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

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 pilot, appearances 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.