Atelier Crenn Launches Series of Collaborative Dinners, Starting with Teen Chef Flynn McGarry

Atelier Crenn, chef Dominique Crenn's two Michelin-starred restaurant, is about to shake things up with a series of collaborative dinners. Crenn, who was recently nominated for a James Beard Award, says that the series is about exposing the philosophies and talents of fellow chefs. And in typical Crenn fashion, the theme is evolution, which is easily proven by the series' choice of first collaborator: Flynn McGarry.

This is the second time that the teenaged chef, who has been the recipient of beaucoup accolades in the fine dining world, has cooked in Crenn's kitchen— in early 2015 McGarry staged a night of his "Eureka" pop-up, serving an eight-course tasting menu in the Crenn kitchen. "This time, he will cook with us," said Crenn.

The following week's collaboration will be with the team of Single Thread Farm-Restaurant-Inn, the upcoming project from chef Kyle Connaughton that Eater deemed "The Biggest Opening of 2016". That means key players from wine to pastry will be involved, serving as a preview for the restaurant which is slated for an "early summer" opening. "We have very complementary styles of cuisine," said Connaughton. "Different, but also a very similar sensibility about incorporating nature and the ingredients and seasonality. When we were invited for two nights, we jumped at it." Some of the dishes from the Single Thread collaboration include live sea urchin with kujo negi custard and roasted potato pureé and Passmore Ranch caviar and sprouted grains with duck broth, vegetables from the farm and mustard blossom. 

Originally a collaboration between friends (Crenn and Connaughton), the team at Atelier Crenn decided that the whole thing is complementary to the restaurant's vision of constant evolution. "It is about community, sharing experiences with other chefs and learning from them," Crenn told Eater. "For us, it's also about humility and welcoming friends to our house and sharing our space."The series will become a monthly occurrence, though future collaborators have not yet been determined.

The Flynn McGarry dinners will take place on April 5 and 6; Kyle Connaughton and the Single Thread team dinners will take place on April 12 and 13. Each night's 20+ course tasting menu is set at $398 per person (plus tax); tickets can be purchased by calling the restaurant.