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Rebel Chef
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters | Emma Brockes, Dominique Crenn
5 posts | 3 read | 3 to read
The inspiring and deeply personal memoir from highly acclaimed chef Dominique Crenn By the time Dominique Crenn decided to become a chef, at the age of twenty-one, she knew it was a near impossible dream in France where almost all restaurant kitchens were run by men. So, she left her home and everything she knew to move to San Francisco, where she would train under the legendary Jeremiah Tower. Almost thirty years later, Crenn was awarded three Michelin Stars in 2018 for her influential restaurant Atelier Crenn, and became the first female chef in the United States to receive this honor no small feat for someone who hadnt gone to culinary school or been formally trained. In Rebel Chef, Crenn tells of her untraditional coming-of-age as a chef, beginning with her childhood in Versailles where she was emboldened by her parents to be curious and independent. But there is another reason Crenn has always felt free to pursue her own unconventional course. Adopted as a toddler, she didn't resemble her parents or even look traditionally French. Growing up she often felt like an outsider, and was haunted by a past she knew nothing about. But after years of working to fill this blank space, Crenn has embraced the power her history gives her to be whoever she wants to be. Here is a disarmingly honest and revealing look at one woman's evolution from a daring young chef to a respected activist. Reflecting on the years she spent working in the male-centric world of professional kitchens, Crenn tracks her career from struggling cook to running one of the worlds most acclaimed restaurants, while at the same time speaking out on restaurant culture, sexism, immigration, and climate change. At once a tale of personal discovery and a tribute to unrelenting determination, Rebel Chef is the story of one woman making a place for herself in the kitchen, and in the world.
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Lindy
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters | Emma Brockes, Dominique Crenn
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San Francisco was like a different planet where there were no rules about how you needed to be. The liberal vibe seemed to resonate even at the level of architecture. God knows Paris is beautiful, but its beauty is tasteful, stately, unchanging: a city without a hair on its head out of place. The colours of San Francisco, on the other hand, were brilliant and vibrant.
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KVanRead Great quote and all true. If Paris is the city without a hair out of place, San Francisco is the one proudly sporting a purple Mohawk 😂 4y
Lindy @KVanRead Yep. Perfect place for a lesbian looking for new horizons. 4y
squirrelbrain I loved all of the different coloured houses in San Fran! 4y
Lindy @squirrelbrain Me too! The last time I visited there was at Easter 2001 and I used many rolls of film taking portraits of the houses. 4y
squirrelbrain I‘ve only been once, in 2009. (It‘s a long way from England!) We stayed right at the top of a house in North Beach and had a 360 degree view of the whole city and Alcatraz too. ❤️ 4y
35 likes5 comments
review
Lindy
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters | Emma Brockes, Dominique Crenn
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Pickpick

Chef memoirs are my thing & this chef happens to be a lesbian from France, which rings two more of my appeal bells. Dominique Crenn follows a unique path—using poetry to create an impressionistic menu, for example—which means her life isn‘t boring. I applaud her high ethical standards in regards to her staff, & her outlook on life: “Success is finding out who you really are & anchoring that discovery to a sense of purpose.” #LGBTQ #audiobook

Hooked_on_books I‘ve seen her on a couple chef shows and she‘s a badass! When I found out she was engaged to Maria Bello, it just seems like that‘s too much gorgeousness for one couple. 4y
Lindy @Hooked_on_books Based on her relationships so far, Crenn doesn‘t seem to embrace the “until death do us part” aspect of marriage. 4y
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Lindy @Lesliereads Oh yes! One of my favourite chef memoirs. I‘ve also enjoyed reading Hamilton‘s cookbook: her personality really comes through in 4y
Lesliereads I enjoyed Hamilton‘s memoir so much! Based on your comments I‘m going to add Prune to my tbr 4y
Lindy @Lesliereads It‘s definitely one to borrow rather than buy. I‘m a vegetarian, so I didn‘t attempt many of the recipes, but I still make her crispy cheese. I like the way so much behind-the-scenes stuff is shown; Hamilton‘s note to her staff about not wasting expensive ingredients like Parmesan, for instance. My eyes popped at the prep for fresh calf brains. The book design is different from most—I‘d like to know what you think. 4y
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blurb
Lindy
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters | Emma Brockes, Dominique Crenn
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Listening to this chef memoir has given me the urge to cook, even though I have to work while sitting on a stool (while my toes are healing). Made buckwheat pancakes with frozen saskatoons from my garden.

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review
Erynecki
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters | Emma Brockes, Dominique Crenn
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Pickpick

Rebel Chef traces Crenn‘s unusual trajectory into the role of chef. A quick read that shares the story of her adoption, traditional French upbringing, and her decision to come to San Francisco and how her various food choices and work opportunities set her down a unique path.

review
cariashley
Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters | Emma Brockes, Dominique Crenn
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Mehso-so

I really wanted to like this, but it felt like she was holding something back. There was just some personal element that was missing. An interesting life story nonetheless.