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How did your love of wine come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I grew up in California, in the San Francisco Bay, in a family of wine enthusiasts. Especially my father, who is a surgeon, always encouraged us to taste, talk and learn more about wine. Drinking alcohol with your children at the dinner table may be commonplace in France and Europe, but it is quite unusual in American culture. It was all about points and scores. He would print out index cards and ask us questions. After a few years, I started speaking like a true wine critic: \u201cIt\u2019s cherry, tobacco and clove\u201d. But my real passion back then was cooking. I grew up in the 2000s watching TV channels like the Food Network, with all those glamorous celebrity chefs. Ever since middle school, I wanted to become a chef. I would spend hours preparing dishes for my friends and they would gobble them up in a flash! When the time came to decide on my studies, my plan was to join a culinary school. My parents were supportive, but encouraged me to go to university first. To get out of my comfort zone, to forge my own identity, I decided to leave California, even though there are a million wonderful schools there. So I went to the University of Missouri, which was both a culture and a weather shock!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I majored in hotel and restaurant management intent on becoming a chef, maybe even opening my own restaurant. It was really cool to put on a chef\u2019s jacket, to be cooking all the time and receive a diploma for it! Then I became a teaching assistant, like the ones you see on tasting panels on TV. After that I moved to Florence for two months. That stay truly expanded my love of wine. I began to understand the connection between wine and food, the links between history, geology and geography, everything that makes wine what it is. In my last year of university, I worked in a European wine bar, operating both in the kitchen and behind the bar. There I realised how much I wanted to work in the front room, and that although I was passionate about cooking, my priority was to connect with people, with guests. That\u2019s when I decided to become a sommelier. So after I graduated, I took a course in sommellerie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know back then that you wanted to work in a gourmet restaurant?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I was young, I was already fascinated by the world of Michelin stars and high-end gastronomy. I knew I didn\u2019t want to work in a family restaurant but rather in an iconic establishment where I would have to give my very best. Years later, I can say that working in a gourmet restaurant is certainly not as glamorous as I thought it would be, but I just knew it was my calling. And getting there was not easy. I didn\u2019t have much experience in the dining room when I took my sommelier exam. I started working in Silicon Valley, at Rosewood Sand Hill, a resort with a Michelin-starred restaurant. Initially in the lounge, which was more casual, and then in the restaurant itself. It\u2019s hard to get a handle on the whole service thing when you\u2019re fresh out of school! There were many tough moments, plenty of tears. I was such a young sommelier… Sometimes I would go to a table and they would look at me and say: \u201cAre you old enough to even drink wine? Can you call your manager?\u201d. It took me a while to earn the guests\u2019 respect and trust. I ended up working for this group for five years. I was lucky enough to open multiple venues for them around the world, in Santa Barbara, Nassau in the Bahamas and even Hong Kong. I really thought I would stay in the hotel and resort business, focusing on launching new venues, teaching and training staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What path led you to Atelier Crenn?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In October 2019, I took and passed my advanced sommelier exam. Immediately afterwards, a strange thought came over me: what now? Should I switch trade? Change paths? In preparation for the exam, I had staged at several three-star restaurants to gain experience. And my friends were pushing me in that direction. But I kept thinking I wanted to stay where I was. So it all started with a working interview at Dominique Crenn\u2019s establishment: there I felt like I had a purpose, not just standing in a corner or pouring water. Then I interviewed for the job, and in December 2019, I got the opportunity to work at Atelier Crenn. A big change for me! And then March 17th, 2020 came around… The COVID pandemic and global lockdown! What a weird start\u2026 Looking back, I\u2019m glad I made the change at that time. I witnessed the trust and responsibility that Dominique Crenn places in her team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What was your first impression of the restaurant?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought: wow, is that it? Just eight tables? So small and yet world famous! The first two days, I didn\u2019t know where to stand, what to do, or who to talk to. But very quickly, I realised that my colleagues were friendly and patient, always taking the time to teach me the subtleties of service. I came from a restaurant where there were, say, five courses, maybe eight, on a tasting menu, and here there were sixteen! But what struck me most was the timing, because everything needs to happen within a very precise time frame. You\u2019re always running against the clock to ensure guests have the most wonderful and memorable experience. I also noticed the silence and precision in the kitchen, a stunning choreography with the chef orchestrating right in the middle of it all. A quick glance, and then everything falls into place and the dishes are ready to be served! Today, just by looking at the floor, I have an overview of the restaurant and I instantly get a feel for what is going on. Needless to say that wasn\u2019t the case when I got started…<\/p>\n\n\n\n When guests sit down for this kind of dining experience, they let the chef decide every aspect of their meal. But with wine, they may have their own preferences. Some people have clear-cut opinions about wine, others don\u2019t. How do you adapt to that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re right. When it comes to food, they rely completely on the staff. They hardly need to see the menu, which, by the way, is a poem written by the chef. There is an element of mystery there. But for wine, it\u2019s a whole different story… Some guests come for the experience and opt for a food-and-wine pairing, which also saves them the trouble of selecting bottles, whilst others want something that \u201cpops\u201d, a Bordeaux or a Cabernet… You need to be flexible and let them enjoy what they want. I think you should always drink what you like, no matter if it\u2019s a perfect match or not. If it makes your evening memorable, I\u2019d say why not? But it\u2019s also my job to guide them towards a bottle that will help them get the most out of their experience, and of course something that highlights the food, which is meatless here. It\u2019s up to me to draw them into the story we want to tell. So I usually suggest starting with a lighter wine before moving on to a more powerful vintage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you highlight the chef\u2019s creativity through your suggestions?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By making unexpected food-and-wine pairings, even surprising myself. By suggesting wines to our guests that reflect Dominique Crenn\u2019s philosophy, wines produced by committed winemakers who try to limit their impact on the planet by relying on organic and biodynamic farming… And by really focusing on their story. It\u2019s wonderful when guests trust you and you can prompt them to try a wine from Mexico for instance. Maybe they\u2019ve just travelled there and all they drank was tequila! Well, now they know this wonderful wine too. I like to push them out of their comfort zone, but without going too far of course. Because they always need to see the value in what you are offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you also working on alcohol-free pairings?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, and they\u2019ve been very popular, especially in the last year. It was something we used to do before the pandemic, but it was a bit low key. It was kind of a secret thing… But now it\u2019s much more popular, and not just for those who don\u2019t drink alcohol. For instance, a couple might go for one pairing with alcohol and one without. It\u2019s fun for them to compare and share. We\u2019re fortunate enough to have a farm to get our produce from as well as talented chefs with a wide range of experience, who either worked as bartender in a past life or know a specific ingredient they\u2019ve worked with. When I started creating non-alcoholic drinks that would work with food, my first lead was to model them on wine. One of those I\u2019m most proud of is a cypress-smoked tea, beetroot juice and cherry drink that Chef Crenn called \u201cEssence of Earth\u201d. In fact, it looks like red wine and has earthy, quite funky flavours. But it took a lot of trial and error. I remember taking my recipe to the head of R&D, who after smelling it said: \u201cIt smells like my grandmother\u2019s attic!\u201d It might be confusing for some, but it\u2019s now a staple on our menu. Our gardeners have a lot of fun infusing various herbs, flowers and sun-dried fruits. They sip on their creations throughout the day. And I learned a lot from them. We create a new tea every week. With berries, chamomile, lemon verbena… Flavours that you wouldn\u2019t expect to work together. By using farm produce to enhance a dish, the drink ends up being part of that dish. It\u2019s really a challenge, because how can I enhance a dish that is already perfect, that the chef has spent months perfecting? Sometimes you have almost too much freedom to get lost in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you tell us more about your wine list?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our wine list contains 700-800 bottles. Not that many compared to the one I used to work with, which had about 2,400 references and you would often find yourself digging through a page full of Zinfandels! So I have learned to appreciate the value of a narrower menu. It contains mostly Californian and French wines, but we also have quite a few from other regions. Many of our guests trust us and choose the pairing without even looking at the menu. But I always encourage them to have a peek, because it\u2019s my favourite book! I think there\u2019s something poetic about browsing a physical list, going through it… It also reflects the philosophy of the restaurant. Of course we have the classics, the great Bordeaux, the big Champagne names, but it\u2019s also fun to explore other regions, with wines that are maybe at a lower price point and suitable for more budget-conscious guests. I want them to pick a wine that will give them a real memory, and not just the cheapest on the list!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think will be your next step?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s something I\u2019ve been thinking about a lot recently. I\u2019ve been here for two years and I\u2019m far from finished with this establishment. I\u2019ve already learned so much! I think I need a few more years to really build up my team and feel like I\u2019m making my mark on the wine list and the restaurant itself. In the longer term, I\u2019d like to work as a consultant, help open restaurants, handle training, travel… but not yet! I feel so fortunate to be working with such a great team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wine Director Atelier Crenn \u00ab I feel so fortunate to be working with such a great team. \u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[490],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prominent-talent"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41006"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41720,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41006\/revisions\/41720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lesgrandestablesdumonde.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Rachel Coe\u2019s background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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