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Teen Phenom Flynn McGarry (Temporarily) Takes Over Atelier Crenn's Kitchen

The 16-year-old chef is popping up there for one night only.

Kat Odell

There are plenty of chefs under 30 who are rocking the culinary world, but even by those standards, 16-year-old Flynn McGarry is pretty darn precocious. Rocketed to fame by a New York Times profile that spotlighted his ambitions to have "one of the best restaurants in the world," McGarry has become a major curiosity for diners in his native L.A., where he cooks part-time at Alma (Bon Appetit's 2013 restaurant of the year) and holds a monthly supper club, Eureka, for a roomful of private guests. He's also been the subject of controversy, with many chefs asserting that someone so young and unproven, without a restaurant of his own, shouldn't be receiving a level of press typically reserved for those at the peak of their careers. Taymor publically defended him, saying that "several extremely successful chefs have used Flynn as a scapegoat to air their grievances against the state of cooking." Despite the controversy, McGarry's star continues to rise, with a TV pilotappearances on talk shows, and even a TED talk.

Now, McGarry is coming to San Francisco to cook for the first time, offering a special edition of Eureka at Atelier Crenn, to be held on Monday, January 26th (a night when the restaurant is typically dark). He'll be serving an eight-course tasting menu, with Josh Graves (Faith & Flower) handling the dessert courses. The price of the dinner, which is charged in advance, is $160, which includes tax and gratuity, but not wine or other beverages (available for an extra cost). The meal lasts a little over two hours; interested parties should email McGarry's team and request two reservation slots on the half-hour, anytime between 6:30-9:30 pm.

For a peek at McGarry's cooking, here's a video of him doing a Eureka pop-up back in June at L.A.'s Fifty Seven, which Gwyneth Paltrow apparently really dug. (Warning: there is some seriously pretentious "triumphant music" going on here.) He also has some dish photos on Facebook.

Atelier Crenn

3127 Fillmore Street, , CA 94123 (415) 440-0460 Visit Website