Chef Dominique Crenn Plans New Restaurant Called French Nola in Paris
San Francisco’s three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn is taking her talents to Paris. According to a story from French news outlet Le Figero, Crenn plans to open a new restaurant called French Nolain Paris, which will encompass New Orleans, French, and San Francisco cuisines. The paper reports Crenn will supervise the French Nola culinary team, which will be headed up by chefs Christophe Bourguignon, who’s listed on the Atelier Crenn website as R&D Chef, and Jake Smollett, presumably the same Jake Smollett of both acting and cooking fame. The project seems to be in the early stages, however, as Crenn told Le Figaro she’s still on the hunt for a space but has solidified both the team and funds necessary.
The news of the Parisian project comes as Crenn is in Antwerp to be honored at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. As announced earlier this summer, Crenn will receive the Icon Award on Tuesday, October 5, which recognizes “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the restaurant industry,” per the organization. The awards point to Crenn’s work promoting sustainability and inclusivity; earlier this year she launched a partnership with Upside Foods, a company that produces meat cultivated from animal stem cells, and put the company’s lab-grown chicken on the Atelier Crenn menu, which had been meat-free since 2019.
Though Atelier Crenn has been open for on-site dining since early 2021, the French chef has yet to reopen (or announce the permanent closure) of two of her San Francisco restaurants, Petit Crenn and Bar Crenn. Somewhat puzzlingly, Bar Crenn held onto its single Michelin etoile — despite being closed. Atelier Crenn also retained its three stars in the 2021 Michelin Guide.
