Dominique Crenn

Also Known As: Dominique Crenn • Born: 04/07/1965

Dominique Crenn, born on April 7, 1965, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, is a pioneering French chef known for her innovative approach to French cuisine. She was raised in Locronan and adopted at 18 months. She grew up influenced by her mother’s adventurous taste in food and her father’s experiences dining in fine restaurants. Disappointed with the male-dominated French culinary world, she studied economics and international business before moving to the United States in the late 1980s to pursue her culinary ambitions. Crenn started her career in San Francisco at the Star restaurant under chef Jeremiah Tower. She then worked at prestigious places like Campton Place and became Indonesia’s first female head chef at the Intercontinental Hotel in Jakarta. Returning to the U.S., she earned her first Michelin star at Luce in San Francisco in 2009, followed by a second star in 2010. In 2011, Crenn opened Atelier Crenn, earning two Michelin stars. By 2018, she made history as the first female chef in the U.S. to achieve three Michelin stars.

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