How to dine with Dominique Crenn: San Francisco, Paris, or 40,000 feet?
Out and proud chef Dominique Crenn is expanding her culinary footprint, but she'll need wings to get there.
While scoring a table at the famous Atelier Crenn might be like winning the lottery, those headed to France (Summer Olympics, anyone?) or anywhere else Air France flies can now have a taste of the good life.
Dominique Crenn is the first female chef to earn three Michelin stars in the United States, a James Beard Award winner, and the recipient of the World’s 50 Best Icon Award (2021). And the accolades keep coming.
The French-born chef credits her parents for instilling a love of fine dining from an early age. Yet it wasn’t until she moved to San Francisco in 1988 that Crenn began her path to (Michelin) stardom.
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Crenn’s food is poetry: She describes her cooking style as “poetic culinaria,” her process of conveying emotions through her food.
Crenn’s food is activism: Her Sonoma-based Bleu Belle Farm uses regenerative agriculture practices, and she’s a vocal advocate for gender equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and cancer awareness. She is herself a cancer survivor.
“I want to forge a better future for the new generation,” she told World’s 50 Best. “…for me, it’s your platform, and you have to continue your legacy and help others. I’m going to continue to do that.”
Crenn’s food is influential: Time named her one of “the 100 most influential people of 2024,” citing her culinary artistry and environmental commitment
Crenn’s found is also groundbreaking! Or, in her latest venture, gravity-defying.
Here are five ways to experience Dominique Crenn’s culinary talents for yourself.
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Air France
Dominique Crenn’s Michelin stars will be twinkling 40,000 feet above this year. Crenn has created 12 original dishes for customers flying Air France’s La Première and Business cabins on flights departing from the United States. Every month, Air France will offer two signature dishes in each cabin, including a vegetarian option and a fish dish, in addition to the rest of the menu. Examples include lobster, pico de gallo, and tea sauce; root vegetable mille-feuille with truffle sauce; sea bass, chestnut, pickled blueberries, and miso sauce; and black cod, quinoa, and marinière sauce.
“We had to think of the chemistry of food from the floor to the air — it changes a lot. How people feel when they are in the air, the way you eat, the way you digest,” said Crenn at a recent New York event celebrating the partnership. “You want to be high up there, you want to be in the clouds, so we tried to bring something that’s going to make you feel amazing.”
Atelier Crenn
Dominique Crenn opened Atelier Crenn in January 2011, bringing exquisite French cuisine to San Francisco. The restaurant received its first Michelin star within a year and its second star one year after that. Then, in 2018, Crenn became the first female chef in the U.S. to receive three Michelin stars. Last year, Crenn worked with production designer Ethan Tobman to give Atelier a full makeover. According to Tobman’s description, influences on the new design included “her love of nature and Japanese culture, subtle references to her childhood in France, and potential origins in Morocco.”
The new 12-course tasting menu draws on her French heritage while incorporating more elements of California’s legendary produce. Don’t expect steak au poivre (beet, perhaps?). Crenn removed meat from her menus in 2019, though she continues to serve seafood.
“I walk the walk and talk the talk,” Crenn told LGBTQ Nation. “Atelier Crenn is my life and my emotions on the plate. I feel that we can’t truly be ourselves until we share our story.”
Petit Crenn
In 2015, Crenn opened her second restaurant in San Francisco, Petit Crenn. The more casual little sister to Atelier, Petit Crenn’s menu is also inspired by her childhood in France.
But you’ll need to act fast! Petit Crenn, which closed temporarily in July 2020 (remember when we were all ordering pizza from the couch?) — though it hosted pop-up dinners and special events. The restaurant is finally reopening this month before permanently closing in September, when its lease expires.
Expect pescatarian tasting menus with fresh organic produce from Crenn’s Blue Belle Farm.
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Bar Crenn
In March 2018, Chef Crenn opened her cocktail concept next door to Atelier. Bar Crenn received a Michelin star within the year. According to its website, “Bar Crenn is a place where locals and visitors alike gather to experience innovative food, discover rare and vintage tunes and spirits, and immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of our beloved city.”
Last year, after a full renovation, Crenn announced a new cocktail menu and the Bar Crenn Snack Menu of small bites to accompany the celebrated Le Comptoir, an interactive experience with a daily changing menu served at the counter.
Golden Poppy
In the summer of 2023, Crenn deepened her culinary cultural exchange by opening Golden Poppy in Paris. After bringing French cuisine to San Francisco for over a decade, Crenn decided to share her love of California cuisine with her homeland. Golden Poppy is “inspired by the freedom, equality, and rich cultural diversity of California and its multicultural roots and cuisine.”
Located within the five-star La Fantaisie hotel in the hip Faubourg Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, Golden Poppy celebrates seasonal vegetables and sustainable seafood from an a-la-carte menu.
Crenn is among a select few LGBTQ+ Michelin-starred chefs who are harnessing their uncompromising views on food, sustainability, and equality for the next generation of food enthusiasts.
GayCities guide to dining with Dominique Crenn
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