14th edition of the Cayman Cookout festival.

The gastronomic event takes place annually at the luxurious hotel The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands, and has none other than Eric Ripert as host, also three Michelin stars and a longtime friend of Dominique, who has participated in other previous editions.

World-renowned chefs gather on the sands of Seven Mile Beach considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, and transform the Caribbean destination into a paradise for foodies – a new edition is already expected for the second week of January 2024.

In this year’s edition, which took place in mid-January, the chef took a little bit of her Atelier Crenn to the Caribbean with a culinary demonstration for an audience eager for her tips and also with a harmonized lunch at the Blue by Eric Ripert restaurant, the first under Ripert’s signature outside the US.

The occasion advocated the “culinary poetics” advocated by Crenn, in which the poetry and story behind the dish are as important as the dish itself. “Each of my dishes is very artistic and emotional,” explains the chef.

From France to the “land of innovation”

Dominique grew up in France alongside her adoptive parents, originally from the Brittany region. Even at a young age, she already accompanied them to dinners in refined restaurants, since her father was a prominent politician.

From then on, his culinary tastes were refined over time. She later wanted to attend a culinary school in her home country, but put those plans on hold when she was told the industry would not be fruitful for her as the sector was dominated by men.

It was in the 1990s that he crossed the Atlantic and moved to the United States in order to pursue his gastronomic vocation. Attracted by diversity and innovation, she landed in San Francisco in California.

“San Francisco has been a powerhouse food destination for a long time. When I arrived, Jeremiah Tower, the first chef I worked with, was breaking culinary barriers,” recalls the chef. “California was innovation”.

In season, Jeremiah Tower commanded the stars , which was one of the most famous restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was there that, even without formal training or a diploma in the area, Dominique asked the chef for a job. It was the beginning of a career that would later bear fruit.

In 1996 came a change: she set foot in Indonesia as the executive chef of a luxury hotel restaurant in the capital Jakarta. The undertaking only lasted two years, but it made a splash for being a women only restaurant .

“I’m just a tool”

Back in the United States, he worked as a chef for more than a decade in different addresses, until in 2011 he opened his personal project based on his gastronomic vision.

Then was born the Atelier Crenn open next to the pastry chef Juan Contreras , who previously worked for years alongside the chef. The inauguration was also a way of honoring Crenn’s father, who, in addition to being a politician, was a good painter, in the chef’s view.

The opening took place in January of that year. In less than a year, in October, came the first Michelin star . Next year, one more star for the account . Thus, history was made: she was the first female chef in the United States to have such distinction.

Beating its own record, the third star came in 2018 . Today, the house also has a green star, recognized for its dedication to sustainable gastronomy.

With so many titles surrounding her, many of them related to the fact that she has conquered new paradigms as a female chef, Dominique thinks that her status is, in fact, a tool.

When I grew up I didn’t see many women who looked like me. And it’s very important to connect to that. I am using my platform and my celebrity status not for myself but for other women and other minorities as well.

Dominique Crenn

When asked if she opened a path for a generation of girls and women in gastronomy, the professional moves from a place of leadership.

“It’s fair to say that I don’t want to give myself credit for opening [este caminho]. I want to say that I was a tool to bring my reference to these girls. A lot of women have tried to do this, and I don’t want to get any recognition for it. I’m just a tool, I’m just helping, and I want to keep doing that,” stresses Crenn.

His two daughters, aged eight, are also in the crosshairs. “I want to keep doing this because I have to tell them that you can do anything you dream of and your heart tells you. So for me, I want to give that space to give confidence,” she sums it up.

Today, in addition to its main restaurant, it is also the name behind two other addresses in San Francisco: the Petit Crenn which honors his grandmother and his British roots, and also the Bar Crenn next door to Atelier Crenn and which has a Michelin star – there it is possible to taste a reduced version of the chef’s creations.

Fresh air

If San Francisco was once a cradle of innovation, then what is the city like today? The chef believes that she keeps that nickname, but in an evolved way.

“We have the Benu O season O Atelier Crenn O Bar Crenn O queens O SingleThread until the The French Laundry . All these places are still doing different things. But I can say that the scene is better than it once was, because when you evolve, you are not better than before: you just learn from the experience and become different”, evaluates Crenn.

In short: San Francisco’s food scene has evolved. “But the reason I’m here today is because of the work that other people have done,” he points out.

Like the city and California, his restaurant has also undergone a transformation. After a refurbishment, the Atelier Crenn reopened last month with new design and menu .

The dishes, which embrace the pescatarianism and they are non-dairy are, more than ever, inspired by the abundance of California, with emphasis on its plants, fish and seafood, also bringing to the table a story based on the geographical and cultural landscapes of the region.

Anyone who wants a taste of the proposal should disburse $475 per person (about BRL 2,450 ) for the tasting menu.

Among the 12 or so strokes are items such as oyster, carrot and parsnip tacos, crab “ice cream”, crab and dashi cracker, shiso tempura, sourdough and Dutch Crunch (a hit in San Francisco), Monterey abalone and black cod, a fish that inhabits the North Pacific, to name a few.

Certain organic products come from the chef’s own farm, the Bleu Belle Farm , in Sonoma. The plantations have biodynamic principles and a symbiotic relationship with the surrounding plants. Food compounds from the restaurant also become fertilizer there.

And, even with the new changes, a well-known creation by Crenn does not leave the menu and “should stay there forever”, according to the chef. And the Kir Breton a dish she considers “the most artistic and emotional” of all.

“Kir Breton is a drink my mother used to make when guests came to our house. It is made with cream of cassis and cider from Brittany; there is also a version with white wine”, explains the chef.

In his hands, Kir Breton took on daring forms and methods. And it has already become one of Atelier Crenn’s signature dishes, which begins the new tasting menu.

“What we did with Kir Breton was to create an extremely innovative way of making a cocktail. We encapsulate it inside a cocoa shell, which contains the ciders. On top we put a cassis liqueur marmalade. So, you close your eyes, put it in your mouth and feel the liquid explode”, explains Dominique.

In addition to the menu, the interior of the house on Fillmore Street, in the Cow Hollow neighborhood, gained minimalist touches and was enhanced with natural wood tones. Who is behind the project is the designer Ethan Tobman whom Crenn met during the filming of the film “The menu” released at the end of last year and available in Brazil on Star+.

Indicated to two Golden Globe Awards and starring Anya Taylor-Joy It is Ralph Fiennes Dominique was the chef-consultant for the feature, in which she recreated some dishes from her studio and proved that her artistic vein also crosses the seventh art.

Here comes a curiosity: all the dishes in the film are real, without the use of props or fake food. The idea was to convey the emotions of the actors while enjoying something tasty.

à la brazilian

I think Brazil needs to have a voice. I think it’s a powerful country

says Dominique in relation to the territory and Brazilian cuisine

Even though she has never set foot on national soil (“it’s my dream to go to your country!”), the chef nurtures a friendship with Alex Atala It is Manu Buffara she was elected last year as the best female chef in Latin America.

A 2021 post on Dominique’s social media confirms the relationship between the chefs and shows a relaxed moment.

In the kitchen of Atelier Crenn, she competes in an arm wrestling match with the two Brazilian chefs and even poses for a photo with Rubens Catarina, executive chef of Grupo DOM

In early 2019, Atala and Buffara left their kitchens in São Paulo and Curitiba to attend a special dinner at the invitation of Dominique at Atelier Crenn. The occasion was part of a series of dinners that the French woman held to promote exchanges of experiences with renowned chefs from all continents.

Salt, pickles and anchovies

Despite the elaborate dishes on the chef’s tasting menu, the list of what cannot be missing from her house is simple. Salt is indispensable in the pantry. Already in the fridge, cucumber pickles and anchovies are essential.

Finally, the chef teaches one of her pleasures. “You get a baguette, some anchovies, pickles and salt.” That simple.

“You can always count on that. Salt can do several things. It can be used for cooking and also for curing”, concludes the chef.