Oct 30, 2020
Dominique Crenn is the owner of Atelier Crenn restaurant in San Francisco, and is the only female 3 Michelin Star Chef in the US. In her recent memoir - Rebel Chef: In Search for What Matters - she shares her fascinating life story from French orphanage to the pinnacle of culinary art.
In this interview we discussed Dominique's journey: influence of her parents, challenges she had faced (she didn't have a formal culinary education), building Atelier Crenn, her battle with cancer, and many other things.
01:10 How is Atelier Crenn adapting to COVID?
04:45 Changes COVID will bring to the restaurant industry
08:20 Restaurants move towards healthy choices
10:10 Thoughts on her Memoir
15:00 Adoption & childhood
17:30 Favorite childhood memory
18:40 Mother’s teaching
23:45 Young Dominique
24:15 Leaving France
26:00 Jeremiah Tower
30:45 The origin of confidence and how it was applied at Stars
34:17 Nature vs Nurture
37:40 Blending past experiences and starting Atelier Crenn
42:00 Netflix – Chef’s Table
44:20 Choosing investor, and balancing art and business
46:30 The role of Michelin Stars
50:02 After achieving everything one could dream of, what drives her now
52:00 French President’s dinner and Allen Ducas
55:12 Women in the Restaurant Industry
56:55 Defeating Cancer
59:30 looking for the biological mother
01:00:50 Blitz