Big Changes Are Coming To Dominique Crenn Restaurant Atelier Crenn

Celebrity chef Dominique Crenn opened San Francisco's acclaimed Atelier Crenn in 2011 with Juan Contreras as a way to share Crenn's French heritage and personal story. From its pescatarian dishes to its comprehensive wine list, every part of Atelier Crenn's tasting menu has focused on thoughtful stewardship of the land and its impact on the planet. As the first female chef to win two and then three Michelin stars in the United States, eventually earning her 50 Best's Icon Award in 2021, Crenn designed her career out of something she calls "poetic culinaria."

But, if you've visited Atelier Crenn's website recently, you've probably been greeted with the statement, "We will be closed for renovation during the month of January. During this time, we will reopen the dining room at Petit Crenn for an exclusive popup – Crenn Essentials. The weeks-long event will highlight classic dishes from the Crenn family of restaurants." And, in an Instagram post made over the weekend, Crenn announced plans to reimagine Atelier Crenn and reopen the venue this February.

It's too soon to tell if her cheeseburger from "The Menu" will make its way to the reimagined concept. But regardless, you can bet that the redesign will reflect a certain Atelier Crenn 2.0!

When Dominique Crenn collaborated with Canadian production designer Ethan Tobman for the 2021 film "The Menu," they became fast friends. 

In an Instagram post, Tobman described the collaboration as "written in the stars," and in a Tasting Table interview, he said of the impending redesign of Atelier Crenn, "This is the great surprise of this movie for both chef and I," adding that "everything is inspired by this woman, [her] experience from childhood to looking into the future to telling the story of things that we already know and things that we don't."

Crenn describes the new concept and design on Instagram as a personal journey. As she considers California home now, its bounty of resources, including her own Blue Belle Farm, plants, and seafood will remain at the core of the restaurant's quintessential tasting menu. But, this time the focus is all about examining the sense of place that California offers geographically and culturally. 

"California's multitude of cultures, flavors, and ideas is what drew me here," Crenn says in the post, "and this menu is an ode to the place that I consider home. I want guests to see the beauty that is California and I want to help tell the stories that are often untold."