Dominique Crenn Transcript
Kerry Diamond:
Hi, everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherry Bombe, and I'm your host, Kerry Diamond. I'm the founder and editor of Cherry Bombe Magazine.
My guest today is Chef Dominique Crenn, a total force in the world of hospitality. I hope you've all seen that Dominique is on the cover of the brand new issue of Cherry Bombe Magazine, it's all about Paris, which happens to be a city that Dominique loves very much for many reasons, as you're about to learn. Back here in the U.S., Dominique is the chef and owner of Atelier Crenn, Bar Crenn, and Petit Crenn in San Francisco. She's the only female chef in the United States who have been awarded three Michelin stars. She's also an author, a cancer survivor, an environmentalist, and a philanthropist. She was named to this year's TIME 100 list, and right after this interview, Dominique flew to Mexico and married her fiance, Maria Bello, the Emmy nominated actor, director, and writer. Dominique is such a unique, special human, and I am thrilled to welcome her back to the pod. Dominique and I talk about what she's been up to, how she wound up in California, and how she became a chef. She also shares the incredible and emotional story about her adoption. Stay tuned for our conversation. This interview was recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
One more thing about Dominique before we get to our interview, she is going to be the keynote speaker at our first ever Jubilee Wine Country, taking place October 26th and 27th in Calistoga, California. You can also apply to be a Jubilee Scholar, visit cherrybombe.com for tickets and more details.
This episode of Radio Cherry Bombe is supported by OpenTable. As you may know, we've been on the road this summer with OpenTable for our Sit With US community dinner series, which highlighted amazing female chefs and restaurateurs in the Cherry Bombe and OpenTable networks. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to the amazing chefs and teams at the featured restaurants. We kicked things off in early June in New Orleans with Chef Melissa Araujo at Alma, and then we headed to Atlanta for an evening with Le Bon Nosh with Chef Forough Vakili. We were in Dallas at Jose with Chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, and we had a sweet ending to our series at Nostrana in Portland, Oregon with Chef Cathy Whims. It was such a treat meeting so many of you. Beautiful food, beautiful people, it's been so much fun. Thank you to OpenTable for bringing these experiences to life with us. By the way, if you are interested in curated dining events like the Sit With Us dinners, check out the OpenTable experiences on their app and website. Head to opentable.com/experiences to explore what's happening near you, or use it to find fun events to enjoy on your travels. Like OpenTable Summer Sets, a dinner series that combines music and food to create one of a kind evenings, in cities like Portland, Oregon, Miami, and New Orleans.
Today's episode is also supported by Pernod Ricard, creators of conviviality. Pernod Ricard is a worldwide leader in the spirits and wine industry, and embraces the spirit of conviviality, as we all should, and is focused firmly on a sustainable and responsible future. Their prestigious portfolio of brands includes classic names beloved by bartenders and mixologists around the world. There's the Glenlivet single malt scotch, Martell Cognac, and Código 1530 Tequila, just to name a few. If you are a regular listener, you know my preferred drink is always bubbles, so I love a glass of Perrier Jouët champagne to kick off a special night out, and I also love a champagne cocktail. My favorite is a French 75, which you can make with Perrier Jouët Grand Brut and some Malfy Gin. That sounds lovely, doesn't it? To learn more about Pernod Ricard, head to pernod-ricard.com, and don't forget, always drink responsibly.
Now, let's hear from Dominique. Dominique Crenn, welcome to Radio Cherry Bombe.
Dominique Crenn:
Thank you for having me.
Kerry Diamond:
You are going to the TIME 100 gala tonight.
Dominique Crenn:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
You must've been shocked when you got that email telling you you were on TIME 100's list.
Dominique Crenn:
My assistant sent me an email, and she's like, "Chef, by the way, can you read this email?" And I was just like, "Oh, wow." I felt so grateful, and at my loved one, Maria Bello, telling me that, "Yes, you deserve it, my love." And I was just like, wow, this is cool. What I realized that all this year that we have done work for the others, and to use our platform, and we'll be entering into the industry of food, and giving back to others, finally, people are starting to look at, well, I guess that makes sense, that's pretty cool. So, it's really nice, it's an honor. I'm so grateful for it.
Kerry Diamond:
You have really marched to the beat of your own drum. And I'm so curious how you've had the conviction to stay the path.
Dominique Crenn:
Lucky enough, I was brought up by a beautiful human, my mom and my dad, and they taught my brother and I how to walk through life, and to be able to be curious, and to have a sense of discovery and respect for others, and to make sure that you're not alone on this earth, there is also people around you, so you have to make sure that you give back to others when you have a platform. So, I think it's been into my psyche, and my growing up for a long time, and I think my dad was an incredible feminist. Yeah, he was very much a great feminist, I think it just told me, now it's your turn to just continue the work and the legacy. So, that's what I'm doing.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you grow up in Versailles? Did I read that?
Dominique Crenn:
So, I was born in Versailles, I grew up right outside of Paris, so I went to school in Meudon, and then in Paris, and then we spent a lot of time in Brittany. A lot of people think that I was born in Brittany, my parents were born in Brittany, but in France you have six months out of the year vacation.
Kerry Diamond:
Yet you chose to move here.
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, yeah. No, but every time we had holidays, boom, to Brittany, and so I spent a lot of time there, and I love Brittany. But no, I grew up outside of Paris.
Kerry Diamond:
So, back to TIME 100. One of the beautiful things about TIME 100 is on the list they always ask someone very special to write the paragraph about you.
Dominique Crenn:
I know.
Kerry Diamond:
TIME asked Alice Waters to write your paragraph. How did that feel?
Dominique Crenn:
I didn't know it. I literally read it on the 17th April, I had tears coming down my eyes. I don't know, it's just, for her to write those words, I spent some time with her, we know each other, we've done things together, we have the same values. It was never like, well, I'm going to do this, or you're going to do this, it was just, it was a human that I love to be around, and I get very inspired, and for this woman to write those beautiful words about me and my work, I was really, really touched. I mean touched. I've never been so touched in my life actually. So, thank you. Alice.
Kerry Diamond:
What has your relationship been with Alice? Because you're both in the Bay Area, you're both one of the reasons people look to that part of the world for inspiration, culinarily, in terms of women in the restaurant world, and the food world.
Dominique Crenn:
Well, I think it's about understanding that food is very important, where things come from. Also, I think she was one of the pioneer in United States and in California to just like, hey, food doesn't come from boxes or plastic bags, food come from earth, and earth is a connection also. What you eat is what you are, actually. And the farming. And both of my parents come from farmers. When I discover the name of Alice Waters and her works, I was like, "Whoa. Okay, I want to get to know this woman. So, yes."
Kerry Diamond:
Do you still have your own farm?
Dominique Crenn:
Yes, Bleu Belle farm. We bought the land, my ex-partner, where we have kids together, she bought the land I think 14 years ago. Yeah, it's still going. And Bleu Belle Farm is the two name of my daughters, it's Olivia Belle Parker, so Belle. Charlotte Alexandre Bleu, so Bleu Belle Farms.
Kerry Diamond:
That's beautiful.
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, yeah. So, it's been a work of love, a lot of work, a lot of time. It's a regenerative farm, where we reuse everything, but we also recreated a beautiful ecosystem. So, remember, we are in California, and there was a lot of winery, there was a lot of pesticide, for a long time also, we were losing bees, we were losing monarch butterfly, and all that. So, for the last 13, 14 years we've been reworking the land and all that, and finally, for the last few years, I have amazing farmers, there is this guy that is taking care of my bee hive. And one day we were walking with him, and with the farmer, and he's like, "I want you to come and look at something," and he said, "you see it out there?" And I'm like, "Is it monarch butterfly?" And he's like, "Yeah, you are recreated something amazing," and you should see everything that... New insects coming, new birds coming.
So, I think it's important for me and for the company to also not just having a farm to make vegetable for the restaurant, but to also work the lands for the next generation to come.
Kerry Diamond:
And what you grow there you use at Atelier Crenn.
Dominique Crenn:
We use at Atelier Crenn, we also use that farm also for a place of education. So, we have people to learn about how to farm, things come from, and kids come also there, and it's something pretty close to my heart.
Kerry Diamond:
We'll be right back with today's guest. The steamy summer is upon us, and I know it is hot, hot, hot where almost all of you are. I always have a hard time trying to figure out what to wear when the temperature rises, and that's one reason I love Alex Mill, the brand known for classic tailored pieces. They have lots of great items to keep you looking fresh and feeling cool this summer. Head to alexmill.com and check out their linen shop for breezy dresses, cute crossback tank tops, and very of the moment linen vests with matching shorts. We shot the Madeline Linen vest in twill for our recent cover portfolio, and I loved it so much, I went out and bought one for myself with a matching jacket. And I have already worn it over a dozen times. While you're on Alex Mill's website, be sure to check out another one of my favorites, their tote bags. I have the Alex Mill Perfect Weekend Bag in natural, and I lug it everywhere, from the subway to the beach. There's more to discover from their women's and men's collections, including the new Alex Mill jeans line, and lots of items under $200. All well-made timeless pieces you'll love for a long time to come. If you're in New York City, you can stop by their shops in Soho or the Upper East Side, and explore the world of Alex Mill for yourself. Tell them Cherry Bombe sent you.
A little housekeeping, we have three fun events coming up. There's the Women Who Grill demo and dinner on Friday, July 12th, with Elizabeth Poett of “Ranch to Table” on the Magnolia Network. That will take place at Elizabeth's Rancho San Julian in Santa Barbara County. Then, on Friday, July 26th, we'll be with Chef Camille Becerra, author of the new book, “Bright Cooking,” for a special dinner at the Soundview Hotel in Greenport, on the North Fork of Long Island. Then, on Friday August 2nd, we are headed to Portland, Maine for dinner at Crown Jewel Restaurant with chef Alex Wright. I'll be at all three of these events, and can't wait to see everybody. Tickets are on sale at cherrybombe.com. Thank you to our event sponsors Kerrygold, Le Creuset, and Pernod Ricard.
As mentioned, our Paris issue is out right now, if you are headed to the City of Light this summer, or dreaming about a trip to Paris, our new issue is your perfect guide. Learn about the amazing women taking over the Paris food scene, and discover all of their restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and more. We've got stories with some of your favorite Francophiles. Folks like Ruth Reichl, Dorie Greenspan, and Mashama Bailey. You can pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore, magazine shop, or culinary store. Places like Smoke Signals in San Francisco, Scout in Marion, Iowa, Now Serving in Los Angeles, and Books are Magic in Brooklyn.
You've mentioned Maria.
Dominique Crenn:
Oh yes, I'm getting married guys.
Kerry Diamond:
You've got a lot going on, TIME 100, a wedding.
Dominique Crenn:
Five years, five years together, finally getting married to this wonderful woman named Maria Bello.
Kerry Diamond:
Maria is like you, in that she's a multi-hyphenate, actor, director, writer-
Dominique Crenn:
Actor, director, writer... I think she's on the way to Thailand to do a French movie. Can you believe that? That's her dream. We have been together for five years. We met about six years ago.
Kerry Diamond:
You have to tell us how you met. Raya?
Dominique Crenn:
No way. No, actually-
Kerry Diamond:
You met in the real world?
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, actually she DM'ed me on Instagram. It was about six years ago, she DM'ed me, and she say, the year before I spent some time in Haiti working with the coffee farmers to create a foundation with them, one of her friends, best friend is from Haiti, she's also in the restaurant business, and she said, "Listen, it's her birthday, we saw you on “Chef’s Table,” we really want to come to your restaurant, can we come over?" I'm like, who is that? You need six months in advance. But I met space for her, and then she came to the restaurant, and we met. We really become friends for a year, it was amazing. And then, one day something happened, I went away for a couple of weeks to Italy, and then I went to New York to celebrate my birthday, but the day before my birthday I realized that something was going on with me, and I did some tests, and I had breast cancer, triple negative, stage two, almost stage three.
And then, Maria was like, we need to talk about what happened, and she didn't know that I was diagnostic with cancer, I'm like, "Okay, I'll come back to San Francisco tomorrow, let's meet." She said, "Well, I want to share with you that I really like you, can we maybe explore something?" And just like, "Well, I got something to tell you," and I told her, I said, "Listen, just find out that I have breast cancer, triple negative," and we talk. And you know what she said to me? "Great, let's do cancer together." And then, five years later we're getting married. How great is that? It's been amazing, we've been dancing all these years.
I want to say to people out there that going through something like that, reach out, don't be afraid, and just know that everything's going to be okay. It's about putting your mind to it. It's not going to be easy sometime, but if surrounded with love, and if you believe in life, just go through it, and don't be scared about sharing things to others. And if you want to talk to me about it, I went through it, so I'm an open book. And it's not easy, 16 session of chemo was not easy, five hours, six hours of putting all those things in your body. But I remember the first day that I had my first chemo, I had a chef, I had a guest chef at the restaurant, Quique Dacosta, from Spain, five hours later I went to Atelier Crenn, and we did the guest chef, and I was just so tired, but he was there, and it was love.
And the next day we did the other guest chef dinner with him, and we were downstairs in the cellar, and I got my head shaved, and my team also shaved their head, it was amazing. There is a lot of doctor that I work to get through the breast cancer, so just go and please, you over 40, just go and check yourself. I didn't check myself.
Kerry Diamond:
I was going to ask, how did you find out?
Dominique Crenn:
There was something that came out of my chest actually. Something coming out, I was like, what is this?
Kerry Diamond:
And you hadn't kept up with your mammogram schedule?
Dominique Crenn:
No. So, please, women out there, just do it.
Kerry Diamond:
So, back to your wedding, where are you getting married, and why?
Dominique Crenn:
Finally, we're getting married. So, we call it the “three C.” Cancer, COVID, and Commitment. How cool is that? We did cancer together, we did COVID together, now we are going through the commitment. We fall in love... I love Mexico.
Kerry Diamond:
Cabo is the fourth C.
Dominique Crenn:
Cabo is the fourth C. So, we're getting married in Cabo San Lucas, at the Montage. We love the Montage. It's my home away from home. I love that area there, it's wild, the Pacific, you remind me of kind the coast of Brittany. We have a lot of respect for Mexican culture, and the people from Mexico. So, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Who's cooking for all these wedding guests?
Dominique Crenn:
Actually, we ask to have local food. We don't want a wedding where you have, we're doing one course, two course... No, family style, we want you guys to showcase the culture, and we wanted people in Mexico to also immerse themselves into the Mexican culture. So, it was very important. Yeah, Mexican food all the way. Tequila all the way.
Kerry Diamond:
And what about a wedding cake? Are you doing something traditional for that?
Dominique Crenn:
No. No way. You're going to see.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay.
Dominique Crenn:
You're going to see, yeah. And then, you're going to see what song I'm walking down the aisle. So, it's going to be not a conventional wedding, but a couple of days of festivity, great people, the people that going to be there is the people that's supposed to be there, and very excited to share that to friends and family. I'm a little bit sad because my mom just passed away in May, last year, May 15, we are getting married May 12th, to celebrate Mother's Day. So, all those Mothers Day out there, that have children, we are getting married for you actually. And for the kids, the kids going to be there, and exciting, and their grandmother on Katherine's side I thinks going to walk me down the aisle. Yeah. So, yeah, it's a celebration.
Kerry Diamond:
How has Maria made you a better or different person?
Dominique Crenn:
She allow me to go deep into what relationship of the other is important to. To pay attention to the present, and what we have, and also there's a lot of nos in life, and she's a celebrity, she's an actress, but she's always also put herself outside of that world. And also tell me that it's not about the food world, it's not about all that, but it's about when people come together, what can they do together also to better this world? To wake up in the morning, and to make sure that you look at each other eyes, and you make a good coffee for her, make sure that you know how to cook pasta in the way that she likes. She's Italian, so she taught me how to cook pasta, so I'm going to tell you how to cook pasta now.
She said, "Dom, al dente." I'm like, okay. You got to salt the water, you can't walk away when you put spaghetti into the hot salty water. You got to make sure that you turn, and you test, and then when you think it's al dente, you take the pasta, some of the pasta, and you throw it against the wall. And if they stick against the wall, they are al dente, and then you take it off. That's the way that I learned how to cook al dente pasta, with my wife to be. Maria Bello. I swear to God.
Kerry Diamond:
So, the throw against the wall trick actually works?
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, because if they stick against the wall, you know they are al dente, if they don't stick, then you lost.
Kerry Diamond:
In my brain, I can very easily see you and Maria throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it's done.
Dominique Crenn:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
That makes all the sense in the world.
Dominique Crenn:
It's funny. And she's a great cook, her mom is Polish, on the father side is Italian. So, she wrote a book actually, Italians Polish cooking, and they had a family at a pizzeria in New Jersey for a long time, for many years. They had a bar, they had the pizzeria. So, she's good at-
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, I had no idea. That's fun.
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay, I can't let you finish the spaghetti story with throwing the spaghetti against the wall. Then you drain the spaghetti, you save some of the pasta water, I'm assuming?
Dominique Crenn:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
What do you do next?
Dominique Crenn:
I make the best sauce.
Kerry Diamond:
No doubt.
Dominique Crenn:
Tomato and guanciale, or pancetta, if you want. And then just cook it, and a lot of onion. A lot of onion, a lot of garlic. You have to also cook all ingredient separately, and then just bringing together. Make pasta sauce take a long time. And it's funny, because my grandmother also used to do this. It's not like you're throwing things in a pan and just walk away. It's everything, you put fat, you cook the fat, you drain the fat, you keep the fat... You use that fat perhaps to cook your onion, and your garlic, and then you keep cooking it, and after that you just put back perhaps the pancetta, or whatever, bacon. French bacon is amazing. You have to create a layer of flavors, little bit by little. And of course, you have to add a little bit of your pasta sauces. And you have to build, and the tomato, to build... You let it simmer for hours. Never boil your sauces. Never boil your sauces. Wrong. Simmer it.
You get a little bit of the bubble on top, that's called simmer. The flavor is developing into the sauces. When you make sauces, the day after is the best. I like to put the sauce on top, then that, in front of the people that you mix it, a little bit of Pecorino. I love the Pecorino. I like the Parmesan, but I love the Pecorino also. And then, you eat it. Little bit of cracked pepper. My mom used to make actually a sauce with like a lot of butter, and cracked paper, and then a little bit of Parmesan, or sometime Pecorino. I like Pecorino. You just throw your pasta, your spaghetti. Oh my god. We got to do a pop-up with my wife, about... Let's do a pop-up. She's going to do the pasta, and-
Kerry Diamond:
Done. And you said she has a cookbook?
Dominique Crenn:
Her mother made a cookbook.
Kerry Diamond:
Her mother did a cookbook.
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, they made cookbook together. Yeah. It's this combination about Italian heritage and Polish heritage, it's yummy, it's earthy, it's a beautiful combination to be with someone also that can inspire you, and teach you other things.
Kerry Diamond:
Since we're talking food, tell us what's up with Atelier Crenn, your restaurant in San Francisco.
Dominique Crenn:
Well, Atelier Crenn was open in 2011, so 13 year, going on 14 years. Yeah, teenager. Actually, Bar Crenn, we just did another renovation at Bar Crenn. You come there, and you have all my vinyls, you can listen to all my vinyls, and then we developed something amazing, a cocktail program, non-alcoholic, and then there is a beautiful counter, where you come at 12:00, I can do a testing menu with you. And then, the launch, you just sip on the cocktail, have a little bit of snack, and go to Atelier, where it's just... Actually, I'm working, it's the story of the sea. So, the last menu was like the menu of California, and the story about California, not just about the food, but about all those immigrants that came there.
You have to remember, America is a country of immigrant. And everything that is in America is because of people coming from all over the world. So, let's celebrate that. The beginning of story of America may not be the best, the most beautiful story, because we have also to celebrate this beautiful land that is the Native American land. So, that was the story, the menu last year. So, now we are done a lot of work, and a lot of research on the sea, and the coast of California, up to Seattle, and down to Baja. And what is the ocean? And what is the story? And actually, the ocean is really the ecosystem of this earth. If we don't take care of the ocean, the reef and all that, we are also in trouble. So, it's a bit of story, and what we have, and what we have to pay attention to, and just put it on the plate, and see people just to sit down and to have fun.
So, it's always an evolution of story, and not just a restaurant, but also people that come to Atelier, hopefully when they come out they are a little bit inspired about what we are doing.
Kerry Diamond:
Tell us about an interesting ingredient and purveyor you discovered doing the research on the ocean.
Dominique Crenn:
Well, so most of the ingredient which is vegetable come from the farm, we are working with a lot of different fishermen, that going out there and really giving us an idea, it's like, well you should use those algae instead of this, because this species is growing too much, and I think we need to also take this out to make sure that the ocean has a good ecosystem. Don't use this fish because this fish is a species that is endangered. Use maybe more mollusc that needs to be also taking out, so they can reproduce. There is a lot of wild species. When you go to the ocean, next to the ocean, there's a lot of herbs, actually, that grow in the wild. You can use that. So, reconnect with your food, and the ingredient that has been given to you, and use it, like making oil... And we all working as an ecosystem. I'm not just a chef of putting things that, oh, I'm going to do my list of ingredient, and get it.
But I want to be able to keep continuing to talk to the farmers, to the rancher, to the fishermen, to the forager. We work with a lot of forager. It's amazing, sometimes they bringing me things, I'm like, what is this? And then, you eat it, it's like, oh, this is great. So, a thing is continuing of not being afraid of perhaps sometime it's a little bit more expensive to work with rancher or forager and all that, or fishermen, but your money that you spend with them, it's also creating a new industry that needs to keep going. And instead of spending your money into something that you don't know what happens. So, I always say, this phrase is, if you have $10 in your hand, you have a choice.
You go to a fast food, and you give those $10 to a farmers, and you talk to them. And you say, yeah, hey, I have to cook tonight for my family, I just have $10, what do you think? And they might be able to give you... I have this amazing vegetable, actually, they are in season actually right now, they are low prices, you can make a stew, you can make this... How great is that? So, I don't know, I just wanted people to have more conscious when they have money in their hand. And I know it's not easy, a lot of people say to me, it's like, yeah, your farm is regenerative, and it's organic, actually, it's expensive to... And I get that. Totally get that. Yet, there is also a lot of farmers are not organic because getting an organic certification is expensive. But they do the right thing. Go find them. California, they're everywhere. The big farmer market, then you can talk to them. It's kind of cool.
It's kind of cool to continue that the money that I'm making, I can spend it also with other people that are doing the right thing. And I think that if everybody pay attention to that, that richness come from inside of you, beautiful art richness doesn't come from what you own, or what you drive, it's about giving back to the others, and reinvesting in the others. And reinvesting in women, reinvesting in education, reinvesting the farmers, reinvesting to the planet.
Kerry Diamond:
You talked about immigrants earlier, you are an immigrant.
Dominique Crenn:
I'm an immigrant, yes.
Kerry Diamond:
How did you wind up in the U.S.?
Dominique Crenn:
Wow. A long time ago. I studied in France, economy and international business. I wanted to be a photographer but L'École didn't want to take my... I had a bachelor in economy, and didn't work, they wanted something more, like... It was more mathematic. I was in France, and I was studying international business, and I said to my dad, I was like, "I don't want to stay here, the bureaucracy, and I just want to go somewhere else." And he say, "Where do you want to go?" I said, "Listen, I'm watching ‘Starsky & Hutch’ on TV, I love America, I love California.
Kerry Diamond:
“Starsky & Hutch.”
Dominique Crenn:
I know, I swear to God I wanted to be “Starsky & Hutch,” yeah. I love it.
Kerry Diamond:
Some of you're too young to even know what that is, so go Google it.
Dominique Crenn:
And you have a friend in Sausalito that had this import/export, and I want to go to California. They say, "Oh really? You want to go to..." And I say, "Yeah." So, I went to California because of my dad. I literally fell in love with San Francisco. I was still on the plane, late 80s, 90, I don't know what happened, but it was just almost like you're fell in love coup de foudre. It's like, what's happening?
Kerry Diamond:
Before you even got off the plane?
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, got off the plane. And I just didn't understand it. And I was just like, wow, I think I'm home. And I had no idea what I was going to do. That's how it started, then I had to find my way how to obviously be legal, and paperwork, and all that. And work.
Kerry Diamond:
Had you ever worked in restaurants before?
Dominique Crenn:
No, never. Oh, I remember, when I was in Meudon, I used to work at a tennis club, and I used to make sandwiches. I love making sandwiches. No, never, never, my dad best friend was a famous food critic, go to restaurant all the time, but never. My grandmother and my mother, no, never. I've never wanted to actually. I didn't like the French brigade. I didn't like the-
Kerry Diamond:
The whole brigade system.
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, I didn't... At first I was like, well... But I talked to a school one time, it said, "Well, no, woman should not be in the kitchen," whatever. Then I'm like, okay, who's cooking? Jeremiah Tower, used to work with Alice Water. Chez Panisse. Never went to school, also he study architecture, Jeremiah Tower, got into cooking because he was cooking for friends and family, and suddenly he's like, well, you should meet Alice Water. And then he become Chef at Alice Water. Why not? And then, so walk in to Stars, and-
Kerry Diamond:
Jeremiah had a famous restaurant called Stars.
Dominique Crenn:
Yes, Stars, and-
Kerry Diamond:
You walked in with almost no experience except making sandwiches.
Dominique Crenn:
Absolutely.
Kerry Diamond:
And he took a chance on you.
Dominique Crenn:
And then, looking at this man standing up in front of his kitchen, and beautiful, and I'm like, I kind of went into with guts, and say, "Hey, I'm Dominique Crenn, I don't know how to cook," and whatever... "I know a little bit, I'm French, but I want to work with you, and I like who you are." And he's like, "Who are you?" And that night he put me on the line with Sous Chef Sean. And I work on the line that night. 500 cover, making mayonnaise and mashed potatoes, and then... It was amazing. We're still friends. And I took him to Spain, and I cook with him also in San Francisco at Foreign Cinema, with all the people that used to work at Stars.
Kerry Diamond:
He loved Foreign Cinema.
Dominique Crenn:
And he's the one that really gave me the love of cooking, more to a professional way, because it was about the others. It was about the farmers, it was about the product, it was about the story. It was about also the cook. The cook were not a number, they had a voice. They were allowed to also bring their own creativity. But also, you better bring your creativity right. They literally give you a menu, no recipe. It's like, yeah, okay, so Dom, you are on the hot app today. You have three dishes, you have a soup to make, you have a calamari dishes to make, and you have something else to make. Okay. You have four hours to prep. We are going to test this at 4:30. We open the door at 5:00, so make sure that at 4:30 everything is up to the standard. So, you're like, okay, soup, okay... So, how my grandmother were making soup? They let you be creative. No recipe. Guideline, but no recipe. And that's something that really appreciated. So, at 4:30 you're like... So, the chef's like beautiful. Nice, nice, nice, Dom.
Kerry Diamond:
You are on the cover of our Paris issue. You grew up outside of Paris, what did Paris mean to you growing up?
Dominique Crenn:
Paris was this historic book, where you were looking at the cover from the outside. So, I was in the outside of Paris, and I was looking at Paris, the cover. And then, you get into Paris, and then you open the book. And every time you go there you make sure you're walking through a chapter in Paris. My dad was a politician, so Paris was also monumental for a lot of way. But also, a lot of historic things happened in Paris, a lot of feminists, 1920, 1930, Natalie Barney, Simone de Beauvoir. I don't know, it's a discovery. And the architecture. So, Paris is, until today, a continuation of curiosity and discovery for me. There is also something else that I discover through the years, that I didn't know why I was so scared, but also why I love Paris so much, that I found out a few years ago, that I was born in Versailles.
Because I was adopted when I was... I was abandoned actually when I was six months. Even if I was born in Versailles, my birth mother lived in Paris with me for six months. Is this understanding that I lived for six months... She was homeless. So, I live for six months on the street with my mom. But in France, it's a little bit different because you have safe houses. You have shelter where you can go, so I live with my birth, not my mom, my birth mother, it's different things. And I didn't understand for a long time why I was so attracted to Paris. And also, very sensitive about people that are homeless, because I dedicate a lot of my time for them also, like cooking for them, at the Glide in San Francisco, and during pandemic, we cook for two years for 500 meals a day, five days a week, for the homeless population.
I don't like to call it homeless, for those incredible people that have the same integrity and some value that who we are, it's like they are people. But unfortunately, they don't have the mean, or things were taken away, or they didn't have the tool to maybe walking through life, that we are so lucky where we are today. That's this part that was like, this is crazy. So, Paris is, it's in my heart. So, that's why Paris is so beautiful.
Kerry Diamond:
Dom, how did you learn that about your birth mother?
Dominique Crenn:
One of my friends in France, beginning of 2000, I believe, she called me up from Paris, and she say, "Dom, they just passed a law where people that went through the adoption system, and if they were recognized by their mother at birth, now have the ability to open their file." And I knew I was recognized by my birth mother, I knew that, because my parents told me. And I'm like, wow. And I knew that it was a big file. So, like I did going to Stars and trying to find a job, I went to France, and literally walking into the institution in Versailles. But you have to know that in France, it's bureaucracy, you can't walk into an institution and ask, paperwork about you-
Kerry Diamond:
Even if it's something so personal.
Dominique Crenn:
Yeah, even if something is... Oh yeah, I was adopted, give me. And so, I went in school, La Das, in Versailles. So, I walk in, and I talk to someone who says, "Do you have an appointment?" It's like, "no, no, I don't have an appointment." "You have to have an appointment, what are you looking for?" It's like, "Well, I'm looking for my father, by my adoption." "Ah, you got to fill those paperworks." I'm like, "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Can I speak to someone?" And the woman was like... She keep talking to me, and she was listening to me, it's like, "Okay, hold on just one second." The person in charge of La Das, Kim, and she was this beautiful woman.
She said, "Okay, I heard you wanted some information." And she said, "Listen, I live in United States, I live in California, I just find out that I can open my file, and maybe get to know about my background and where I come from, and I just want to let you know that the only thing that I know, that I had love in my life, I had amazing parents that gave me a chance at life. I'm not eager to find out who my mom is, and why, and I'm angry... Not at all. I just want to know. I just want to know a story, and to bring that to a part of my DNA."
And we start to talk, and she's like, she looked at me, she's like, "You are so different than other people that come here. They're so angry, and they want to know," and I was like, "No I had amazing upbringing," and I said to her, "it's easy to have babies, but it's not easy to be a parent, and I have amazing parents that give me a chance to have the life that I had." And she's like, "Wow." And she said, "Listen, I'll tell you what, you give me your name, you give me everything that you know about yourself, and you call me in a month, and I will try to find you file." And I went back to United States, and a month later I was on the phone for five hours, she read me my file, and she sent me my file after that. But she read me my file. And say, I don't do that actually, but I connected with you Dominique, and I'm so happy that I can share that with you."
And my file was that story. So, you have a woman that is my birth mother, that was born during the Second World War, in the part of where France was occupied by the German, a birth mother, she was thrown in an orphanage at birth. I don't like to say the product, but she was the product of a German soldier and a French woman. Which, at the time, that part of France was occupied, and it was a no, no, no to even be with her German. So, she has this violence, like this time. I don't know if you know, but if a French woman had a baby by a German soldier at the time, they used to call her Bosch baby, they were disposable. So, she went to an orphanage for 17 years, my birth mother, 17 years. No love, orphanage, 17 years of being with no understanding who you are.
And then, at the age of 17, leaving the North of France, and then making your way by yourself to Paris to find work, on the way, having two kids, survival, not to know what to do, don't know the fathers, just... 1960s, they were not easy. And then, those two kids were taken away from I guess the state, because she didn't... I don't know. I don't really know what she did. And then, suddenly, she wanted to keep me. She was followed by someone, like a social worker. She didn't have a home, so she was going from shelter to shelter, and trying to navigate her life, and understanding who she was, and doing things to survive. And I remember, I was reading the police report. So, she tried to keep me, so she dropped me, I guess I was six months, she dropped me every day to someone that will take care of a baby, or probably have a lot of kids, like a babysitter.
And then, she didn't come and pick me up, she never came and picked me up. So, the babysitter called the police. The police arrive, and then they took me, they put me to an orphanage. They tried to get in touch with my birth mom. She had one year to get in touch with me to claim me back. My parents couldn't have kids, and they adopted a little boy before, and they were looking for a little girl. And apparently the story is that my mom walked in to the orphanage, she's like, "Who is that little girl like, always laughing?" And I grab her. And then they were like, "Well, this is Dom, she just got here, and we still trying to find the birth mother." So, perhaps I think we are putting her in a place, where the system, where if you want to start, you can start the paperwork.
So, they started the paperwork, and my brother too. It was just a beautiful story.
Kerry Diamond:
And your name was Dominique all along.
Dominique Crenn:
My name was Dominique all along. And that was also my mom, family name also. It was interesting, a few days after my birth mother lost her rights, because it was done, it was like, you're not the mom anymore. Now, there is another journey for this little girl. She's going to have parents. It was few days or maybe few months after, when I was in another system, and becoming Dominique Crenn, and I have these beautiful parents, Allain Crenn and Louise Crenn. She wrote letters that I read, about trying to get me back. I want to make sure that people understand that sometime you have children, and sometime you're too young, it just happened, and you didn't want them, and it's okay.
Kerry Diamond:
Or it's too hard.
Dominique Crenn:
It's too hard. It doesn't make you bad. I always love her. And I tell you the story because I just found out that she passed away. All those young women out there that are struggling, it's okay to also give a chance of that child maybe to have another family. Doesn't make you wrong. What she did, actually, she gave me a gift. A gift to find love with other people. I feel extremely lucky. And I want to thank this woman, that years, years ago gave me birth, and she couldn't endure. It's not easy to be a parent. And I commend all those mother, and also mothers and fathers also, out there, the kids at your next generation, give them love. And if you can't give that to them, give them the opportunity to find love maybe somewhere else.
Kerry Diamond:
Well, Dom, I could ask you a million more questions. I can't thank you enough for sharing that story with us.
Dominique Crenn:
Oh, thank you. I love being here. And I can't wait, you're coming to Paris with me. And thank you for having me.
Kerry Diamond:
That's it for today's show. Thank you so much to Dominique Crenn for sharing her story with us. I would love for you to subscribe to Radio Cherry Bombe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave a rating and a review. Let me know what you think about the show, and who you would love to hear from on a future episode. Our theme song is by the band Tralala. Special thanks to Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City, Outpost Studios in San Francisco, and Black Diamond Recording Studios in Portland, Oregon. Our producers are Catherine Baker and Elizabeth Vogt, our associate producer is Jenna Sadhu, and our content and partnerships manager is Londyn Crenshaw. Thanks for listening everybody, you are the Bombe.