46
San Francisco
Poetic French-Californian cuisine with impeccable sourcing
On the Pass
Dominique Crenn
Pastry Chef
Juan Contreras
Top chef: There’s no doubt France-born Dominique Crenn, who helms Atelier Crenn, is at the top of her game. She was the first female chef in the US to be awarded a Michelin star for Atelier Crenn in 2011, then subsequently the first US-based female chef to achieve three Michelin stars at the same restaurant in 2018. In between that, she was named The World’s Best Female Chef in 2016, then crowned the winner of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Icon Award in 2021. While also finding time to be an activist, champion of women’s rights and sustainability trailblazer, it’s safe to say Crenn is a force majeure.
What’s in a name? ‘Atelier’ – meaning an artist’s workshop or studio – is an apt way to describe Crenn’s self-titled restaurant. Based on the concept of ‘Poetic Culinaria’, an eight-table space adorned with family photos and her father’s artwork envelops guests as they experience an artistic menu, presented in the form of a poem written by Crenn before ample tableside theatrics begin.
Making memories: The 17-course pescatarian menu is designed to represent memories from Crenn’s life in France, or to spark new memorable moments for diners. One prime example is Crenn’s signature dish, Kir Breton. A surprising play on the traditional Kir aperitif of Crenn’s beloved Brittany, it is made with a white chocolate shell topped with creme de cassis, which bursts upon eating to reveal an apple cider filling.
From Brittany to California: Influenced by many summers spent in Brittany, the menu leans heavily on seafood and French cuisine. Crenn’s unique stamp is prime Californian sourcing – combining a classic sabayon with native West coast spot prawns and peppery mandarin kosho, or butter sourced from Santa Clara’s last existing dairy farm for the restaurant’s famed brioche made with her grandmother’s recipe.
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Dining and Cooking