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The Next Iron Chef Season 2 airs Sunday, October 4 at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network (Photos courtesy of Food Network)
Dominique Crenn, chef de cuisine at Luce in the InterContinental, was seemingly destined to pursue a career in food, having parents with farming roots in Brittany who instilled in her the love of and connection with the earth and a farm-to-table lifestyle at a very young age. "I loved cooking with my mom and grandmother, and going to the farmers markets." This, coupled with the fact that her politican father's best friend was a French food critic, whet her appetite for fine cuisine. "We used to go to 1 and 2 Michelin star restaurants. My parents took me everywhere. And we always had people over for dinner at my house. I was very young when I first tried foie gras. It was delicious! I remember my first time having a tasting menu, it was over 12 courses, it was amazing. But all I really wanted at the end was the chocolate dessert."
Yesterday, chef Crenn talked with me by phone about some of her experiences on "The Next Iron Chef" which premieres this Sunday, October 4 at 9:00 p.m ET/PT on Food Network. I was struck by how down to earth, humble and personable she is. Read on for the first half of my interview; the second half will post after this Sunday's premiere. And no matter the outcome of the show, chef Crenn is a winner in my book.
DB: How did you become a contestant on "The Next Iron Chef?"
In the Food Network kitchen
DC: I was in New York last February cooking at James Beard House and opening De Gustibus Cooking School at Macy's. The Intercontinental wanted me to cook for some press and clients and Food Network was invited. We met and talked and they invited me to be on the The Next Iron Chef battle. The next day I flew to L.A. to meet with them, and we totally clicked. I learned more about the premise of the show, and knew I would be surrounded by amazing talent, so I decided to do it.
DB: What will we see in the premiere episode?
DC: You are going to see some crazy ingredients. I had to make two courses, one savory and one sweet, using sea cucumber. I had the stinky tofu at first but it was switched and I was like, 'Okay, what is this?' It was this spongelike looking thing that I had never cooked with before. I just had to do my best.
DB: One competitor, Amanda Freitag, mentioned feeling the need to double-prove herself and her work as a woman among the male competitors. Did you feel similarly or did the fact that you became the first female executive chef in the country when you worked at the Intercontinental Hotel in Jakarta give you a psychological edge?
DC: I didn't want to go down that road. I feel like I was with my peers. We are all experienced and talented. I didn't feel like I had to prove anything to the others, I had to prove something to myself, for sure. They are very professional people. I knew several of the chefs. On the first day we met at the airport, there were about five or six of us, we went to Little Tokyo in L.A. and talked and ate and got to know each other. It was cool, I was very fortunate.
DB: How much more difficult was it cooking on TV rather than in your restaurant kitchen?
DC: It's different. First, you have no time. For the sea cucumber challenge, I had 45 or 60 minutes. Sometimes it takes a while to develop flavor profiles and to understand ingredients. And, you're in a kitchen that you're not used to. It was an interesting experience and challenge. Our call time was 6:00 a.m. and we were done by 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., then we would go back to our hotel and pass out.
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Luce's chef de cuisine, Dominique Crenn, with Alton Brown
DB: I have to ask you this. Chef Nate Appelman, upon leaving SF for NY, made comments on Twitter that got Bay Area folks riled up. He said, "In SF the audience is easy. You put tripe in a bowl and tell them it's from a humanely raised cow and they'll eat it. New York is totally different. In fact, I'm not sure what you have to do in New York." How do you respond to this and what was he like in person?
DC: Everyone is asking me about him. He is who he is and people will see who he is on tv. I have nothing bad to say about him. Some people say he was rude to me, but I can think for myself and if someone wants to be more aggressive with me, then I need to focus on what I need to do and not get involved in something that's not meaningful. He's young. Hopefully he will do what he loves to do with respect for others. I wish Nate the best. To me, San Francisco is not like that, it's an incredible city with incredible people. At the end of the day, you have to understand who you are and where you come from, and surround yourself with humility. I'm very fortunate for all of the things that I have been given. You have to be respectful and remember where you come from because one day you may be at the top and the next day you may be at the bottom. I wish Nate success in New York.
For more info: Luce, 888 Howard Street at 5th, InterContinental Hotel. 415.616.6566.
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