03/10/2026

LYFE SATURDAY | OCT 3, 2026 23 Filling belly, nourishing mind

F RENCH-BORN chef Dominique Crenn, who founded Atelier Crenn in San Francisco in 2011, remains the first and only woman in the US to hold three Michelin stars. Now, she wants the restaurant world, and Michelin in particular, to do a better job of recognising women, who have played a defining role in the culinary arts for millennia. “There are so many women with incredible talent,” Crenn told AFP in an interview during a visit to Mexico, arguing that female chefs often remain overlooked in elite kitchens despite their skills. “I have the impression they use the talent of these young women without promoting them. I would like Michelin to start recognising other women,” she said. Globally, only six women have received the coveted three-star distinction in the Michelin Guide’s 2026 editions. Crenn, who was being honoured at a food and cultural festival on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, paused between a hectic round of appearances to devour two beef-cheek tacos with salsa verde prepared by Mexican chef Karime Lopez. “It’s delicious!” she exclaimed between bites. “When I eat it, I have the impression that she is telling me the story of Mexico, the place where she comes from, and that is important.” and outspoken, Crenn moves through kitchens with the energy of someone still hungry. During the interview, she wandered among cooks in Lopez’s ‘Make us think’ Rebellious, innovative

o Superstar chef Dominique Crenn urges Michelin to recognise more women

A dish served at Atelier Crenn, consisting of Dashi meringue, smoked creme fraiche, egg yolk and Kristal caviar.

Crenn prepares a dish at Atelier Crenn in San Francisco. – PICS FROM INSTAGRAM @ATELIER.CRENN

well-being of staff. She said: “When I opened Atelier Crenn, I decided to reinvest in my team. I would make less profit, but invest in the people who work with me. And now it is a success.” Cooking from the heart Crenn served as a technical adviser on the 2022 psychological thriller The Menu , an experience she says she enjoyed because it was “also something very, very creative”. She is less enthusiastic about the image of chefs presented by television cooking competitions, even though she has appeared as a judge on France’s Top Chef . She said: “People love them and they can help discover talent. But cooking is not like that.” On television, she said, authenticity is often missing. For Crenn, the best food comes from a deeply personal place. She said: “When there is a story to tell, an emotion that comes from a very vulnerable place... it’s like a painting – its colours, the reason why. We combine all of that. But it has to come from inside us.”

Sonoma, about an hour north of the city. Chickens roam the property, where fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown for Atelier Crenn and Bar Crenn. Two 200-year-old trees provide walnuts. Whatever is not used is repurposed through fermentation or composting. The farm also serves as a laboratory where members of her team can experiment. For Crenn, “life is a poem” and cooking for others is an act of love and vulnerability. Yet retaining three Michelin stars comes with what she describes as enormous pressure. “Products are very expensive, labour is very, very expensive, and I think cooks must be paid properly,” she said. Her restaurant deliberately remains small, with only nine tables, allowing her to spend time with guests. Far removed from the old military-style kitchen brigades associated with fine dining, she argues success depends on the

as pleasure. “Food nourishes us physically, of course, but it should nourish us as well” intellectually, she said, adding that it should “make us think”. That philosophy extends to sustainability. She asked: “If you’re in California and you’re buying fish from the other side of the world, why?” “Use the nearby ocean. Use the products from your environment.” Crenn said she worries about increasingly frequent extreme weather events because of their impact on small producers, whom she considers fundamental to her work. This year, she noted, El Nino in the Pacific has been disrupting weather patterns. She said: “We are responsible because we do not take care of nature. We must become an ecosystem in the way we feed ourselves.” Love and vulnerability Crenn divides her time between her restaurant in San Francisco and a biodynamic, regenerative farm in

busy kitchen, sampling sauce from a large spoon and offering her approval. Dressed in a green jacket, baseball cap and dark glasses, she paused to chat before leaving the room with a small dance. Her own cooking seeks to provoke reflection as much

Crenn says she is not fond of how chefs are portrayed in reality television. – IMDBPIC

AI changes how Americans choose snacks sector generates US$198.2 billion (RM807.4 billion) in annual retail sales and is growing about 1.4 times faster than the broader food market. bolder flavours, from sweet-and- spicy combinations to tangy and briny snacks.

AME R ICAN S are increasingly asking artificial intelligence (AI) what to snack on, according to Conagra Brands, a shift the Slim Jim meat stick-maker says is helping fuel demand for higher-protein foods, bold flavours and products tailored to specific health goals. Driven partly by the rapid rise of weight-loss drugs and the White House’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, consumers are seeking healthier food options more than ever. Conagra, which also makes Hunt’s ketchup, worked with research firm Circana to analyse more than 53 million shopping transactions covering 17,000 products across the US snacking sector. The

Consumers are also examining ingredients more closely and increasingly using AI tools to guide purchasing decisions, Conagra said. Rather than searching for a specific product, shoppers are asking for snacks that meet particular needs, such as higher protein or fibre content. Noting cookies and salty snacks have struggled, Nolan said: “That’s why some of the traditional categories have been under pressure. The emergence of these more nutrient-dense snacks and snacking for purpose have started really growing and accelerating.” – Reuters

More has changed in how Americans eat and shop for food in the six years since the Covid-19 pandemic than in the previous 50 years, said Conagra’s senior growth science vice president Bob Nolan. “Snacks are playing a bigger and more personal role in consumers’ lives, whether someone wants a boost of protein, lasting energy or a moment of comforting indulgence,” Nolan said recently. Health trends are only part of the story. Conagra’s research found that younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, are driving demand for

Slim Jim snacks on sale at a grocery store. – REUTERSPIC